Sports Allure

Thanks, Dad

2010-04-08T00:21:00.004-04:00

My dad recently passed away, after many years of battling various health issues. I try not to think about those years or at least not to recall them as my lone memories of him. What makes his passing especially difficult is the timing. Not that there is a good time for one to lose a parent; however, my dad and I shared a common love of baseball, and this will be my first baseball season without him. Over the past few weeks there have been several moments that I have wanted to call him to talk about something baseball related, but obviously could not. The vast amount of time that he and I spent on baseball will be the memories that I most cherish. That will be the vessel through which I recall my dad's life, or at least, his life with me.

I remember the first baseball game my dad took me to see. It was at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. The Phillies were hosting the Reds. The Phillies lost, which crushed me, but made my dad (a Pittsburgh Pirates fan) feel pretty good. I remember walking out of the breeze way of the 700 level and feeling closer to God than to the players on the field. At that time, the players on the field were like Gods to me. I wanted to hit like Michael Jack Schmidt and pitch like Steve Carlton. I idolized them, even tried to throw left handed, but was cursed with an orthodox throwing arm. Those guys were my heroes, Schmidt, Lefty, Boone, Bowa, Luzinski, Maddox, Tugger..........My dad would get furious with me when I cried because the Phillies lost, but what did he know, he was a Pirates fan, losing was common place for them.

My dad taught me to play baseball. We would play catch in the yard and I always had to use two hands to catch the ball, always. When I did something wrong or appeared to be afraid of the ball, which I was, he would throw it harder. My hand would hurt, I would cry, and he would say, "your never gonna be a ball player if you can't catch the hard ones." When I eventually started to play organized baseball, he was always there. He worked, at that time, seven days a week and never missed a game or practice. As I progressed through little league, junior high, and eventually high school and legion ball, he still never missed a game. He was my biggest fan, and my biggest critic. He had a magical way of letting me know he was proud of me, at the same time letting me know I had to get better. He pushed, gently, but pushed none the less for perfection. I remember after my first no-hitter in high school talking to the local newspaper reporter after the game, a voice off in the distance saying, "it's a good thing they didn't get any hits, he walked five guys." That may sound a little tough, but at my next game he showed up in a bright yellow t-shirt with black print that said, "I'M RODD KIPP'S DAD." Enough said.......

One of the hardest things I had to do during my baseball career, was pitch my first college game. Not because of the level of competition, not because it was in Florida, but because my dad wasn't there. I always looked for my dad before I threw my first pitch. There was a peacefulness that I felt when he was there. Kind of like, no matter what happened, good or bad, it was going to be ok.... He used to tell me all the time, "no one is better than you, no one can beat you until they do it." It was his way of telling me to not get caught up in the hype of the opponent, but make them earn whatever they were gonna get that day. I didn't tell him about the looking for him before I threw my first pitch thing, until we were both old enough not to think it was corny. I think he appreciated it.

Ironically, the last Phillies game that my dad and I saw together was dramatically opposite of the first. What was the same was that it was my now ten year old sons first professional baseball game. My dad was with me for my first game and his grandson's first game, a great memory in itself. The opposite part is that Kevin Millwood threw a no-hitter, which was the first live no-hitter that any of us had ever seen. It was also our last visit to Veterans Stadium, which was demolished at the end of that season.

I grew up a baseball fan, idolizing it's players for their vast array of talents. My dad couldn't hit like Michael Jack and he couldn't pitch like Lefty. But what my dad did better than any of those guys was much more important, he was my dad. All the times I was sitting up in my seat to get a better look at those guys, the biggest hero of them all was sitting right next to me. He taught me to play baseball, but he taught me an even greater skill, he taught me to be a dad. Not by what he said, but by what he did, and how he did it. My four boys all have various sports heroes, players that they idolize for their different skills. I am good with that, my only hope is that I can one day be a hero to them, the way my dad was to me. I no longer want to hit or pitch like anyone, I just want to be a dad like Arthur Kipp Jr. was. This will be my toughest baseball season ever, and I may find myself secretly rooting for the Pirates.

Thanks, DAD.....

Baseball's Last, True American Hero

2010-01-15T20:40:00.008-05:00

In light of recent events, Mark McGwire's revelation, I thought about the one player in Major League Baseball who hasn't been linked to anything, Ken Griffey Jr., remember him? You should, he's still playing baseball. Injuries and all. Obviously, his trainer is not in the know. If his trainer was any good, he would have "hooked up" Junior with some steroids. Wow, could you imagine the numbers he would have put up if he juiced? If Junior was on the juice he might have done something ridiculous, like hit 70* home runs in a season. Oh yeah, no big deal, that's already been done. Oddly enough, it's already been done by someone who was on the juice. Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, everything that Junior has accomplished is real. All 630 home runs, all 1829 RBI, a .285 batting average, and 10 gold gloves. First ballot Hall of Famer, no doubt. I know, I know, no one is arguing that point. My problem is; no one is mentioning Junior at all......

1998, "the season that saved baseball." Saved it from what? Baseball had a lot of promising stars. Stars that were on the way to accomplishing some major baseball feats. Guys like; Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Alex Rodriquez, Juan Gonzalez, oh boy, now I see what baseball needed to be saved from. Well anyway, McGwire and Sosa's battle royal was amazing. Who knew? We should have. McGwire hit 52 home runs in 1996, 58 in 1997, and then that amazing 70* in 1998. A natural progression, nothing to alarm us, right? Prior to 1996, his highest home run total was 49, way back in 1987. That's a little fishy, especially considering all the ailments he was supposedly playing with. Sosa, not quite as inconspicuous. Prior to his 66* home runs in 1998, he never hit over 40 in a season. Including 1998 and the next 5 years, he never hit under 40. Now that is really fishy....But I, like most of baseball America, was mesmerized. I watched every night to see which one of the two hit a home run. If I wasn't watching, I was talking about it. It was captivating. But anyway, this is all common knowledge, back to Junior.

All George Kenneth Griffey Junior did in 1998; was hit .284, 56 home runs, 146 RBI, steal 20 bases, and win a Gold Glove. For a team that finished with 76 wins and 85 losses. With his 120 runs scored, he accounted for over 30% of the Mariners offense. All that, and not a needle in sight. Junior didn't win the American League MVP, that honor went to Juan Gonzalez. Yes, the same Juan Gonzalez who's trainer was found in possession of HGH and other steroids, while vacationing in Canada. This scenario can be repeated over and over again. From 1993 to 2000, Junior never had a season with less than 40 home runs, hitting 56 twice, both in 1997 and 1998. Oh, by the way, he hit 49 in 1996, 40 in 1994, and 45 in 1993. The only time he didn't reach these numbers, was in 1995, due to injury. 1995, the year his trainer treated him without steroids. What a loser. Junior had to actually re-hab his injury. Thus, never completely recovering, never growing massive biceps, or massive head size, and never again hitting home runs with any consistency. Wait a minute, that's not what happened. Why didn't that happen?

That didn't happen because Junior is a true baseball superstar. He has one of the "sweetest" swings in baseball, then and now. He played the outfield with reckless abandon, diving for balls, bouncing off walls, and gunning out runners on the fly. For most of the 1990's he was the face of baseball. The magical number 500 wasn't a question of if, with Junior, it was a question of when. Some of us even thought that he had a shot at the unreachable 61. Before his injuries, some of us thought he had a shot at the unreachable 70*.

So, after all this "hodge podge" of numbers, what am I trying to say? If you take out all the statistics of all the players who used steroids, hgh, or any banned substance, where does that leave Junior? How many more MVP awards, how many more Home Run titles? We'll never know. We'll never know how truly lucky we were to be able to watch Junior play the game of baseball. This is why, to me, it's not just about who gets in the Hall and who doesn't. To me it's about a true baseball great, like Junior, being over shadowed by guys who chose to cheat, instead of compete........

10 Things I Would Like to See In 2010

2010-01-02T17:31:00.006-05:00

10. All professional athletes in their rookie year be issued 22 caliber paint ball guns.

Why:

If you accidentally shoot yourself, you can still play the next day.
If you pull it out on your team-mate, the whole team can join in, it will help the team to come together.
The equipment manager is the only one to suffer.

9. In the NBA, a team must pass the ball a minimum of 4 times before a shot can be taken.

Why:

I can see 1 on 1 basketball at the playground.
I'm tired of watching the other 4 players sending twitter messages while the action is taking place.
So I can make my 10 year old understand why HE should pass the ball

8. New steroid rule in Major League Baseball: If you test positive once, your next 200 at bats you must use a wiffle ball bat. The skinny yellow ones, not the fat red ones.

Why:

Duh !

7. NFL quarterbacks wear red pinnies during games, and can't be touched.

Why:

The rules are to hard to understand now, no one knows what you can and can't do,
This would make it easier for everyone,
Besides there are only a couple of good ones left, we can't afford to have them get hurt.

6. Bring back the traveling call in the NBA.

Why:

No matter how good of an athlete you are, it is physically impossible to stop your dribble at half court and still shoot a lay up......
It would also help with number 9, above.

5. No more articles, editorials, blogs, forums, or tweets about professional athlete's salaries.

Why:

We all make more money than we did in 1956.
If you have ever turned down a raise, because you thought you already made enough money, you are exempt from this rule.

4. No professional sporting event should be allowed to start after 7 pm east coast time

Why:

Believe it or not, there are still a couple of KIDS who would like to be able to stay up and watch an entire game.
Also, we may have more corporate sponsors geared toward the juvenile market.
And less corporate sponsors concerned with your ability to urinate properly,
Or your ability to please your partner.
If your up at 11:00 pm watching a pro sport, your ability to please your partner is already in jeopardy.

3. We (as fans) should not have to read about who a pro athlete is dating....

Why:

They already get to play a sport that we tried and failed,
And get paid more money than we will ever see to do it.
Do we also need to have the fact that they are dating a super model rubbed in our faces.
It does however, give us someone else to blame when they mess up. Damn you, Jessica Simpson !!!!!!!

2. Pro athletes should be allowed to celebrate however they want, in under 5 minutes.

Why:

I just paid $767.37 for my family to see a football game, I want all the entertainment I can get.
Lion's fans should appreciate this.

1. Pete Rose be inducted into the Hall of Fame, no asterisks or anything, other than his bust.

Why:

No one plays any sport, with the passion and pride that he did.
He took out a catcher in the All Star game, come on !
He gambled, most of us have done that.
However, most of us have never taken drugs, beat our wives, used steroids, shot ourselves, shot a friend, shot the butler, or shot the moon, well at least some of us haven't.

Enough is enough, put the HIT KING,

CHARLIE HUSTLE in the Hall........

Tiger Tiger Tiger !

2009-12-22T23:45:00.002-05:00

I know what your thinking, enough already! The Tiger thing has been played out, what else can be said that hasn't already been said? To top it off, this is the very first blog of my, what may be short lived, blogging career. However, I have read, watched, listened to, and even smelled everything that everyone has had to say about the Tiger Woods debacle.
Tiger fooled us!
Tiger wasn't the person everyone thought he was!
Tiger isn't a role model!
Tiger ruined his reputation!
Tiger is a disgrace!
Well, here is where I get into trouble. Tiger didn't do anything to tarnish his reputation with me. All he ever was to me was a great golfer. Probably, when his career is over, the best golfer who ever lived. That has not changed. I never looked to Tiger for marital advise, I never looked to Tiger to be a template for my kids by which to live their lives. I never looked to Tiger for menu tips when I eat at Perkins. I still would love to have his golf swing, I still would love to be able to putt under pressure the way he can, I still would love to be able to shape shots like he can, I still will be more compelled to watch PGA events in which he plays than ones that he does not, and I still want to have the competitive drive that he has. I hope my mom doesn't see this, but I need to say that I especially still want my kids to compete in anything that they do, with the same determination, desire and focus that Tiger does on the golf course. What Tiger did is unforgivable. He destroyed his family. His children will grow up with the stigma of having a dad who had the mightiest fall from grace than anyone in American history. The role model issue is another story in itself. But if you had other expectations of Tiger, or expected more from him, that is a you problem, not a Tiger problem. Tiger didn't become Tiger because of his personal conduct, we put him on a pedestal because he was a great golfer. Guess what, he still is..... What you wanted Tiger to be is your issue, if you considered him to be some type of God, oops. You didn't get what you wanted.
All he ever was to me was a great golfer. Probably, when his career is over, the best golfer who ever lived..........