* If ever somebody deserves the big bucks and celebrity that comes with success in our over-hyped sports arena it’s Joe Maddon, the second-year manager of the World Series champion Chicago Cubs. He’s one of the good guys, one who doesn’t lose perspective because he’s a successful big league manager.
The last two times we talked were indicative.
The first was an interview at the Trop before a home game. Baseball didn’t come up. It was all about his hometown of Hazelton, Pa., and the cultural chasm it was undergoing because of demographic changes. Its immigrant base–typically Poles, Czechs and Italians from another era–had morphed into Hispanic. He has committed himself to a leadership role in helping bridge the ethnic divide–starting with the community’s kids.
The second was a chat before the season at his Ava restaurant in SoHo. Baseball didn’t came up. We talked about the JFK assassination. He’s become a skeptic of the lone assassin theory. It was right in my conspiracy wheel house. We never got to the red wine list, let alone baseball.
* “Hey, Chicago, what do you say? The Cubs are gonna win today. Go, Cubs, Go.” Thanks again, Cubs, for the well-timed diversion from this toxic presidential campaign. But it was more than a “reverse the curse” story. It was also a model of local-national-and-generational connectivity. Black, white and brown. Spanish and English.
The enthusiasm at the “W” parade that climaxed at Grant Park was not of the programmed, made-for-network TV variety. It looked more like home fans celebrating a high school state championship. “Hoosiers” with 5 million live celebrants.
* Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman ripped the NFL the other day for, among other things, taking the fun out of the game. “This is entertainment,” explained Sherman. “And they’re no longer allowing the players to entertain.”
Actually, this is about a definition of entertainment, and a definition of class, if that’s not too arcane. Elite athletes playing a game we love is entertaining. Boorish, look-at-me showmen who are elite athletes is not. Twerking after a touchdown or a sack is classless. It just is.
Game officials have their hands full trying to differentiate cheesy lounge acts from in-game enthusiasm. There are penalties for excessive celebration and taunting, and there’s always an element of judgment. And the networks hardly help by directing cameras to follow player reactions after every play.