Odds and Sods

Due to some radio difficulties in the Odds and Sods-mobile during our trip back to Detroit and our Ipod adapter going MIA, we were forced to put up with Detroit Sports Talk Radio.  We were listening to the show, which we are about 90% sure was The Sports Inferno on 1270.

One of the analysts during the Monday show compared the Lions’ Sunday drubbing at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles to “a failed abortion,”  because the performance was “messy.”

First of all, how does that stuff pass the censors on radio.  It’s obviously offensive to pretty much any human being, regardless of whether one is pro-choice or pro-life.  It’s not exactly a catchphrase one could see Scott Van Pelt spouting on Sportscenter any time soon (assuming he doesn’t want to be fired).  One can hardly see Mike and Mike dropping a dead fetus joke.  Even Cowherd would probably find that comment too crude.

Second, why use that metaphor?  Yes, the Lions performance was shockingly hideous and radio show hosts are prone to hyperbole.  But, “a failed abortion?!?!?”  It’s neither descriptive nor creative and it’s needlessly disgusting.  There are endless numbers of analogies and adjectives that could be used to describe how bad the Lions are.  Why that one?

Umpire Mike Winters was suspended for the rest of the season by MLB, and rightly so.  The 20 year-veteran was punished for “aiming a profanity” at Padres outfielder Milton Bradley during the Padres-Rockies game on Sept. 23.

Plate umpire Brian Runge told Bradley that other umpires had stated that Bradley had thrown his bat at him after striking out in the fifth inning.  Upon reaching 1st base, Bradley confronted Winters and asked if he was one of the umpires.

In the ensuing argument, Winters “baited” Bradley by calling him a “——- piece of —-.”  Bradley then charged the umpire, requiring him to be restrained and wrestled to the ground by Padres’ manager Bud Black.  While being restrained by Black, Bradley tore his ACL and will miss a minimum of six months.

Winters obviously deserved to be suspended, potentially even fired for what happened.  But how does this justify Bradley’s actions at all?  Just because someone calls you a name (even an uncouth one) does not mean you charge him like a bloodlusted orc.

Bradley was unintentionally honest in his assessment of the situation, when he said, “I didn’t do nothing wrong.”  He did do something wrong.  He behaved like an absolute jackass.  If the fact that you are responsible for your own actions can be comprehended by a 3 year-old, it should be no problem for a 30 year-old baseball player.