A SPECIAL ATHLETE

A SPECIAL ATHLETE

 

A Cranky Opinion for

CRANKY OPINION SATURDAY

 

The following is the opinion of a cranky old man with some expertice on the subject opined.  Opposing opinions will be considered rediculous and unreasonable and will be ignored by that same cranky old man.

 

Steroids, domestic abuse, child abuse, drugs, cheating, there is lots of bad stuff in the news about athletes today.  The news is full of stories which just make you want to beat up on professional sports in general and directly on professional athletes.

I would like to direct your attention to one professional athlete who is retiring from his sport after twenty seasons.  This baseball player has never been accused of taking performance enhancing drugs or even recreational drugs.  He has never been in a fight, disrespected a fan, or had a bad word for anyone.  There have been no arrests for drinking or peeing on a wall, no accusations of theft or vandalism.  He has not been pulled over for reckless driving, speeding or even given a parking ticket.

This athlete has played on five world championship teams and been on fourteen all-star teams.  I have never seen a negative story about him in the paper; he has never been thrown out of a game for arguing or suspended from playing for any reason.  He has never complained about being substituted out of a game, or batting in an order he didn’t like.  He has put his team first for twenty years. 

This player is pure class.  So while it seems that all professional athletes are taking a beating for the actions of a few, I want to take my hat off to one athlete who has the admiration and the respect of all the players on his team and of all the opposition players.  I want to salute one athlete who has the respect and admiration of every fan who has followed his career or ever seen him play. 

For twenty years this man has played the game of baseball and given it 100%.  He has never quit, he has never blamed a loss on another player, and he has never turned down an interview or denied a fan a reasonable request.

Twenty years in the public eye, and never a negative report, a negative comment, a negative news article…twenty years on the most famous sports team in the most famous city in the country.  Twenty years under the microscope and his career and life off the field is as clean as a whistle. 

The Yankee Captain has been a great player, a Hall-of-Fame player, a winner, a gentleman.  While we beat up on Ray Rice for beating up his wife, while we whip Adrian Peterson for whipping his four year old, and we are disgusted by whomever else is the athletic felon of the day, do not lump all athletes into the same boat.

Some athletes are like the Yankee shortstop, and Captain.  There are athletes that are pure class, athletes that are positive role models, athletes that do the right thing.

There is Derek Jeter!

 

Thanks for 20 years of class!



 

The preceding was the opinion of a cranky old man and not necessarily that of management (who knows nothing of the subject) Mrs. Cranky.