Sportsmanship Vs. Gamesmanship

What Dewayne Wise of the New York Yankees did the other night was cheating. Plain and simple. He knew he didn't catch the foul ball as he went into the stands but yet showed the umpire that he had. He is not the first as he was just following a precedent that has been set by other players. Mitch Maier of the Kansas City Royals did the same thing a few days earlier. Then you have future Hall of Famer Derek Jeter acting like he got hit by a pitch when he knew it hit off the knob of his bat. He was awarded first base. I believe the sports enthusiasts call that "gamesmanship." They say it with a laugh. A sports purist calls it cheating and refer to a thing called "sportsmanship." I believe these players should be suspended. It is a question of integrity. They have been questioning Pete Rose's integrity for years. They banned him from baseball. What kind of example is this setting for all of the Little Leaguers out there? Is it alright to do whatever you have to do as long as you win?

The College World Series

I watched the College World Series Super Regionals on Saturday and I was quite surprised at how some of the head coaches used their pitchers almost to the point of being dangerous. One example of this is the way LSU used Gausman against Stony Brook. He pitched 2 or 3 innings to finish off the suspended game, had to wait about 45 minutes before the start of Game Two, and then started and pitched several innings of that game. That could not have been healthy for his arm. Several of these pitchers had already been drafted in the Major League draft held the week before and any arm injury could cost them a ton of money and possibly any chance at a pro career. I was impressed by North Carolina State's use of Freshman Pitcher Carlos Rodon. He was the starter in Game Two and pitched three scoreless innings. After waiting out a 2 hour and 20 minute rain delay, NC State's coaching staff removed him from the game and would not let him continue pitching. I wonder if the decision would have been different had Rodon been a Senior or would have been leaving school after his Junior year for the pros.