Screw nature - It's baseball that we have to save!
March 31, 2001 10:38 AM Subscribe
Screw nature - It's baseball that we have to save! He gets to be President and manage a baseball team. Truly, America is the land of dreams.
Bush's love of baseball is one of the only things I genuinely like about him. I love the idea of putting a kid's baseball field on the South Lawn.
I grew up as a fan of the Texas Rangers, and when he was part of the ownership he would occasionally show up in the radio booth during a game and gab with the announcers. I even heard him call an inning once -- he did a great job, displaying strong knowledge of the players and stats and speaking confidently without any verbal gaffes.
posted by rcade at 1:02 PM on March 31, 2001
I grew up as a fan of the Texas Rangers, and when he was part of the ownership he would occasionally show up in the radio booth during a game and gab with the announcers. I even heard him call an inning once -- he did a great job, displaying strong knowledge of the players and stats and speaking confidently without any verbal gaffes.
posted by rcade at 1:02 PM on March 31, 2001
Bush would have made an excellent Baseball commish-- he would have had great repoar with management and players, and probably would have been able to bring them together at the bargaining table. His genuine love and understanding of the game, combined with his (limited) experience in business would have made him a fine candidate for the position in a few years when he would be ready. I'm confidant that in 5 years or so, he might have the bearing and discipline needed for the job.
posted by chaz at 1:21 PM on March 31, 2001
posted by chaz at 1:21 PM on March 31, 2001
As they said on Wait Wait Don't Tell Me this morning, Bush was considered a good future baseball commissioner. Instead, he went on to take a do-nothing job as a tool of monied interests.
posted by dhartung at 1:36 PM on March 31, 2001
posted by dhartung at 1:36 PM on March 31, 2001
Baseball, yuck. Real sports involve hitting - football rules...
posted by owillis at 2:24 PM on March 31, 2001
posted by owillis at 2:24 PM on March 31, 2001
Same here. I don't see anything wrong with promoting good clean fun, and using the White House lawn to put the message out.
It's ok to point out the negatives, but don't try to make the positives into negatives just because he's George Bush.
posted by tomorama at 4:06 PM on March 31, 2001
It's ok to point out the negatives, but don't try to make the positives into negatives just because he's George Bush.
posted by tomorama at 4:06 PM on March 31, 2001
Why not save your irritation at Dubya for such things as saying that he wants Congress to support his "compassionate" budget? Heaven knows, that's ripe for satire. How the heck can a budget be compassionate? If one of you takes a government budgeting class, trust me, you'll never use the word "compassionate" in regard to . . . well, a government budget. Just typing "government budget" has me feeling bad and a smidgen woozy. It's just a budget, already.
Oh my. Oh my my my. He should change the Office of Management and Budget's name back to the Bureau of the Budget, maybe, and use the acronym BOB. The latter sounds considerably more compassoinate than OMB.
posted by raysmj at 7:05 PM on March 31, 2001
Oh my. Oh my my my. He should change the Office of Management and Budget's name back to the Bureau of the Budget, maybe, and use the acronym BOB. The latter sounds considerably more compassoinate than OMB.
posted by raysmj at 7:05 PM on March 31, 2001
Excuse me, had that compassionate article's URL wrong. I was that woozy.
posted by raysmj at 7:09 PM on March 31, 2001
posted by raysmj at 7:09 PM on March 31, 2001
It just seems rather pathetic and indicative of what sort of leadership we are to look forward to over the next 3.5 years, that POTUS decides - of all things commanding his attention - that baseball is worthy of such hoopla and executive branch attention. How could he say any louder that he does not, in the slightest, take this office or this country seriously? That, in effect, he'd rather be playing baseball.
posted by gsh at 7:45 PM on March 31, 2001
posted by gsh at 7:45 PM on March 31, 2001
I thought to be a president you had to get your picture taken while you were out jogging, surrounded by secret service guys, panting and sweating and trying to stay with the boss (or falling behind to make him look good). Jefferson, Lincoln, FDR and Nixon and Clinton all jogged.
posted by Postroad at 8:11 PM on March 31, 2001
posted by Postroad at 8:11 PM on March 31, 2001
So, a President isn't allowed to have any hobbies? God forbid he takes a little time off to play catch. So what does Clinton's extracurriculars tell you about his Presidency?
posted by gyc at 8:41 PM on March 31, 2001
posted by gyc at 8:41 PM on March 31, 2001
Four points:
1. The conflation of POTUS and sports is rather traditional. Every championship team gets a locker room phone call and a follow up visit at the White House for a reception and "hoopla" just as the Hall of Famers did with Bush this week.
2. How much time is Bush himself really going to put into this program? Not much, I'm sure. Is it worse for the president to put some hours into a program that helps kids, or days into political fundraising activities?
3. In a nation where increasing numbers of kids are overweight little Nintendo potatoes, an encouragement of physical activity and non-solo recreation for our kids is a great message to be sent from the White House. It also falls in line with the longstanding President's Commision on Physical Fitness or whatever the heck it's called. (The thing Ah-nuld chaired years back.)
4. How the hell is encouraging little kids to play little league and installing a t-ball field (how cool would it be to play t-ball at the WH?) indicative of Bush "not taking the office or this country seriously?" I've heard of blowing things out of proportion, but that takes the cake. If anything, it shows me that he takes children seriously, and recognises that the things that kids need - like safe places to play, and encouragement to take part in activities and do their best - are unique and worthy of attention.
posted by Dreama at 8:49 PM on March 31, 2001
1. The conflation of POTUS and sports is rather traditional. Every championship team gets a locker room phone call and a follow up visit at the White House for a reception and "hoopla" just as the Hall of Famers did with Bush this week.
2. How much time is Bush himself really going to put into this program? Not much, I'm sure. Is it worse for the president to put some hours into a program that helps kids, or days into political fundraising activities?
3. In a nation where increasing numbers of kids are overweight little Nintendo potatoes, an encouragement of physical activity and non-solo recreation for our kids is a great message to be sent from the White House. It also falls in line with the longstanding President's Commision on Physical Fitness or whatever the heck it's called. (The thing Ah-nuld chaired years back.)
4. How the hell is encouraging little kids to play little league and installing a t-ball field (how cool would it be to play t-ball at the WH?) indicative of Bush "not taking the office or this country seriously?" I've heard of blowing things out of proportion, but that takes the cake. If anything, it shows me that he takes children seriously, and recognises that the things that kids need - like safe places to play, and encouragement to take part in activities and do their best - are unique and worthy of attention.
posted by Dreama at 8:49 PM on March 31, 2001
The winner of the Super Bowl did not get a call from the Prez this year. Which I thought was justified (even if just one of those things), considering what the game's become , but . . . The sports-president connection is not some American tradition that just happened to occur but a function of the president's being a figurehead as well as an executive branch manager and commander in chief. You won't see Tony Blair, say, worrying about cricket, tennis or soccer because the Queen worries about it instead. Meets with Wimbledon winners, etc.
posted by raysmj at 9:22 PM on March 31, 2001
posted by raysmj at 9:22 PM on March 31, 2001
GSH, please examine the daily schedules of any POTUS of the last 50-60 years. You will see their days were as full of this sort of stuff as Bush's is. And I find it rather hard to believe you didn't know that.
posted by aaron at 9:57 PM on March 31, 2001
posted by aaron at 9:57 PM on March 31, 2001
Vaguely related thought: I don't remember hearing the president popularly referred to as POTUS until the Clinton administration. I wish it would stop.
posted by raysmj at 10:10 PM on March 31, 2001
posted by raysmj at 10:10 PM on March 31, 2001
On the other hand, you can continue to call the Supreme Court the SCOTUS. It just sounds obscene.
posted by kindall at 10:15 PM on March 31, 2001
posted by kindall at 10:15 PM on March 31, 2001
I ate the POTUS. (Sorry m.stipe)
This action by Bush makes me uneasy. On one hand, it's a potentially really nice, shiny happy action... baseball is one of those things that is "American", whether you like it or not.
But, baseball today is nearly as corrupt and money-driven as government. People go to ballparks to root for uniforms, not players; players are shuffled everywhere, the parks are becoming malls, and the game becomes secondary to the hype and commercialism. Whether or not that is something to encourage, I'll leave as an exercise for the reader.
Also, it's difficult for me to accept this as a nice wholesome action given everything else that Bush has screwed up thus far. "Hey, let's dig for oil underneath the national parks, and set up a baseball field at the White House!"
Sorry, George. I still don't like you.
posted by hijinx at 10:44 AM on April 1, 2001
This action by Bush makes me uneasy. On one hand, it's a potentially really nice, shiny happy action... baseball is one of those things that is "American", whether you like it or not.
But, baseball today is nearly as corrupt and money-driven as government. People go to ballparks to root for uniforms, not players; players are shuffled everywhere, the parks are becoming malls, and the game becomes secondary to the hype and commercialism. Whether or not that is something to encourage, I'll leave as an exercise for the reader.
Also, it's difficult for me to accept this as a nice wholesome action given everything else that Bush has screwed up thus far. "Hey, let's dig for oil underneath the national parks, and set up a baseball field at the White House!"
Sorry, George. I still don't like you.
posted by hijinx at 10:44 AM on April 1, 2001
Is encouraging kids to enjoy the magic of playing baseball the same as encouraging the over-commercialization of professional baseball that has occurred over the past years? I don't think so. If anything, it's a remedy: Show kids that there really is something interesting about the game beyond money and celebrity.
posted by daveadams at 11:14 AM on April 1, 2001
posted by daveadams at 11:14 AM on April 1, 2001
And that there's something about the presidency and the White House beyond scandal and politicking.
posted by Dreama at 2:44 PM on April 1, 2001
posted by Dreama at 2:44 PM on April 1, 2001
There are baseball fields just down the street from the White House, near the Lincoln Memorial. That part of DC doesn't need more baseball fields.
Some half-pipes would be nice, though.
posted by Loudmax at 1:39 PM on April 2, 2001
Some half-pipes would be nice, though.
posted by Loudmax at 1:39 PM on April 2, 2001
Dave: Is encouraging kids to enjoy the magic of playing baseball the same as encouraging the over-commercialization of professional baseball that has occurred over the past years?
That's an issue I'd like to deal with. On one hand, yes, baseball is a rather magical and interesting sport - something enjoyable and fun. But kids are impressionable, and they'll start looking up to role models. Some of those role models are, arguably, extremely influenced by endorsement deals and the like. Kids could logically start dreaming of selling cola to people on TV. They could dream of wearing a uniform with the little Nike logo on the sleeve, or wearing the New Era cap. I don't dig that. What do you think? I might be a tad paranoid. :)
Dreama: And that there's something about the presidency and the White House beyond scandal and politicking.
Both have been so devalued in my mind, and the minds of many others, that this stigma will take more than a baseball field to shake.
posted by hijinx at 7:42 AM on April 6, 2001
That's an issue I'd like to deal with. On one hand, yes, baseball is a rather magical and interesting sport - something enjoyable and fun. But kids are impressionable, and they'll start looking up to role models. Some of those role models are, arguably, extremely influenced by endorsement deals and the like. Kids could logically start dreaming of selling cola to people on TV. They could dream of wearing a uniform with the little Nike logo on the sleeve, or wearing the New Era cap. I don't dig that. What do you think? I might be a tad paranoid. :)
Dreama: And that there's something about the presidency and the White House beyond scandal and politicking.
Both have been so devalued in my mind, and the minds of many others, that this stigma will take more than a baseball field to shake.
posted by hijinx at 7:42 AM on April 6, 2001
« Older A prophet speaks online... | Marijuana is illegal, Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
posted by aaron at 11:07 AM on March 31, 2001