I’d rather talk about the World Baseball Classic, which I’ve been enjoying very much — more than I’d expected, even — but the two big stories in baseball this week are the death of former Twins outfielder Kirby Puckett and the news of a forthcoming book that reportedly chronicles in great detail Barry Bonds’ use of performance-enhancing drugs.
What fascinates me about Puckett and Bonds is how different the media and fan perception is of each despite their similarities. The accomplishments of both men on a baseball field are undeniably amazing. Increasingly less deniable are their flaws away from the diamond. Jay Jaffe has published an excellent piece on Puckett at Futility Infielder that pretty well reflects my own feelings. As for Bonds, I know as a Padres fan I’m supposed to hate the guy, but truth is, I’ve long admired the way he plays the game and the things he is able to do between the lines.
So what do we really know about these two men, Puckett and Bonds? We know that both play(ed) the game at a stratospheric level. We know that both have/had severe “issues” off the field. We know that one smiled a lot and could make people laugh, while the other comes across as just plain surly. That’s about all we know.
The larger question is, Why do we even care? What is it in each of us that causes us to have a vested interest in athletes, movie stars, and other celebrities? Do we admire the skills? The success? Maybe it’s the money and the power it brings. Or perhaps we feel like we “know” these people because we’ve seen them in public so often (if you were to judge me on the basis of my public appearance, you would completely miss out on my vast collection of grey sweatpants and who knows what else). Or maybe they play for “our” team and we identify with them as a symbol of civic pride. Or maybe…
Well, there could be a lot of reasons. At the risk of sliding further into the realm of pop psychology, I think it’s worth asking ourselves why we are willing to invest so heavily in the lives of strangers. I’m not saying there aren’t valid answers to that question — I totally get admiring the way Bonds swings the bat or Alex Lifeson plays the guitar — just that it’s a question that each of us needs to be asking ourselves. After all, if we’re going to indulge in hero worship, shouldn’t we know what we are worshipping and why?
My theory:We tend to view the entertainer-entertainee as a 1 to many relationship, but really it’s just a lot of 1 to 1 connections. We asked for a service and they provided, be it good hard baseball play, solid music skills, fine acting, or writing a good book. When someone continuously provides a good service for you a connection is formed and you become attached, even if it is a one-way street. I dare say that the same feelings would happen with someone you hired to mow your grass every week or the mailman who walks to your door, assuming they do a good job and you are there to see them perform the service. Sports entertainers have a particularly hard time because of the import we put on the success of our teams. The service we percieve that they are providing for us is much greater, and hence the connection is tighter. (which is why the mailman tie usually isn’t that big a deal, unless of course you love getting mail)
I don’t think we believe we know the person, I think that once you become attached you set for them the same goals and attributes you set for anyone else you are attached to. This is why childhood heroes suffer most, they are given the same goals/attributes that a child attaches to their parent, which is usually close to perfection. Players we start to like in our college years, we tend to be more lenient toward them as we attach to them the attrributes that we attach to our friends.
At least that’s how it was for me. Using Yankees as an example, if Don Mattingly was found out to be a cheat that would be much more bothersome to me than if we found out the same about Derek Jeter. I don’t know what happens when you hit the fatherhood level though.
Wow, surprising opin on Bonds. Don’t know much about Puckett.
Did you read the CNNSI article about the book?
The drugs he was taking made his eye sight better, improved his eye sight! He was having trouble tracking the ball, so he got a shot in the ass and his eye sight improved. That’s cheating.
Cycles of drugs are directly corrilated with improved performance. The guy hit 73 jacks while on the juice.
He gets an automatic asterick in my book. And so does anyone else caught using a banned substance. And rose should never be in the HOF either.
Thanks, Harper, for the note. I think you may be onto something with this “tightness of connection” theory. I hadn’t thought about the relationship in terms of service and value. And the parental substitute aspect of childhood heroes makes sense, too. Good food for thought.
PM: Yes, I did read the article. The evidence against Bonds in terms of drug use is getting pretty overwhelming. That said, I have derived enjoyment over the years from watching him play baseball. I’m not sure how subsequent events will end up coloring that. For instance I still can watch the “Naked Gun” movies even though O.J. Simpson is in them but my wife cannot.
The best part of the Naked Gun movies now is watching OJ get mauled. I laugh a lot harder when he’s shot to pieces by the bad guys at the dock or goes rolling down the stairs at the Big A (Dodger Stadium impersonating the Big A for some reason) than I did before he murdered his wife and Ron Goldman.
Interesting look at the numbers by BP:
http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=4845
Update from Peoria … was at the game vs D-backs today …
– don’t be fooled by the news that Brazelton struk out the side in the first … he went to a full count on each of the hitters … he didn’t look bad … just didn’t look as good as his line will look …
– Ben Johnson hit a nice triple to deep LCF … then struggled in next 4 PAs …
– Was pleased to see 2 IP from Carillo … he’s a small guy … wasn’t particularly effective (gave up a run in both his innings) … K’d Conor Jackson with a guy on 2B … but the ball sure pop’d in the catcher’s mitt when he threw his fastball
– Khalil sure looked bad in his first 2 ABs … but then rip’d an RBI single …
– Was good to see Freddy Guzman get some playing time … but he lost a ball in the sun in CF (it was probably over his head anyway) … and then in his first AB, he gets HBP’d … limp’d down to 1B, stay’d in the game … then stole 2B
the dude has WHEELS 
– Etherton is DONE … the guy RIPPED … 4 extra base hits in the 5th … then came back out in the 6th and proved it was no fluke by giving up hits to the first 4 batters … 3 runs in each inning … bleh
If you go … I went over the Peoria Sports Complex this morning at 8am … the practice fields don’t open ’till 9pm … minor league games don’t start until the 17th … so I just hung around and watch drills and BP … had a few conversations with fans … *AND* talked with Chase Headley (how cool is that) … he says he’s healthy and feeling good … that he sure was tired last season after a full college season + CWS, then 2 months at Eugene + Ft Wayne … he’s expecting (hoping?) to play for Lake Elsinore out of spring training but he may start back at Ft Wayne … he looked slimer than I remember being at Eugene last season … I watched him take some ground balls during the BP and his glove looked GREAT … I’ll be rooting even harder for this kid now
a few more misc thoughts …
– Brian Bruney looked very good for D-backs
– I like Justin Leone … he’s at least a “replacement level” ball player … I suspect he’ll be Portland’s starting 3B-man … with Corey Smith back at AA Mobile … I say that because Leone is playing with the big leaguers and I saw Smith taking BP with the minor leaguers today (and looking good, I might add) …
– Similarly, I like Eric Valent … he’s at least a “replacement level” OF’er … and he’s taken a few good swings at the plate that I’ve seen …
– Other guys I saw taking “early BP” today = Blanks, Venable, Gomes, Daryl Jones, Tagg Bozied …
– Other pitchers/catchers I saw doing drills = Jamison, Colt Morton, Nick Hundley … many, many more …
RE: Bonds.
I’ve never like the guy but he’s one heck of a baseball player…even before he got montrously huge. I can completely understand Tony Gwynn’s admiration of Barry Bonds, the player.
Heck, the guy has a godgiven talent and uses it to its maximum potential. No Gooden or Strawberry here. And I admire the guy for it. He works hard and he played hard until these past few seasons when I think his body got old.
The sad thing is (if what’s been written is true) he got into the steroids all because McGwire & Sosa got the adulations. Too bad.
He could have still be great but probably not quite as fearsome (a product of chicken-shit managers).
I don’t like the guy but I do like watching him play. When he said he’s just good and talented to Roy Firestone, he was right.