The NY Times dumps on American baseball players via year-end review

NY Times' George Vecsey's memorable dates in 2006 include these 2 (after his opening paragraph which, of course, says US athletes were losers across the board this year--now he's got you):

"WASHINGTON, JAN. 17--Sadaharu Oh, who hit 868 home runs in Japan, and Henry Aaron, who hit 755 in North America, are publicizing the first World Baseball Classic in March. The Japanese ambassador to the United States, Ryozo Kato, discusses how baseball helped revive Japan in the late 1940s."

• This scene to me shows the desperation and total lack of conscience of baseball's corporate elitists. The World Baseball Classic had so many problems, was forced to happen too quickly, so that many American players were irreparably damaged. Yet Vecsey's thesis in his opening paragraph is how big a failure American athletes have been this year in a number of ways. YOU CRITICIZE AMERICANS TO FORCE THEM TO FOCUS GLOBALLY, TO BLEND IN WITH THE WORLD. THEN YOU SAY SINCE THEY DIDN'T WIN ENOUGH INDIVIDUALLY IN THE INTERNATIONAL ARENA THEY'RE FAILURES. THIS IS A CONTRADICTION ENDEMIC TO THE NY TIMES AND MOST BASEBALL MEDIA.

You tell American athletes to forget their selfish local interests, teams, employers, families, and their own health.

To do this, they give up their identity which is entirely what you want them for-- to make money from that identity. When they play for the world and don't win, YOU SINGLE THEM OUT AS FAILURES. GET IT? YOU'RE SICK.

• Continuing to dump on Americans instead of using his forum to be helpful in some way, one of Vecsey's other jabs:

"SAN JUAN, P.R., MARCH 9--While many American fans and players seem confused by the concept of a world tournament, the Cubans represent their political system in their own intense way: spraying the dugout with water every inning for good luck, practicing in private, performing drills that seem like soccer or football exercises. Japan will beat Cuba in the finals, yet another reminder that Americans should not take anything for granted these days."

Vecsey joins the conventional talking points of the corporate imperial rulers of MLB, Inc. and the international globalist agenda. Which is, at best Americans are "confused," whereas Cubans are able to "represent THEIR political system," employing useful measures for "good luck," as well as "practicing in private," (oh, I see), etc., "yet another reminder for Americans..."

• Those American blunderers, bludgeoned by the likes of you gave up their teams, their health, their families, their employers, their fans, and any small amount of home life they might have had TO LEND THEIR NAMES TO EVERYONE ELSE IN THE WORLD SO THE ELITISTS AND OTHERS COULD MAKE MONEY TO GET WHAT THEY WANTED.

• I hope players and teams show more backbone next time rather than becoming ridiculed and beaten slaves.

The 2 items from the NY Times, George Vecsey column, "Postcards from 2006," Dec. 31, 2006.

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