There is an article in Newsday from Neil Best where Mr. Best criticizes the recent Yankees champagne clubhouse celebration of their Division title.
Here he goes:
"The goggles, the tarps across the lockers, the official dousing of home-team reporters....enough already.
Either limit the champagne showers to the really big stuff - i.e. a pennant or World
Series or do what the NFL does and ban alcohol from the locker room altogether.
(The policy has not hurt football's popularity, has it?)
Two reasons among many:
1. Young people should know it is possible for adults to celebrate together without adult beverages.
2. Don't some of these players drive themselves home after these parties."
Ok, if Mr. Best does not like the spectacle of the clubhouse celebrations, so be it but the last two points are a little unfair I believe.
With regards to the first point, frankly I call b.s. on this. Young people are primarily influenced by their parents (or lack of). If daddy or mommy have a drinking problem and this is something a younster is exposed to around the house on a daily basis, this is a much stronger influence on a child than a one-time locker room celebration by the local team. I could go on and on but I am just not buying the "corrupting influence of the locker room celebration" on today's youth. Just not buying it. Finally, many celebrations in every-day life are accompanied by alcohol. That is just how it is and I think young people know this.
With regards to the second point, I am simply not willing to assume based on no further evidence that these players are driving home drunk after these celebrations. I have never heard of a report of a DUI involving a player after one of these things. Maybe I am naive but I would think the team has a procedure in place to handle transportation for these players who have swilled copious quantities of champagne after a game. Further, with these important games, I think generally the families of these players are at the game and probably are the "designated drivers" for the ride home. In other words, I am not buying this point either.
I could be wrong but I don't think I have ever read anything before by Neil Best.
Who is this guy?
Is he ever in the clubhouse or is he critiquing from afar here?
Do any of the players talk to him or give him the time of day?
Does he have any friends?
Just wondering.
3 comments:
He's a grumpy old man who ran out of Depends an hour or so before he launched into this article.
Or was out of ideas and had to come up with something to write about.
Typical whiny liberal writer who doesn't want anyone to have fun because he doesn't have any fun. This guy was probably always picked last in gym class and never played any sports growing up or in college, so now, he wants to punish everyone else to make himself feel better. Just a total D-bag loser - exactly what I expect from these liberals in the media today.
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