A national obsession with winning rather than playing the game?
What is it with this obsession with winning rather than playing the game well?
While I understand that baseball is a business and winning the World Series means much, much more for the winning team's bottom line, don't these guys get the fact that in the long term business will be affected for all teams including the winner. This New York Times story shows the lack of concern:
With the Angels short of players who are top attractions and Bonds the only household name on the Giants roster, the fact the 38-year-old is rarely being allowed to swing at pitches could be tarnishing the appeal of the World Series.
``Our job is to win ball games,'' Angels manger Mike Scioscia told reporters. ``That takes precedence over anything you say that anybody wants to see."...``If it's upsetting some people in the media or fans, I apologize, but our responsibility is for the Angels to win.''
This year's four-game television average is an 11.0 per cent share, below last year's 14.4 and the 12.2 of the Subway Series between the New York Yankees and the New York Mets in 2000, the previous lowest-rated World Series in history.