These days, in the realm of sensationalization in the media, there is a tendency to regard any potentially controversal story as a scandal. Yes, PEDs, the NFL concussion problem, and the Mitchell Report were all valid news items, and should have been brought to the attention of the fans. However, that does not mean that, years later, they are still relevant. One should not crucify, or doubt the accomplishments of, someone who is not responcible for these events, and did not cause any of the problems. These are in the past, and until they become relevant to the present, should be left there.
When one looks at some of the people and incidents that have occurred in the past, these things seem minor. Yes, the Black Sox scandal and the NCAA point shaving situations deserve the publicity that they received, but that does not mean that everything else is on par with thosse situations. Below are five random events that transpired that are relatively unknown, and would provide fodder for the press for months if they occurred now.
1. Marty Bergen.
Marty Bergen was a catcher for the Boston Beaneaters (now the Atlanta Braves) from 1896 until 1899. Known for his strong throwing arm and hustling play, he was a fan favorite. However, Bergen also had a lot of personal demons. During a team dinner, he slapped ace pitcher Vic Willis for no reason while he was eating breakfast. He had hallucinations that people were trying to poison him, and refused to take his medication for it because assassins discovered who his doctor was. He would sit in peculiar positions and walk sideways, so as to spot these assassins. During a road trip in mid-1899, he walked off the train and vanished, leaving the team with just the backup catcher. He then reappeared several games later, only to disappear again in September. This time, he reappeared just before first pitch, put on his gear, and went behind the plate without speaking to anyone. On October 9, 1899, he had to be removed from a game when he dodged pitches as opposed to catching them, because he was too busy trying to avoid knife thrusts from an invisble assassin.
Bergen's tale ended tragically, as in January of 1900, he murdered his wife and two kids with an axe, then killed himself by slitting his throat with a straight razor. He used enough force in committing suicide that he almost decapitated himself. A snippet of an article from the New York Times gives a description of the scene: "The little boy (Bergen's 3-year-old son) was lying on the floor with a large wound in the head. Mrs. Bergen's skull was terribly crushed, having evidently been struck more than one blow by the infuriated husband. The appearance of the little girl (his 6-year-old daughter found on the kitchen floor next to Bergen) also showed that a number of savage blows had been rained upon the top and side of her head. Bergen's throat had been cut with a razor, and the head was nearly severed."
2. Charlie Sweeney and Old Hoss Radbourn
Sweeney was another player from the 1800's (I notice a theme here). He, along with Old Hoss Radbourn, pitched for the Providence Greys in 1884. Both pitchers legitimately hated one another, with tensions reaching their boiling point when they got into a fight in the clubhouse. Radbourn left the team, leaving Sweeney as their only pitcher. However, Sweeney eventually missed a morning practice after an exibition game (during which it was reported that he was drinking heavily), and showed up tot he park completely drunk. He pitched for five innings, after which the manager tried to remove him from the mound, but Sweeney refused. He pitched two more innings, then, when the manager attempted to remove him from the game again (and threatened a $50 fine if he did not leave the mound), Sweeney walked off the field, changed into street clothes, and watched the remainder of the game in the stands while in the company of two known prostitutes. At that point, Sweeney's career was practically over, although he did pitch in the California League for a while. In 1894, he killed a person in a saloon, and died in prison in 1902 after being convicted of homicide.
3. Paul Hornung and Alex Karras
Gambling is considered to be the ultimate sin in sports. The Black Sox and Pete Rose are still banned for their involvement in gambling. However, back in 1963, both Hornung and Karras were suspended indefinately by then-commissioner Pete Rozelle for betting on football games and their own teams. Five other members of the Detroit Lions were fined $2000 each for placing a wager on a game that they did not play in. However, since both Hornung and Karras were considered to be forthright in their guilt and showed what was felt to be legitimate remorse, Rozelle re-evaluted them before the 1964 season, and reinstated them both to the NFL.
4. Ugueth Urbina
This story occurred in 2005, but somehow did not receive a lot of attention. On October 16, 2005, Urbina and several other men attacked farm workers at his family ranch in a dispute over a gun that was alledgely stolen. The farm workers were attacked with machetes, and had gasoline poured over them as Urbina and the people he was with attempted to light them on fire. On March 28, 2007, Urbina was sentanced to 14 years and 7 months in prison in Venezuela for attempted murder, illegal deprivation of liberty, and for violating a prohibition against vigilante justice. Despite his continual insistance that he was asleep during the confrontation, no appeals were ever filed on his behalf.
5. Rube Waddell
Rube Waddell was someone that would not be permitted to exist as he did back then. A strikeout pitcher on the Louisville Colonels, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Orphans (Cubs),Philadelhia Athletics, and the St. Louis Browns, Waddell was an extremely unpredictable being. He would leave the ballpark to chase fire trucks if they passed by. Fans of opposing teams would hold up shiny objects and puppies when he pitched, since they put him in a trance like state. He constantly fought with teammates that he felt were 'ill-tempered'. He performed as an alligator wrestler during one offseason. During exhibition games, he would wave his team off the field, then proceed to strikeout the side.
To best sum up the life of Rube Waddell, here is an account of what happened during 1903 by Cooperstown historian Lee Allen: "He began that year (1903) sleeping in a firehouse in Camden, New Jersey, and ended it tending bar in a saloon in Wheeling, West Virginia. In between those events he won 22 games for the Philadelphia Athletics, played left end for the Business Men's Rugby Football Club in Grand Rapids, Michigan, toured the nation in a melodrama called The Stain of Guilt, courted, married and became separated from May Wynne Skinner of Lynn, Massachusetts, saved a woman from drowning, accidentally shot a friend through the hand, and was bitten by a lion." Waddell died in 1914 on April Fool's Day from tuberculosis, which he caught while helping to save the city of Hickman, Kentucky from a flood in 1912.
These five people and incidents, if the events were to have happened today, would be considered far worse than anything that has happened recently. Sometimes, perspective is needed when looking at the 'scandals' in sports.
No comments:
Post a Comment