Someone like Rick Reilly might point out that you cannot spell “gamesmanship” without “game.” In doing so, he would inadvertently point to a serious consideration: whether sports governing bodies should seek to invert the relationship Reilly rhetorically identifies. That is, should they legislate their products in such a way as to regulate or even eliminate gamesmanship– to take the “gamesmanship” out of the “game” ?
The question arises again after game 4 of the World Series was marked by a surprising amount of mound and infield conferences among New York Yankee players. In the fifth inning alone, the Yankees players stopped play 8 times to talk over strategy, change signs and fielding positions, and (presumably) break the momentum of the Phillies. The latter, of course, would be described by most as gamesmanship, pure and simple– intentional manipulation of the rules to gain a competitive or psychological advantage.
I'm not sure what this sign has to do wth anything.
According to Newsday, not only were Phillies fans upset at all the game stoppages, but so was Major League Baseball itself. Apparently, MLB wants a fast-paced game, and is concerned when players take advantage of vague rules to help their teams. Of course, MLB is not the only league “plagued” by such player manipulations. The best parallel that comes to mind is the way that tennis pros deftly use their “injury,” “trainer” and “bathroom” timeouts to get breathers, get a massage, and break momentum between games and sets. Maria Sharapova is the absolute worst in the world when it comes to such; if she loses a set, get ready for a bathroom break. It IS coming. If an opponent is gaining momentum, Maria’s hammy is going to tighten up. Count it. And, she and players like Novak Djokovic also drive other players crazy with their super-”methodical” (read: “slow as hell”) serving motion, bouncing the ball 20 times before languidly tossing the ball to serve.
Maria Sharapova glares at a line judge who called the set point that was in, in. Moments later, she went to the bathroom for half an hour.
Now: as you might read from the tone in the Sharapova section, I do not appreciate having to watch such machinations… or do I? When it comes down to it, I think I dislike Sharapova’s tactics so much because they usually work. She does dictate pace and play, and it is irksome, because she is so unlikable. And it is undeniable that sports are better when there are villains. Also, on the other side of the issue, I do not think that organizations like Major League Baseball need to go changing rules for marketing reasons. First, I am not sure why the sports leagues all want to “increase the pace of play”– the NFL and the World Series garner monster ratings, for which you would think advertisers pay handsomely, much more so than for Fox’s or CBS’s fall lineups or ESPN’s futbol coverage. I might guess that MLB has been criticized as a particularly slow game, and it is, but it is also NEVER, let me repeat that, NEVER going to outstrip the NFL in popularity. Therefore, speeding the game is not going to bring many new fans, and MLB needs to just chill and accept its step-child status. You’re not America’s past-time anymore, baseball. Deal with it.
Also, I think it is wrong, in a way, to change the rules to punish players who are playing within the rules. Maybe you might limit per inning conferences to 5 or so — something reasonable– but when organizations go about changing stuff, they tend to go way overboard. In trying to whittle down the baseball product to some hyper-marketed thing that some PR guys say is what we want, MLB is apt to over-police player control right out of the game.
All that said, I am not sure I agree with Yankees pitching coach Dave Eiland, who had this to say about Game 4’s conference-a-thon:
“You can’t take away the beauty of the game. I know fans get upset and I know Major League Baseball may get upset with that. But that’s part of the game. There’s no rules against it, and I don’t see any rules changing for that. That would be ridiculous.”
I see no beauty in men speaking into gloves that cover their faces. But I like that he said it.
As Derek Jeter and CC Sabathia discuss china patterns on the mound, Dave Eiland sheds a tear for beauty behind the shades.
