June 6, 2001
Taking a Look at Those 'Unwritten Rules'
By TOM WILLIAMS
Sports Columnist
Maybe, when you come down to it, it's all about the ego of the professional athlete.
Last week, Arizona's Curt Schilling had a perfect game going with one out in the eighth
inning when Ben Davis of the Padres beat out a bunt for a single. Schilling said he was
"stunned". A few of his teammates had stronger reactions. He said he had always heard
that players should earn their way on base that late in a no-hitter or perfect game.
Well, he did earn his way on base. He put the ball in play and he beat the throw to first.
That is called "earning" your way on base. The thing that makes this particular debate
so ridiculous is that the score was 2-0 at the time.
2-0!
That meant that Davis brought the tying run to the plate with his bunt single. Shouldn't
that be his goal? Or should he be more concerned about what Curt Schilling thinks about
his decision?
Apparently, Schilling felt his no-bunt approach was one of those unwritten rules you
hear about all the time. Years ago, Schilling threw at Deion Sanders head because the
two-sport star stole third late in a game when his team had a comfortable lead.
Correct me if I'm wrong but baseball is not a timed sport. You can't get a lead and run
out the clock. You have to get that 27th out before you win. Any manager that doesn't
use all of his resources to score as many runs as possible, with some rare exceptions,
is a fool.
As the late Richie Ashburn used to say, "they don't tell the home run hitters to stop
hitting home runs when they've got a good lead, why pick on the base stealers". They
also don't tell pitchers to stop striking people out when they have a comfortable lead.
On a Phillies broadcast earlier this season, Chris Wheeler introduced another
"unwritten rule" - when comfortably ahead, you don't swing at a 3-0 pitch.
All of this is silly and a great deal of it probably was generated by losers who, rather
than use their skills to turn their team into winners, focused on the way the other guys
were handling winning.
Don't stand at home plate too long after hitting a home run. Trot around the bases at a
quick pace. Don't stare at the pitcher. These are some of the unwritten rules that apply
to home runs. They might as well say "don't hurt the feelings of the poor pitcher".
Sports are supposed to be fun but, at the higher levels, they become more like a
business. Still, it is insulting to keep throwing these unwritten rules in our face. Just use
good judgment and conduct yourself in a sportsmanlike manner. That is the only rule we
need.
A coach has to make decisions that are in the best interest of his/her team. Having your
backup quarterback throw a pass or two is not poor sportsmanship. Calling a timeout to
get another touchdown is.
Would you have a track coach, as soon as his team has enough points to assure victory,
remove all of his best athletes from the remaining events? Of course not. If you did,
some of the athletes on good teams would rarely get to compete and those teams would
suffer from the lack of experience.
Losing is difficult at any time and at any level. But you can learn from it - what not to do
and how to overcome weaknesses. That is what makes playoff series so entertaining in
sports, watching the teams and coaches learn from losses and come back two nights
later with adjustments made.
Most of these unwritten rules are not about sportsmanship. They are about playing by
the losing team's rules. And, if laying down a bunt in the eighth inning with your team
trailing, 2-0, violates one of those rules, it just shows you how ridiculous they are.
Let Curt Schilling get his perfect game on a night when he deserves it, not on a night
when only his kind of hits count.
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Most of the finest high school athletes in New Jersey gathered at Egg Harbor Township
High School over the weekend for the NJSIAA state track meets. The week before, at EHT
and Buena, the South Jersey public school meets were held.
These two events are just another example of how the Cape-Atlantic League continues
to come to the forefront in high school sports.
This area is home to most of the top basketball tournaments and showcases, the
state wrestling (and, possibly, basketball) finals are coming back to Atlantic City and
you can expect both the arena at Richard Stockton College and the Wildwood
Convention Center to host NJSIAA events in the future. Absegami hosts both district and
region wrestling tournaments, South Jersey baseball titles are being decided at The
Sandcastle and most of the South Jersey tennis tournaments are held in Vineland.
Director of Athletics Tom Becker, Director of Facilities Brian Dunlevy and their
respective staffs did a terrific job of putting on the track meets the past two weekends.
The quality of their efforts and their use of the school's excellent facilities have added
still more luster to the Cape-Atlantic League's already strong reputation.
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