Estimated Read Time: 2.5 Minutes
Like most baseball fans, I’m pretty pissed off at the sign-stealing saga that has unfolded over the last 30 or so days. I won’t delve into the abyss of what’s going on and won’t interject my own views on the matter, but suffice it to say there are a lot of people to be angry with—the players, the team, the ownership, the union, the commissioner. Essentially anyone involved in the scheme and its aftermath.
I’m keeping score here at home, and I’m designating it an “E-Everybody.”
Baseball Trophy
But commissioner Rob Manfred recently bobbled yet another slow roller. During a press conference in Arizona this past Sunday, Manfred was asked if the 2017 World Series title and trophy would be stripped from the Houston Astros. His response? “Asking for a piece of metal back seems like a futile act.”
What in the bloody hell are you talking about, Mr. Commissioner? The trophy (which is called The Commissioner’s Trophy, btw) is a mere “piece of metal” to you?
I am a trophy guy by trade, and I take extreme exception to that notion. It’s difficult to express the symbolic, abstract and emotional attachment a trophy can have among recipients and competitors. Thankfully, Dodger third baseman Justin Turner hit it on the sweet spot when he was approached by reporters in the team’s spring training clubhouse after hearing the commissioner’s words:
“You know, calling the World Series trophy a piece of metal – uh, I mean, I don’t know if the commissioner’s ever won anything in his life. Maybe he hasn’t. But the reason every guy’s in this room, the reason why every guy is working out all off season and showing up to camp early and putting in all the time and effort is for that trophy,” Turner said.
This is a guy who is taking home a cool $20 million salary this year, yet he is highly motivated by this “piece of metal.” Thank you, Mr. Turner, for personifying and expressing the central theme of our work here at Bruce Fox. We aim to create awards and trophies that represent the effort undertaken by each recipient. Our goal is to channel the passion and the hard work it takes to be the best, and to recognize them in a meaningful way.
Although Manfred has apologized—and I understand his comments were uttered under a fair amount of duress—I’m still left feeling like he’s a guy that just doesn’t quite get it.
I’ve always liked Justin Turner as a ballplayer (and for his epic beard,) but I never had any special affinity for him. Now I consider him a hero of sorts. Rob Manfred? Not so much. To me, he’s little more than a piece of…work.
Dave Miller is VP of Sales & Marketing at Bruce Fox, Inc. and a professional writer by virtue of the fact his company is paying him to write this blog. He was born in Normal, Illinois. So it says “normal” on his birth certificate. The goal of his blog is to “edu-tain” (educate + entertain) promotional products distributors, with a focus on custom work. Dave also finds it very awkward to write about himself in the third person.
