Professional Sports: The business we’ve chosen Sometimes I’m reminded of why I love and loathe sports. I got another one of those reminders this past week when my Texas Rangers made a blockbuster trade that featured Ian Kinsler, one of my personal favorites, going to the Detroit Tigers for the royal man himself, Prince Fielder. I’ve heard all the arguments on why this trade is beneficial for both teams and makes each club a little stronger. It gives the Tigers a much-needed piece to their infield and a power hitting, left-handed slugger to the batting order of the Rangers. Yet I find myself reluctant to give up a guy who has been at the top of our order for much of his career and was a large part of why I watched my team make back-to-back runs to the World Series in 2010 and 2011. Still, this is professional sports and guys changing teams happens as often as Robert DeNiro putting out a great movie back in the ‘70s and ‘80s. But for some reason, this trade leaves me with a feeling in my stomach like I’ve just watched a DeNiro movie that was made in the past ten years – I feel empty and a little regretful. This got me thinking of one of the all-time great DeNiro performances. It’s from the classic Godfather Part II, where he plays the younger version of Don Corleone, a character first brought to life by a timeless performance from Marlon Brando. But Ian Kinsler and Don Corleone have nothing in common. I got to thinking of the character Hyman Roth and his famous line that he blurts out: “This is the business we’ve chosen.” Mobsters knew that their line of work was going to come with the macabre and devastation one might expect in their world. Such is the life of pro sports and their fans. There’s always a chance that one of your favorites will shipped out of town, sidelined with a career-threatening injury or become Public Enemy No. 1 if his talent starts to fade. It had to be weird for Edmonton Oiler fans to watch Wayne Gretzky skate around in different uniforms for the twilight of his career. St. Louis Cardinal fans recently went through this with Albert Pujols, but last year’s World Series win, plus the recent struggles of Pujols, might have eased their pain. But I know this can work out. Mostly because I’ve seen this happen before, since Pujols now plays on the Angels with another former Ranger — Josh Hamilton. The love I have for Josh Hamilton goes beyond just a man-crush. I love his ability at the plate, his athleticism in center field and his testimony. But there was a lot of excess baggage that came with Hamilton, and the Rangers felt they let him go at the right time. I don’t think Kinsler is going to have a fall out in his stats with the Tigers. I think he’ll fit in nicely with Detroit and Fielder will be a great addition to an already powerful Rangers lineup. There’s always something about seeing your favorites adorn the jersey of the enemy, but that comes with the territory of being a sports fan. It’s the business we’ve chosen.
Posted on: Mon, 02 Dec 2013 17:45:15 +0000
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