Take me out

Today's stories are from the world of baseball, but they really don't have as much to do with the sport as they do with the way people act (as opposed to the way they ought to act!)

The Liberty Bell tattoo is not your pass to annoy
everyone from here to Valley Forge

Story The First took place in Philadelphia, the town where Santa Claus was pelted with snowballs during a football game.  As the Phillies were playing the Giants, a leather-lunged fan sitting behind home plate was hollering at umpire Bob Davidson, apparently suggesting that the ump had something in common with an industrial vacuum cleaner. For six innings, the verbal assault continued, loudly enough to be heard all over the ballpark, and Davidson fixed things by calling time out and signalling to security in the stands that it was time to send this "fan" to the shower.

The shame.

Story The Second comes from Cincinnati, where the Cardinals were taking on the hometown Reds.  Reds first baseman Joey Votto went over to the stands to try for a foul popup, only to be blocked by a hometown fan getting in the way.  Before returning to his position, Votto took time to grab the man's Reds shirt to emphasize where his loyalty ought to lie, and then shook his head balefully.

The Phila story wraps up with the (apparently) intoxicated fan being given the gate, waving his arms and displaying a real red neck as he departed to the applause of other fans in the area.

In Cincy, Votto autographed a ball for the pushy fan, inscribing it with "Thanks for being so understanding when I acted out of character."  Then they posed for a selfie and everyone went home happy.

In both of these cases, we see illustrated one of the basic problems of today's society: that "It's all about ME" attitude that makes everyone think they can be involved in everything just because they WANT to be.  Short and clumsy?  Demand a place on the basketball team anyway!  Can't walk without tripping over linoleum?  Get out there and dance your pants off! Not enough grazing land for your cow? Occupy federal land and just take all the acres you need! Can't pronounce "Tanzania"? Run for the highest office in the land anyway!

You wouldn't like it so much if you went to a classical music concert and some joker two rows ahead pulled out a harmonica and began honking away to the Rondo Alla Turca. Out for an evening of fine cuisine, you do not expect someone's cousin from Kankakee to go to the kitchen, elbow the chef aside, and prepare your ricotta and asparagus quiche, nor would you want the dining room to be fouled with the colorful billingsgate of the loading dock.

Simply stated, the people sitting near the contumacious Phillies fan paid their way in and deserve to enjoy a ballgame without his profane word-assault.  And the people watching the Reds game want to see Joey Votto play baseball, not you.  

Just enjoy the game, be it baseball, Parcheesi, or life itself.