Dave2112
Level of Cherry Feather
- Joined
- Apr 17, 2001
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Dear Editor,
I would like to respond to your inflammatory editorial this week regarding William Ligue Jr., the man arrested for pummeling Kansas City Royals first base coach Tom Gamboa.
You sir, referred to Ligue as "an overlubricated, redneck nutcase" who should be "strung up by his eyebrows from the center field bleachers while players pelt him in the groin with baseballs."
As a friend of the Ligue family, I find this assesment extremely unfair. Bad Boy Billy, as we call William, should not be demonized as a violent lunatic. He should instead be hailed as a caring father. Thursday, he was bonding with his sons at a baseball game, like any good Dad would do. Sharing, being a role model.
People who only saw the short film clips on TV didn't see that side of him. They didn't see him as the Cub Scout leader who regularly brings his troops on field trips to throw pornography at nuns. They didn't see the concerned parent who brought his 15-year-old onto the field with him simply because he was scared what might happen to him alone in that rowdy Cominsky crowd.
Or who left his younger son and his 10-year-old nephew in the stands, because he was scared that they too would be trampled by those out-of-control Kansas City players who overreacted to Billy's playful hijinks. Hell, that's Father of the Year stuff, there.
If Billy were such a bad guy, would we have given him beer money and let him chaperone five impressionable youths at the game? Would we make him designated driver when we get trashed on rubbing alcohol and set hobos on fire?
This incident is clearly the fault of baseball, television and society.
If "Big Brother" hadn't turned him down as too ugly, if "Survivor" hadn't turned him down as too stupid and "American Idol" hadn't turned him down because drinking tequila until you pass out isn't considered a "camera friendly" talent, Billy wouldn't have had to go to this extreme for his 15 minutes of fame. In any case, baseball could have stopped this mishap, but didn't.
Do they have IQ tests for ticket buyers? No. Do they do background checks to ensure that violent people are not allowed throught the gates? No. Are there mandatory urine tests in the bleachers? No. Nowhere in the stadium was it posted that fans are not allowed to strip to the waist and punch the base coaches in the head. I checked today and guess what? Still not posted.
Frankly, I don't understand all the furor over this incident. Billy attacked a first base coach, who has almost no affect on the game, not a player. He didn't interfere with an ongoing play. He didn't even assault Gamboa with a knife. Well...this time. Most importantly, as Billy told everyone on Thursday, he was provoked.
That first base coach was scratching his crotch and patting players on the behind all game long - and looking over in the general direction of Billy when he did it.
Besides, with baseball's out-of-whack financial structure, who isn't enraged? I mean, Frank Thomas is making $12 million and he doesn't even play in the field? And that A-Rod guy is making $250 million, while poor Billy is having trouble making ends meet by stealing Social Security checks! Who among us wouldn't act the same way in that situation?
Let he who is without sin, Mr. Editor, cast the first empty Genny bottle.
(The preceding was sarcasm, please take it as such. - Dave)
I would like to respond to your inflammatory editorial this week regarding William Ligue Jr., the man arrested for pummeling Kansas City Royals first base coach Tom Gamboa.
You sir, referred to Ligue as "an overlubricated, redneck nutcase" who should be "strung up by his eyebrows from the center field bleachers while players pelt him in the groin with baseballs."
As a friend of the Ligue family, I find this assesment extremely unfair. Bad Boy Billy, as we call William, should not be demonized as a violent lunatic. He should instead be hailed as a caring father. Thursday, he was bonding with his sons at a baseball game, like any good Dad would do. Sharing, being a role model.
People who only saw the short film clips on TV didn't see that side of him. They didn't see him as the Cub Scout leader who regularly brings his troops on field trips to throw pornography at nuns. They didn't see the concerned parent who brought his 15-year-old onto the field with him simply because he was scared what might happen to him alone in that rowdy Cominsky crowd.
Or who left his younger son and his 10-year-old nephew in the stands, because he was scared that they too would be trampled by those out-of-control Kansas City players who overreacted to Billy's playful hijinks. Hell, that's Father of the Year stuff, there.
If Billy were such a bad guy, would we have given him beer money and let him chaperone five impressionable youths at the game? Would we make him designated driver when we get trashed on rubbing alcohol and set hobos on fire?
This incident is clearly the fault of baseball, television and society.
If "Big Brother" hadn't turned him down as too ugly, if "Survivor" hadn't turned him down as too stupid and "American Idol" hadn't turned him down because drinking tequila until you pass out isn't considered a "camera friendly" talent, Billy wouldn't have had to go to this extreme for his 15 minutes of fame. In any case, baseball could have stopped this mishap, but didn't.
Do they have IQ tests for ticket buyers? No. Do they do background checks to ensure that violent people are not allowed throught the gates? No. Are there mandatory urine tests in the bleachers? No. Nowhere in the stadium was it posted that fans are not allowed to strip to the waist and punch the base coaches in the head. I checked today and guess what? Still not posted.
Frankly, I don't understand all the furor over this incident. Billy attacked a first base coach, who has almost no affect on the game, not a player. He didn't interfere with an ongoing play. He didn't even assault Gamboa with a knife. Well...this time. Most importantly, as Billy told everyone on Thursday, he was provoked.
That first base coach was scratching his crotch and patting players on the behind all game long - and looking over in the general direction of Billy when he did it.
Besides, with baseball's out-of-whack financial structure, who isn't enraged? I mean, Frank Thomas is making $12 million and he doesn't even play in the field? And that A-Rod guy is making $250 million, while poor Billy is having trouble making ends meet by stealing Social Security checks! Who among us wouldn't act the same way in that situation?
Let he who is without sin, Mr. Editor, cast the first empty Genny bottle.
(The preceding was sarcasm, please take it as such. - Dave)
