Posted on 08/21/2009 6:19:37 PM PDT by smokingfrog
Big league Hall of Famer Jim Rice opened the World Series for Little Leaguers with a fiery speech that even the grumpiest of grumpy old men could appreciate. The message: Don't look up to today's players because they're all bums.
Rice explained that the All-Star chumps you see today, can't compare to genuine American heroes of Jim Rice's day. They didn't have the rock and roll and the drugs back then, so their old timey brand of baseball was pure and good. Unlike the kind you see from that hippie Derek Jeter.
Guys that I played against and with, these guys you're talking about cannot compare ... We didn't have the baggy uniforms. We didn't have the dreadlocks," Rice said. "It was a clean game, and now they're setting a bad example for the young guys." [...]
Flexing the muscles in his right arm, Rice said, "That's all the steroids you need. ... It's called God-given talent."
So remember kidssay your prayers and eat your vitamins and you too can wait 15 years to get into the Hall of Fame on a sympathy vote. Then you can badmouth the existing generation of baseball players all you like.
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/2009-08-21-llws-rice_N.htm
Rice is probably really upset with Jeter right about now...
I can tell you for sure that there are a great many old ball players out here who feel exactly as Jim does!
Right on Jim!
He was campaigning for Hugo Chavez last year. It was disgusting.
Right on Jim!
Lol. Watching the game??
>>>I think I’m gonna side with Jim Rice on this one. Of course, I’m a grumpy old man.
I’m just grumpy :)
I was...what a bloodbath.
Just because the guy can play ball does not mean he has a brain. But then again, the majority of our Congress and the Executive Branch seem to be OK with the two-bit thug Chavez too.
“I think I’m gonna side with Jim Rice on this one.”
No sooner do they let Jim Rice in the HOF than he makes a fool of himself. His inclusion of class-act Derek Jeter in his bash list is a giveaway about what’s really bothering him: financial envy. Envy is certainly the deadliest of the seven deadly sins.
Tag.
The large number of ne'r-do-wells that occupy those pajamas don't do the game any good, either.
Look, I hate the Yankees as much as any good baseball fan. But what on earth has Jeter ever done wrong? He still fields as well as guys ten years younger. He hits for average and power. He is a threat on the bases. He’s clutch. He lays out for a routine ball. He legs out every grounder. He never says anything that would embarrass himself, his team or his sport. If you hate him, it’s because he’s not on your team. Sounds like Jim has a case of ring envy.
The large number of ne'r-do-wells that occupy those pajamas don't do the game any good, either.
He’s clearly referring to Manny. All I can say to Rice is don’t paint them all with the same brush. Mark Texiera is a clean cut, complete player. He’s what a baseball player should be.
And finally, Rice didn't deserve to be in the Hall. He's on par with Al Oliver (no offense to Al Oliver.)
Rice is a grumpy loser who didn’t deserve his induction.
Oh, I cut Rice a lot of slack. I thought he got screwed by being passed over for so many years, I thought he was a premier player of his generation. He also trashed Manny and A-Rod, and I don’t have a problem with that, even thought I like both of them. The comments about Jeter just seemed weird and out of place. Jeter is one of the few players that gets widespread respect from the old-timers. Rice seems to be alone in his opinion of Derek.
Agreed. Maybe a slight over-generalization, but basically true.
I’ve lost interest in the sport in recent years, because it’s just not the same.
And he’s right that it’s mainly about respect. That’s what’s missing today.
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