Boehringer in the wrong with tirade against Wilson
PITTSBURGH-The Pirates had to deal with some stunningly selfish and unprofessional behavior on Friday night. For once, it wasn’t in the broadcast booth. (More on that later).
Relief pitcher Brian Boehringer was more than a little upset when shortstop Jack Wilson failed to handle a hot grounder hit by Miguel Cairo.
Boehringer yelled at Wilson from the mound. He stopped just long enough to walk the next two hitters. When Manager Lloyd McClendon came to make a pitching change, Boehringer turned and continued his harangue at Wilson, then said something to McClendon before he left the mound.
Boehringer stomped around the dugout until Scott Sauerbeck pitched out of the mess, then confronted Wilson. Craig Wilson blocked his path but Boehringer again yelled at Jack Wilson. (They’ve finally found a position for Craig Wilson – too bad it’s nose tackle). Finally, McClendon walked Boehringer out of the dugout.
Afterwards, prompted no doubt by McClendon’s impromptu post-game meeting, no one had much to say about what happened.
What happened was Boehringer was very wrong.
Even if he had a legitimate beef with Wilson, he had no business making a scene out in the open. No one wagged any fingers at him when he issued two walks.
If he wanted to air out Wilson, the ballpark has enough built-in hiding spots. There’s the tunnel to the clubhouse, the clubhouse itself, the training room, the workout facility, the batting cage, the dining room, several equipment storerooms, the video room, a conference room, the showers and, yes, the hydrotherapy pool.
Boehringer chose none of the above and senselessly pitched a fit in front of 25,000 witnesses and TV cameras. A veteran has to conduct himself in a more professional manner.
Whatever Wilson’s mistake was, Boehringer’s was worse.
People will look at the episode and toss around words like “dissension.” It’s not that big a deal. The baseball season forces an unnatural level of togetherness that can lead to confrontations. You just don’t see most of them.
Jeff King and Sid Bream, two mild-mannered and devoutly religious men, once started fighting after a minor dispute erupted around the batting cage.
Imagine what might happen if you were with co-workers nearly every day for more than eight months … and if you had to spend additional time with them on airplanes and buses.
The miracle in baseball is that there aren’t homicides.
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The cramped broadcast booths at Wrigley Field were reportedly not happy bunkers on the Pirates’ visit to Chicago last week, the result of a couple of off-air meltdowns.
The people who show up for work every day without a trunk full of issues were once again forced to walk on figurative eggshells.
It’s a shame because the behind-the-scenes tension ultimately has a negative impact on the broadcast.
But it’s been tolerated for a very long time.
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KDKA radio announced it will look for a new nightly talk show host.
Maybe this time someone will get it right and realize what a Pittsburgh sports audience wants.
The gold standard for local sports talk was established by Myron Cope in his heyday at WTAE through the 1970s and ’80s. Unfortunately, most radio management people came too late to appreciate vintage Cope and instead fixated on the towel waving and goofy Christmas songs.
Cope established himself by working the local beats like a reporter. He showed up everywhere, went into the locker rooms and always had a solid sense of what was happening. Despite a daunting workload, he went to games and developed a base of knowledge that meant more than the gimmicks.
Blessedly, he never copped catch phrases from pro wrestling or thought that challenging callers to fight in the parking lot was “entertaining.”
Cope had as much shtick as a Catskills comic (which helped attract casual fans) but his perspective, knowledge and communication skills sold him to the hardcores.
Remember, one of his time-tested bits was the little birdie that delivered scoops. Get past the silly sound effects and understand it was Cope’s way of regularly telling listeners something they didn’t know. Meanwhile, rumors persist that KDKA is contemplating dumping nightly sports talk and turning those evening hours over to general subjects.
That would free up an extra three hours for complaints about property taxes rather than Kordell Stewart.
John Mehno can be reached at: johnmehno@lycos.com.