Roslindale Op/Ed Http://TownOnLine.com
Hank Brandli grew up in Roslindale, MA and now lives in Melbourne,
Fla. He will be sharing his memories of his hometown with Transcript readers
over the next couple of months. He can be reached at hbrandli@spacey.net
The tragic death of a father at a boys hockey game in eastern
Massachusetts this spring makes other sports' examples of travesties pale in
comparison. But they all point out the sickening obsession within our modern
sports.
In a Duke-Georgia Tech basketball game (Jan. 10), "Coach
K" of Duke acted like a jerk disputing a referee's (one of best in ACC)
call. He got a technical but kept yelling and ranting as he ran up and down
courtside. He then waved his arms up and down, revving up the home crowd to a
lynch mob. I'm ashamed of his behavior. That's no example for college students
or fans of the game. Coach K should set a better example. Maybe he needs some
anger management training.
In a December 2001 NFL game between the Cleveland Browns and
Jacksonville Jaguars, a questionable call at the end of the game caused the
"Dog Pound" to erupt and litter the field with trash and debris. It
was a disgrace. Especially after the short-lived civility shown since Sept. 11
During an American League Playoff Game between the Boston Red Sox and the New
York Yankees a few years ago, Fenway Park fans threw objects on the field very
close to players, coaches and umpires.
In 1999, the 33rd Ryder Cup at The Country Club in Brookline,
saw the normally-gentlemanly game of golf marred by fans, players, families and
captains of the game on the 17th green on the final Sunday. What an
abomination.
My physical therapist, an avid sports fan, informed me he
observes parents at his children's local soccer games verbally abuse kids, including
their own, as well as referees. Many have been ejected.
These incidents are not isolated and are happening more and more
frequently. Why aren't the unruly fans ejected from the stands immediately?
Instead of a net to keep the footballs out of the stands, they ought to cover
the stands with a net. Could it be that management has no guts or are these
fans so popular and numerous in their violent support of the home team that
ticket sales will suffer?
It's too bad that these fans couldn't have had the privilege of
attending Boston Public Latin School (the oldest public high school in America,
est. 1635). In addition to the fine education, we acquired at the red brick
school on Avenue Louis Pasteur in Boston, we were taught to act at all times
like gentlemen (or gentlepersons, now).
In the first few weeks of school indoctrination, we were told
many BLS facts: three hours study every night, how many light bulbs were in the
huge assembly hall, who went to BLS before us from several signers of the Declaration
of Independence to Joe Kennedy.
One of my most significant and memorable beginnings took place
in the large gymnasium where each seventh-grade class stood at attention,
dressed in a white T-shirt, purple shorts, white sweatsocks and white, low-cut
sneakers, facing a raised wooden stand that looked like a miniature boxing
ring.
A few seconds after the bell rang, a well-dressed man with
thinning hair (he was nearly bald) made his way to this gym lectern. Mr. Patton
(Steve Patton) ex-all star athlete from Boston area, coach, teacher, announcer
at football games, addressed each and every incoming class of the BLS tradition
and the importance of being a gentleman.
He taught us the proper decorum - in no uncertain words - while
attending and participating in sports events. We should not boo, hiss or make
catcalls and - above all - never hurl anything onto the playing field that
might injure someone. Treat umpires and referees properly, question calls
intelligently and like an adult. Bad calls were made by referees, they were
only human. Mr. Patton said, bad calls would be made-up by the ref in other
ways. "It all comes out in the wash!"
Of all the wonderful things I learned at Boston Latin School
from 1949 to 1955, I remember that speech so well. Other classmates I've met
also recall it most vividly. In Saigon, Vietnam, in the mid-'60s, I met an Army
captain and former classmate and we talked about our BLS heritage and Steve's
incoming speech. He sent me an e-mail recently with his recollection of Mr. Patton's
speech (which comes back to him constantly, every time he attends a sporting
event. "You never, never boo anyone, because everyone in a contest is
giving their all, and don't ever forget that - you always respect a person's
effort, even if you don't like them.") .
Leo Durocher would consider this kind of gentlemanly rubbish
with echoes of "Nice guys finish last." Bull! As a rebuttal to this
non-winning philosophy, the Class of '55 won every sports championship in the city
of Boston with that gentlemanly behavior instilled in us by Steve Patton, six
years before.
In Boston Latin class, all 300 of us went on to college and most
have done pretty well over the last 55 years as doctors, lawyers, professors,
teachers, military officers, politicians, government employees, bankers as well
as authors, architects, dentists and many other fields. I'm sure all of them
behave like gentlemen and would never hurl a snowball or a beer bottle or
whisky bottle at anyone at a sporting event.
It's too bad Steve Patton couldn't have spoken to all the boys
and girls across the country as they entered their own local school program.