Pie in the Sky
A week ago, I'd finally had enough and was going to write a rant about baseball players hitting their teammates with pies during post-game interviews. I decided to hold off, though, largely because I wasn't in the mood to devote the time to a pie rant.
As background, baseball players are known for their "pranks" and occasionally childish behavior, but this pie thing is just the pinnacle of being infantile and selfishness. It was cute the first two times maybe, but now -- like football players dumping Gatorade on the coach after winning a game -- it wore its charm out really fast. The Gatorade dump is worse on one level because it's because the default "celebration". But the "pie gag" is worse on the more important level because it involves the fan. When the public has made the effort to stick around specifically to hear the interview with the Star of the Game, it's selfishly rude to interrupt that with a "hilarious" pie that often ends the interview. Guys, it isn't as funny as you think. Anymore and more and more and more. If you want to hit your teammate with a pie in the locker room when a print reporter is asking questions, swell. But stop already in public.
Which brings us to yesterday.
The Baltimore Orioles won when Nick Markarkis got a game-winning hit in the bottom of the ninth inning. His teammates mobbed him at homeplate, and not long after Markarkis prepared for his post-game interview on television. A few minutes into the interview, there in the background you could see his teammate J.J. Hardy comes sneaking up with a pie. And you think...oh, sigh. But -- what Hardy did next puts him in the comedy Hall of Fame. But keep watching because the Orioles mascot wasn't as lucky. Which I have to admit was actually funny and the perfect topper.
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