Stick to Football

Bo Bounds (not pictured: his high horse)

Didn’t hear much of the show today. I only caught a few minutes at the top of the third hour, but it will probably hold me over for the rest of the week. In a rare moment of weakness Bo stepped away from college football and decided to stretch his legs by talking about Major League Baseball.

One of my complaints about Out of Bounds is the lack of diverse topics. We get a steady diet of college football, some NFL, some high school with regards to college recruiting, and whatever Bert Carruth’s stepson is doing. But now I know why – Bo doesn’t know shit about anything else.

With a few minutes to kill in his first segment, Bo decided to expound on the MLB All Star Game which is tonight. Not so much the game itself but the fact that Derek Jeter, elected starting shortstop for the AL side, has decided not to participate in the game or other All Star activities.

Bo juxtaposed this info with the “feel good” story of Christian Lopez deciding to give Jeter his 3,000th hit ball back without holding it ransom. First off, one has nothing to do with the other. I mean, if Jeter was sitting on 2999 he would still probably skip the All Star game. It’s a worthless game and the fact that it decides home field advantage in the World Series is an even bigger joke. Look, the MLB season is a grind. If you can take a 3 day vacation at the halfway point without penalty (and still get your All Star bonus), why the hell not?

Well, because Woodie “Bo” Bounds says it’s not cool. Bo cements his position by telling us that Jeter won’t be getting any sympathy from the mill worker or the nurse working 12 hour shifts. Of course. How will the working man respond to Derek Jeter’s diva attitude? Bo might as well say “think of the children.” Or maybe he can draw a straight line to Nick Saban or Steve Spurrier.

Jeter's fiancee

The issue for me here is the notion of Bo questioning Jeter’s commitment. They guy has in 11 other All Star appearances and by all accounts is plays hard, is a great teammate, and accessible to fans. If Jeter feels like he needs some time off to get his head right for a World Series run, then he can do that. Plus, do you really need sympathy from a nurse when you can console yourself by knocking the bottom out of Minka Kelly?

But Bo just wants to know why Jeter can’t “give back” to the game that has made him rich. This from the asshole who’s supposed to be at work 15 hours a week and can’t even seem to do that most of the time because he takes off for the beach every chance he gets.

At some point Austin (sidebar: who is this asshole?) chimes in from the studio and asks what would Cal Ripken think of all this? Of course. Cal Ripken’s opinion should take precedence here because he holds the overrated record of consecutive games played and inflated career numbers because of it. History looks fondly upon Cal Ripken because dumb assholes like Austin bring his name up and point to him as an everlasting example of what’s “right” about sports.

But Bo keeps on and just can’t seem to wrap his mind around Jeter won’t go Phoenix. He says something like, “Why won’t he go out there for two days. I mean it’s a chartered jet, steak, lobster and champagne. I guess that’s too much.” I love how Bo just throws out random shit like this pretending that all rich athletes dine like a Roman emperor.

Then, and this is where he really lost me, Bo says Jeter isn’t worth the 45 million dollars the Yankees just paid him. Instead Bo decides that a more appropriate sum for Jeter’s ability is about 5 million per year. He went on to say that baseball is “messed up” because “players get paid for what they did in the past…and that’s why football is better because you play for your job.”

Just to double check: Which sport is currently locking out its players? And which sport has guaranteed contracts ensuring the financial security and longevity of its players. Do you see why Bo’s shitty analysis always leaves so much more to be desired? He never considers anything beyond what’s in front of his face.

Just a few more thoughts. I don’t give a shit about the All Star game or who plays in it. All Star games are worthless – all four of them. I would rather watch a preseason game than an entire All Star game. But Jeter has earned a pass here. Plus, 14 other players also opted out of the game. And there was no mention of these players in Bo’s rant or the ways that they upset common working folk. Jeter is an easy target and Bo went after him. But he missed him completely.