How this affects me. One of the guys I passively collect is Jose Altuve. He's part of my "Faith Brothers" sub-collection of Christian athletes. I've read some very cool interviews with Jose where he publically talks about his faith and relationship with Jesus Christ. I love adding new guys to the collection when I read things like this...so you can imagine my frustration w/ Altuve over this cheating scandal...especially with him being one of the players at the heart of all the discussions.
Now please hear me out...I'm no way perfect and I fall short of Jesus every day air fills my lungs. It's not my place to judge...period. However I've been thinking if Altuve's cards should stay in my collection with this whole cheating scandal going on.
This also got me thinking about other players I have cardboard of that have done egregious things. I ultimately kept the cardboard of those guys in my team collections...guys like the Carolina Panther's Rae Carruth. This dude killed his pregnant girlfriend and hid in the trunk of a car...and I still have his RCs and base cards in my Panthers collection.
Hector Olivera was accused of beating a woman shortly after the Braves acquired him from the Dodgers...and I still have cards of him in my larger Braves collection.
In some ways I would feel hypocritical if I were to kick Altuve out of my collection and in other ways I would feel my actions would be justified. I only have Altuve cards because of the faith he and I share where as the other guys I mentioned are part of my collection because of the team they play(ed) for. Make sense?
I know this is my choice and my choice alone to make. I also understand that to some my "dilemma" may seem silly...but don't we collect teams and players for certain reasons. Plenty of collector's may drop a collecting a player if they are traded or leave their favorite team. To me this is the same thing. This whole cheating scandal has been a good reminder that these guys are human just like the rest of us and that we really should place them on a pedestal like some may do. They are going to make mistakes like the rest of us...for me it just hits a little harder when certain guys I follow/collect make mistakes that contradict the things they profess.
Most athletes and/or celebrities are not great people, morally speaking. And like most people, they will often say one thing when the cameras are on, and then do the complete opposite when they're not. As part of the masses, we basically have two choices, we can enjoy them for their on field/screen performances while trying to ignore what they do in their personal lives, or we can live under a rock... there really is no in-between!
ReplyDeleteWell said. I know that there is more than meets the eye with a lot of celebrities, but I still find it disappointing when I see someone publicly “fall from grace”. I guess sometimes I wish I didn’t know more about players off the field!
DeleteWith Altuve I never really sought out his cards or purchased singles, I just kept his stuff as I pulled it from packs. I suppose I will continue to keep him around because like I said earlier, I don’t want to be a hypocrite. I do like watching him play, that smile. He seems to have so much fun playing this game...though if I were playing at the level he was I’d be smiling a lot too. 😁
I'm not happy with how the players got away without punishment in exchange for honest testimony. That being said, as Christians we're called to forgive. As they start addressing the issue and apologizing (Dallas Kuechel just did so yeaterday), I think it'll be easier to put this mess in the past and continue seeing the good in these players rather than focusing on their misgivings.
ReplyDeleteAmen. I'm ready to put all this past us and move on too. I love the game of baseball and I hate all the negative attention it's getting. Bring on the 2020 season so we can start talking about that instead!
DeletePlayer collecting, man, I don't know how you do it.
ReplyDeleteI collect sets and teams because they represent the season or team that was that year, all the good and bad. But collecting players you have to consider all these "moral questions." No thanks.
It can be tough. I've started to integrate some PCs into the team collection, like Freddie Freeman. It's just easier on so many levels. As far as the other PCs, I don't pay near as much attention to those lately.
DeleteI think it depends on how you feel when you see their cards in your collection. If you can look past a player's flaws and mistakes (which we all have) and there are neutral or positive feelings toward that player, then I see no need to purge him from your collection. I know Brett Favre and Manny Ramirez aren't perfect, but I don't feel disgusted when I see their cards. OTOH, players who have committed violent acts and/or said things that are beyond the pale aren't welcome in my collection. If I've got cards of them they'd better be part of a set or team PC.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your input. I guess if nothing else these type of acts just adds to the memories, good or bad, when looking back at my cardboard collections.
DeleteGreat post and words. I feel ya. Altuve is a PC guy for me I've liked from the beginning. I was disappointed how he spoke about the situation last week. And shocked. You'd think you'd hear at least a half hearted apology. I was so happy, and rooting for, that Astros team when they won the World Series. So many good young players and a great story. It is tough to look at them now with any good feelings about what they did. I'll keep collecting Altuve but man this is hard to take. Such a let down.
ReplyDelete