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August 31, 2005
Some Interesting Photos Been Showing Up Lately
I happen to be very liberal-minded and I also believe that people have to live their lives in the way that makes them comfortable, not the way that makes me happy. I also think that no one is perfect - everyone makes mistakes and does or says things that I might not agree with. As I've said before that goes for baseball players, Nascar drivers and other athletes just as it does for anyone else. I also understand that the lifestyle that some of these people lead is very different from my own and some behavior which is common might not be something that I would do myself. There is also absolutely nothing wrong with going out and having a good time. However, many other people don't see things quite the same as I do. To some fans the "right" image, "proper" behavior and strong values are extremely important. Some are not very accepting of behavior that doesn't fit their rigid standards and since they hold the athletes to such a high standard, even the smallest thing can cause them to feel hugely disappointed and dishearted by the people they admire so much.
It used to be that people would simply tell stories about athlete misbehavior - "I saw player X drunk in a bar last night with a woman who wasn't his wife!" - and it was easy to dismiss because anyone can claim that they saw anything and there's often no way of verifying what they saw. But as digital cameras become more and more popular and it's easier than ever to upload photos to the internet it's incredible how many photos are showing up of people partying with baseball players or Nascar drivers. In a lot of cases these are probably innocent photos of people doing nothing more than having some fun but in both baseball and Nascar, at least publically, there is an image to uphold and to some fans what they see isn't going to sit too well with them.
Sometimes it boggles my mind that someone would even think to take a photo in a situation like this. I've been in certain situations where I know a lot of people would want to see photos but I didn't think it was appropriate to take pictures so I put my camera aside. And if I did take photos I sure wouldn't be putting them up on the internet, or at least not in a place where they could be seen publically. But quite a few people think nothing of not only taking the photos but uploading them to webshots or other similar sites where they are viewable to all. It's got to be hard if you're in the public eye, especially if you've been drinking to nicely be able to discourage someone from taking photos or to say no when someone asks to pose for a photo with you. Maybe some people think that the photos will never end up on the web but they most certainly do.
If a baseball player or Nascar driver who has an image to uphold plans on partying with what may very well be underage college students - I'm looking at you Al Leiter, Bronson Arroyo and Sidney Ponson - might want to make sure that no one has a camera. If you're married and you plan on letting some female fans get a little more friendly with you than you normally allow when you're posing for photos with fans - hello Mike Mussina and Bronson Arroyo - might want to make 100% sure that no one is going to be posting those photos anywhere on the web. If you value your privacy and have made it clear that you don't enjoy when fans gossip about your private life perhaps allowing photos to be taken of you with "friendly" female fans in your hotel room in Vegas isn't a wise idea either - stand up and be counted Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Martin Truex, Jr! All these photos may be completely innocent but believe me there are plenty of fans willing to jump to conclusions.
Right this very minute the Mussina photos are being widely circulated and discussed. You can be sure that every time that Mussina gets rocked or otherwise struggles someone is going to wonder if it's because he was out "drinking and skirt-chasing" as one user on NYYFans.com referred to it as. And the same thing happens every time some of the other folks whose photos have been seen widely are discussed - some has to bring that up. We've seen it on NYYFans with Bronson Arroyo and Sidney Ponson, now Mussina. It's unfortunate because in an ideal world these folks can do whatever they want and no one will judge them for it. But this isn't an ideal world and fans have sometimes very rigid ideas about acceptable behavior for their favorite athletes.
I also have to wonder what Jana Mussina or Bronson Arroyo's wife think when they see photos of their husbands with women drapped all over them, hands in places they shouldn't be? I'm sure Mike and Bronson will say that the women did that on their own with no encouragement and that it was all very innocent - and maybe it was. But I wouldn't be thrilled if I saw photos of my husband(to be) posing with another woman who had her hand very high up on his inner thigh. Hand on a leg, hugging, arm around a shoulder - okay. But when it becomes a wee bit more intimate looking and people are sitting on each other's laps, hands are very high up on the inner thigh or people are pressed against each other quite a bit snugger than is really necessary - well, I'd be wondering what was up. And I'm very open-minded and accepting of a lot of things. So what would a woman who is less tolerant think? I assume they're learned to shrug things like this off, especially considering how prevelant cheating and women trying to hook up with players is in baseball (note: I'm not accusing either player of anything as I have no idea what might or might not have happened) because they might go crazy otherwise. But just out of respect for their significant others you'd think that those players might take a slightly different photo than they did.
So what's my point? It's not to say that these guys shouldn't be going out and having a good time. They are grown men who can do whatever they want. And I don't think there's anything wrong with having some fun. But I guess I'm surprised by the volume of these kinds of photos that are popping up and that the athletes in them seem to think nothing of posing for them.
Posted by silverdsl at August 31, 2005 02:54 PM