http://www.msnbc.com/news/804062.asp?0ql=c8p
Only one acceptable way exists of dealing with the end of a playoff run:
You tip your cap to the other team, shed some tears of grief if you must,
vow to get ‘em next year, then go home.
Nowhere is there a provision for whining about how unfairly you were treated
Nor is it permissible to blame your teammates or leaders; they were, after
all, the ones who got you to the post-season to start with.
You do those things, and you lose any goodwill you may have generated
through a season of effort. Instead of people remembering you as a team that
tried hard and got beat, you’re remembered as a bunch of whining brats. And
next year, instead of people wishing you well, you find them hoping you lose
every game in the worst way imaginable.
This is why the San Francisco Crybabies are the collective Whiner of the
Week. They lost in four games to an upstart and lovable bunch of Florida
Marlins, and we would have felt sorry for the Giants while feeling good
about Jack McKeon’s young team.
We still feel good about McKeon’s team, but we don’t feel the least bit
sorry for San Francisco. Instead, we find ourselves wishing they had lost in
three games instead of in four.
We feel this way because, when it was over, we didn’t hear a word about how
good the Marlins are. Instead, we heard Benito Santiago crying because he
didn’t start Game Four. We hear Jose Cruz Jr. -- who single-handedly lost
Game 3 because he couldn’t figure out how to catch a fly ball -- crying
about being benched.
We also heard Jason Schmidt cry about how he couldn’t start Game 4 on three
days rest because his elbow might hurt -- even though his team desperately
needed him.
Finally, we heard various Giants crying that they missed their old manager,
Dusty Baker, and that their new manager, Felipe Alou, was not a good
communicator. All Alou did was lead them to a 100-win season. All they did
was play lousy baseball in the four games that counted most.
Even their own fans have to be disgusted with them.
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