The Sporting Life: Comments provide opportunity for dialogue

I just don't understand the media.

We whine, cry and complain when public figures give us bland clichs as quotes. Whether it be political figures or sports stars, we ask them for juicy quotes loaded with opinion and meaning; something with depth instead of just comments polished by public relations professionals.

Yet, without fail, every time somebody gives an opinion with some substance to it, the media lambastes him or her. No wonder they don't say anything original. It's easier to keep your thoughts to yourself and let the clichs roll.

Two recent example of this happened in sports.

A reporter apparently asked Chicago Cubs Manager Dusty Baker, who is black, about the impact of the summer heat on his team. He started off with the typical clichs and then moved on to what's uncomfortable territory for some people.

"(Heat's) always a factor, but it's a factor in Atlanta, Cincinnati it's just hotter in the day and we play more in the day," he said. "That's why you try to use different lineups to keep guys fresh. We have no choice. You have to approach it like you're a construction worker working outside.

"The heat is nothing new to me, I'm from Sacramento," he continued. "Personally, I like to play in the heat. Most Latin people and minority people do. You don't find too many brothers from New Hampshire or Maine, right? We were brought over here because we could work in the heat isn't that history?

"Your skin color is more conducive to heat than it is to the lighter-skinned people. I don't see brothers running around burnt. That's a fact. I'm not making this up. I'm not seeing some brothers walking around with some white stuff on their ears and noses."

This was big news across the sports world and even made it into the national news of the day. The next day, Baker was given the opportunity to retract his sentiments. Thankfully, he stood by his guns.

"I'm used to getting beat up,"' he said. "Like Popeye would say, I said what I mean and I mean what I said.' I just say how I feel. I try to be honest, and if that's what I said, you write it. It doesn't matter to me, and I'm not going to take it back."

Another example was golfer Vijay Singh and his comments about Annika Sorenstam a woman who was given a special exemption to play in a men's professional tournament.

"This is a man's tour," he said. "There are guys out there trying to make a living. It's not a ladies' tour. If she wants to play, she should or any other woman for that matter if they want to play the man's tour, they should qualify and play like everybody else."

He later said: " What is she going to prove by playing? It's ridiculous. She's the best woman golfer in the world, and I want to emphasize woman.' We have our tour for men, and they have their tour. She's taking a spot from someone in the field."

Singh later backed down, saying he was misquoted, and said he was sorry if his comments were seen as a personal attack.

Come on Vijay, have a backbone. Say what you mean and mean what you say.

What has me bothered is the media's reaction to it all: Somebody is asked a question, gives an honest (if not politically correct) answer and then gets ripped for it.

I thought we were entitled to our opinions.

What would you do if somebody asked your opinion on an issue, then proceeded to publicly chastise you for the response? I'd be extremely upset. We can debate and discuss the issue, but we can't debate an opinion.

When somebody says something controversial or ill-informed, which we all do on occasion, it provides the opportunity for valuable dialogue. Genuine, intelligent dialogue whether about race, gender, religion can only be good for us.

Statements like Baker's and Singh's, whether you agree with them or not, give us the forum to learn and clear out misconceptions about various stereotypes.

So, to use a clich, don't kill the messenger.