Admirable Sportsmen & Unadmirable Actors

In professional sports today, it’s hard to find anyone to admire for character and not just sports accomplishments. We have too many domestic violence violators, too many cheaters, too many grandstanders and hot dogs, too many more concerned with “I” and “me” than with team, more concerned with how much money they make than with team loyalty. In the past we had Pete Rose, more recently Lance Armstrong and Barry Bonds, most recently Alex Rodriguez, Ray Rice, and Adrian Peterson. I have several choices for you to admire, sportsmen who exemplify the honesty and character that all sportsmen should aspire to: golf’s Jordan Spieth and baseball’s Paul Goldschmidt. Anyone who watches televised PGA golf can see what I see, Jordan Spieth as an unassuming, humble, well-spoken 21-year-old who goes about his business without any chest-pounding or egocentricities. I admire him tremendously. Anyone who watches Arizona Diamondbacks baseball can see what I see, Paul Goldschmidt as the epitome of what all baseball players should be—someone who always runs out ground balls and flyouts, who never complains about bad calls, who takes his stance in the batter’s box and stays there without having to step out after each pitch to re-tighten his batting gloves, who, after hitting one into the stands, doesn’t showboat on his way around the bases but simply runs around and then high-fives his teammates at the plate, who plays 1st base almost errorlessly, who doesn’t need a beard or countless tattoos to call attention to himself. His play does that for him. I admire him tremendously.

Two professional actors that have disappointed me recently, one in a minor way and one in a very major way: Tom Selleck and Bill Cosby. It has come to light that Selleck, during California’s drought, has been stealing water by the truckload for use on his ranch. It’s not a crime but it’s certainly a selfish act resulting in a civil suit brought by the water district against Selleck. I cringe at the thought that one of the actors I most admire has done something so unadmirable. I want him to be the Frank Reagan he is in Blue Bloods, the honest and capable New York City police commissioner who would never stoop to stealing anything. I want him to be the Jesse Stone he is in the Parker series for television, flawed somewhat by his addiction to alcohol but still doing what's right for the citizens of Paradise. Say it isn’t so, Tom. Say you knew nothing about the stolen water. And then there’s Bill Cosby, whom most of us once admired as the knowing, caring father Dr. Cliff Huxtable on the Bill Cosby Show. Now, he’s admitted to giving Quaaludes to young women with whom he wanted to have sex. I’d like Dr. Huxtable to say it ain’t so, but Cosby has already said it really was so. One image tarnished, Tom Selleck; one image smashed, Bill Cosby.