Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

A miniature firestorm has erupted during All-Star week over some comments made by Washington Nationals second/third baseman Anthony Rendon. When talking to the Washington Post, Rendon (who finished four in the NL’s Final Vote voting last week) said something that sent some fans into a tizzy – that he doesn’t watch baseball because it’s “too long and boring”. OUTRAGE! OUTRAAAAAAAAAAAGE!

Staying home for the All-Star break wasn’t a big deal for Rendon, who said he never watched the game growing up. In fact, Rendon said he rarely watches the sport, preferring programs on networks such as the History channel instead.

“I don’t watch baseball — it’s too long and boring,” he said.

In addition, Rendon and his family have a rule that they won’t talk about baseball when he visits. It’s clear Rendon, 24, has been able to separate his business from his personal life.

It’s sad that this has become a thing to get angry about, but this is what happens when the biggest stories of the week are “pipe shots”, snubbing deceased legends, and whether or not 100 times to say one player’s name during an exhibition game is going a little too far.

If Rendon was watching the All-Star Game on TV, he’d be watching it as a fan as opposed to a competitor. He wouldn’t be focusing on the pitcher, trying to pick up the paths of his pitchers and his behaviors on the mound. He wouldn’t be looking in the dugout at his coaches for defensive positioning. He wouldn’t be focusing on the batter at the plate and their tendencies, thinking about where the ball might get hit on the diamond. Rendon would just be sitting there, watching a game he’s not invested in – and who are we to tell him that he’s wrong for feeling the way he does?

It’s much easier to enjoy something when it’s not your job. If you work at a Best Buy, are you going to go into a Best Buy while on vacation and look at how their merchandise is set up? If you work at a Chipotle, are you going to go into a Chipotle and examine how their workers create burritos? If you’re a newspaper columnist, are you going to pick up the paper every day (or go to the paper’s site online, for that matter) and brainstorm story ideas? Rendon had four days away from the Washington Nationals to unwind and completely forget about baseball for a few days – what’s the problem with that?

Sometimes, people forget that for pro athletes, the sport they play isn’t a game – it’s work. When you get the opportunity to get away from work for a few days, who cares what your reasoning is? Anthony Rendon is a fine baseball player – who cares if he doesn’t watch the game when has some time off?

[Washington Post]

About Joe Lucia

I hate your favorite team. I also sort of hate most of my favorite teams.

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