Competition is a structural thing. A deep and intractable desire to win at any cost can make you say things in the aftermath of a loss that, if said in any other context, will be thrown out for evaluation.
That’s why I can understand how rookie Josh Winkowski of the Boston Red Sox could say something so absurd – a border offender – after losing 3-1 to the Chicago Cubs at the beautiful and historic Wrigley Field.
“A little disappointing,” Winkowski said of Wrigley Field, Per MassLive. “Fenway has a presence in it kind of. To be honest, I didn’t really get it. I told my mom last night, this place is a very stock standard, if you ask me. To be honest, I didn’t feel anything. It just felt like another football field.”
I can only hope your mom is upright, son.
Like I said, I can excuse some major post-loss madness as Winkowski did well, but he lost because his defense couldn’t play on a group of dribblers. I will express his disrespect for a National Historic Landmark as an attempt to hide tears.
Wrigley Field, which was constructed over 100 years ago and has just completed a renovation that brought back much of the original beauty, is without a doubt one of the most special ball fields in baseball. I don’t really have to compare it to any other park – Fenway or other – in order to complete it. It’s in the middle of a neighborhood, its seating is almost entirely intimate, and the bleachers are fun as hell.
I’ve been to a number of “stock standard” ball fields in my day, and whatever Wrigley Field is…it definitely isn’t.
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