Woodrow'ing Privacy
Posted: Tue Jul 07, 2020 4:24 am
Woodrow Wilson became deathly ill after World War I finished.
As President of a triumphant nation, Wilson was a hero.
A hero who suffered a debilitating stroke.
Who knew about the stroke?
His wife and some medical personnel. Can you imagine?
Wilson lived during a time when the press was respectful of public figures.
Babe Ruth could get drunk and be a womanizer without seeing it in the papers.
Franklin Roosevelt's battle with polio was never reported on and pictures of him using crutches, verboten in the media.
And Woodrow Wilson could have a stroke without an investigative reporter asking where Wilson was.
Wilson was the first President that held 'Press Conferences'.
The press loved him for that and didn't question it when Wilson was not seen for weeks, months, or even a year after the war.
The Vice President was a joke. A figurehead who was never invited to important meetings. And he liked it that way.
So, Wilson's wife, Edith, ran the country for more than a year.
And nobody at the time, even knew.
What does the Wilson story have to do with baseball?
Plenty.
We live in different times.
If Trump is not seen in two days, folks get suspicious.
If Mike Trout went on a bender and cheated on his wife in a rather public way, as Ruth had, we would probably know.
In other words, privacy for public figures is gone.
Except now.
Now, baseball is asking players permission to publicize their Corona status.
Why?
It shouldn't be that way.
Before, if players had the flue, it was reported they had the flue.
This should be no different.
Baseball is not like football when it comes to injury.
Baseballers have been known to 'fudge' the severeness of a players injury.
Footballers cannot.
This is because of the betting on football and to make it fair, every injury must be reported (except for the Patriots) and reported correctly.
In my mind, with the rise of fantasy sports and also the rise in betting on baseball, MLB should be held to the same standards.
If a player has the Corona, it is not like he has a life choice he wants bottled up like his sexual preference.
It's the flue.
It should be reported and it should be reported as to when the player was quarantined so that we have all the facts.
The players can try to 'Woodrow Wilson' us all they want.
It won't work.
Their wives can't replace them and we live in different times.
As Mike Ditka liked to tell his players when they were sick, "BE SICK ON YOUR OWN TIME!"
That applies for us as well.
If a player is sick in December, then be sick in December, we don't care.
But if sick during the season, privacy is out the window and we're entitled to know.
As President of a triumphant nation, Wilson was a hero.
A hero who suffered a debilitating stroke.
Who knew about the stroke?
His wife and some medical personnel. Can you imagine?
Wilson lived during a time when the press was respectful of public figures.
Babe Ruth could get drunk and be a womanizer without seeing it in the papers.
Franklin Roosevelt's battle with polio was never reported on and pictures of him using crutches, verboten in the media.
And Woodrow Wilson could have a stroke without an investigative reporter asking where Wilson was.
Wilson was the first President that held 'Press Conferences'.
The press loved him for that and didn't question it when Wilson was not seen for weeks, months, or even a year after the war.
The Vice President was a joke. A figurehead who was never invited to important meetings. And he liked it that way.
So, Wilson's wife, Edith, ran the country for more than a year.
And nobody at the time, even knew.
What does the Wilson story have to do with baseball?
Plenty.
We live in different times.
If Trump is not seen in two days, folks get suspicious.
If Mike Trout went on a bender and cheated on his wife in a rather public way, as Ruth had, we would probably know.
In other words, privacy for public figures is gone.
Except now.
Now, baseball is asking players permission to publicize their Corona status.
Why?
It shouldn't be that way.
Before, if players had the flue, it was reported they had the flue.
This should be no different.
Baseball is not like football when it comes to injury.
Baseballers have been known to 'fudge' the severeness of a players injury.
Footballers cannot.
This is because of the betting on football and to make it fair, every injury must be reported (except for the Patriots) and reported correctly.
In my mind, with the rise of fantasy sports and also the rise in betting on baseball, MLB should be held to the same standards.
If a player has the Corona, it is not like he has a life choice he wants bottled up like his sexual preference.
It's the flue.
It should be reported and it should be reported as to when the player was quarantined so that we have all the facts.
The players can try to 'Woodrow Wilson' us all they want.
It won't work.
Their wives can't replace them and we live in different times.
As Mike Ditka liked to tell his players when they were sick, "BE SICK ON YOUR OWN TIME!"
That applies for us as well.
If a player is sick in December, then be sick in December, we don't care.
But if sick during the season, privacy is out the window and we're entitled to know.