THE DEPARTMENT OF PET PEEVES IS OPEN AGAIN
Perspective from the 19th Hole is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf. Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist. This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write. I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf. The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie. And it is where you want to be on a golf course.
Two things bugged me so much over last weekend that I felt compelled to write about them on the theory that such writing allows me to limit anger.
CASE #1: I was glued to the television to watch the Presidents’ Cup golf event.
And it was great to see the Americans rally on the last day – the single play day – to defeat the International Team. It will stand as one of the great rallies in the history of the event.
Then, U.S. captain Brandt Snedecar committed what I count as a cardinal sin. Here is what he said:
“Donald Trump told me he was going to bring some energy for the Americans. You guys need it. And I told him if we did this, he gets all the credit. So, thank you, President Trump.”
So, Snedecar credits Trump for the win. Not the players. Not the fans. Not anyone else.
Just Trump! Incredible. I used to like Snedecar as a once excellent young golfer and now a journeyman. Now he is off my list.
CASE #2: In the football game where the University of Oregon eventually beat the University of Southern California, a scary scene occurred early in the second quarter of the game.
U of O quarterback Dante Moore, one of the best in the country, was knocked silly by a cornerback USC, one Desman Stephens.
Moore, who had tried to slide to avoid a collision, lay on the ground for minutes, apparently knocked out if not worse. It turned out that he was taken to a hospital by ambulance where doctors indicated he had suffered a concussion and, fortunately, not more.
Now for my pet peeve.
After the play, Stephens was shown high-fiving everyone on the USC bench, smiling from ear-to-ear. He was gloating.
Two pieces of good news are, first, USC penalized Stephens by ruling that he would be out for the next game, and, second, Stephens issued what sounded to me like a genuine apology.
Here it is:
“I want to sincerely apologize for my actions during yesterday’s game. Seeing a player injured like that is incredibly serious, and my reaction in the moments afterward was completely inappropriate and inexcusable. Regardless of what was going through my mind at the time, there is no justification for smiling or celebrating while another player receives medical attention. I take full responsibility for my actions. That is not the person or teammate I want to be, and I will learn from this. I am deeply sorry to Dante, his family and everyone who saw my reaction. It is not representative of USC or our program. I hope he makes a full and speedy recovery.”
So, I repeal at least part of my last pet peeve, given the university’s actions and Stephens’ apology.
That’s enough.
