Jim Rice–From Hall of Famer to Bitter Old Coot

Published on: 21st August, 2009 @ 10:58 pm by JeffG

Well, after 15 years of eligibility, former Boston Red Sox outfielder Jim Rice, known as much for his icy demeanor as his playing prowess, finally made it into the Hall of Fame.

So he should finally be fairly happy-go-lucky…no?

Ummm…not a chance.

While he was on his best behavior during the Hall of Fame induction tour, well, that’s all over with, so Rice can get back to being his boorish, bitter, sour self.

And so he is.

Speaking to a group of kids at the opening of the Little League World Series, Rice went off on a tirade about how much better it was to play the game back in his day.  The kids responded with blank stares and yawns at the bitter old man yelling at them…

“You see a Manny Ramirez, you see an A-Rod (Alex Rodriguez), you see (Derek) Jeter … Guys that I played against and with, these guys you’re talking about cannot compare.”

Ramirez…sure.  Rodriguez…yes.  Jeter…wait, what?

“We didn’t have the baggy uniforms. We didn’t have the dreadlocks,” Rice said. “It was a clean game, and now they’re setting a bad example for the young guys.”

“What you see right now is more individuals, it’s not a team. Now you have guys coming in, they pick the days they want to play, they make big money. The first thing they see are dollar bills.”

It was undetermined whether Rice was wearing an old bathrobe and shaking a wooden spoon when he was making these remarks.  The comment on the uniforms…he might have a point.  The dreadlocks…eh, personal style.  Not for me, but I’m not Manny Ramirez either.  And the money issue is just the nature of the beast…it’s not the players fault they are offered $200 million dollar contracts…I doubt Jim Rice would’ve turned one down in his playing days, so why should these guys.  That is the fault of the owners and general managers…with help from Marvin Miller (Google him kiddies if you don’t know who he is).

I’m bothered by the inclusion of Jeter on his list of players bringing the game down.  I’m no huge Jeter fan, but as far as I can tell, the guy plays hard every night, with the same team since coming into the league, and retains all the characteristics (humility and respect) that many players in Rice’s era seem to have.

I wonder if Jeter will thank Rice during his HOF induction speech?

Stay classy Jim Rice. [Big League Stew]

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