Matsui and Rivera: Behavioral Models for TV

New York Yankee World Series MVP, designated hitter Hideki Matsui, and the incomparable closer Mariano Rivera were models of mature, professional dignity in the final game of the World Series -- behavior rarely seen in the trash heap of commercial television.

Matsui, the calm, taciturn Japanese slugger drove in a record-tying six runs in the sixth and final game of this year's World Series against the scrappy Philadelphia Phillies, and Rivera, baseball's greatest, most effective closer of all time, got the final five outs to shut down the dangerous Phillies in a 7-3 Yankee win.

These were impressive performances, but what stood out as much as their on-the-field heroics were their calm, confident, mature behavior and, most of all, their dignity -- the way they handled their accomplishments. They didn't jump up, pump their fists, look to the heavens, or even smile. They just did their jobs in a non-demonstrative, professional manner.

Dignity is rarely seen on commercial television -- not on cable where WWE wrestling is the consistently top-rated program, not on cable news which features bloviating and hysterical vaudeville performers who spin opinions and sensationalism without ever landing a blow on the facts. Witness the disgraceful coverage of the recent Ft. Hood killings in which the cable news channels got it wrong for hours and depended irresponsibly on erroneous Twitter and Facebook rumors too much.

And dignity is certainly not seen on prime time television, as brilliantly analyzed and skewered by James Wolcott in the current issue (December) of Vanity Fair in a piece titled "I'm a Culture Critic... Get Me Out of Here." Wolcott's intelligent article isn't up on the Web yet, so you'll have to buy the magazine or wait until next month to get Wolcott's superbly written piece online.

Wolcott makes the point that Reality TV has "...not only ruined network values, destroyed the classic documentary, and debased the art of bad acting, but also fomented class warfare, antisocial behavior and class warfare." Yes! Go get 'em James!

You'll get no dignity on Reality TV or anywhere on commercial TV where programmers have to get ratings with programs (news and opinion programs included) that appeal to the lowest level of taste and educational attainment and to the basest of instincts.

We don't see much dignity in sports, either; certainly not in hockey, soccer, or football. But occasionally in Major League Baseball, which is slower, more intellectual, and dominated less by raw emotion than other sports, we get glimpses of maturity and professionalism.

The Fox TV network carried the World Series and to its credit, announcer Joe Buck and analyst Tim McCarver were fittingly mature and professional in their approach, in ironic contrast to promotion spots for the local Fox-owned TV station in New York which ran in some local breaks. The promo spots were for the Fox station's local news programs and showed scenes of silly anchors laughing, a camel snorting, and another anchor juggling to reinforce the notion of news as lowest-common-denominator vaudeville.

But in the World Series games themselves, Matsui and Rivera, from Japan and Panama respectively, were models of the kind of dignified behavior it would be nice to see on TV.

Hey, Bill O'Reilly, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Jim Cramer, Low Dobbs, Keith Olbermann, and network CEOs and programmers, were you watching? Will you please try to model the behavior of these two Yankee superstars?

 

Follow Charles Warner on Twitter: www.twitter.com/CHWarner

Comments

[blackhole2008]

The other sports do show something baseball doesn't though: comaraderie between players on the opposing team.

[larry278]

Yanks fans may call the Phils "scrappy"; Phils fans use another word for the Phils in the '09 World Series that ends in 'y'. Wait till next year, it could be much worse. If the Phils do get worse, it's off to Japan with the Cubs, Reds & Pirates.

[NHBill]

Both great ambassadors of baseball.

I am reminded of Opening Day at Fenway in 2005 when the Red Sox raised their historic World Series Banner from 2004. The Baseball gods booked the Yankees for the opener. The team, for the most part, was introduced to mild boos (mild for a Sox/Yanks game) until Rivera. Then the Fenway Faithful burst into lusty cheers. It was the legendary Yankees pitcher who failed to stop the charging Sox in the '04 ALCS and the super savvy fans did not forget. Rivera at first shocked and surprised quickly got the joke, smiled that broad smile of his and tipped his cap to the Boston fans. It was a classy response to a fun moment that epitomized the Yankees dignified participation in the Red Sox celebration.

[Michael Martin - Huffpost Blogger]

Great insight. David Letterman said something to this effect about Jeter after he, Andy, and Jorge left the stage.

Television is about entertainment or infotainment and the ratings reflect how well those who watch are entertained.

Tim McCarver and Joe Morgan are the best commentators in baseball. But I don't get to see Morgan as much b/c I don't have cable/satellite tv.

The Yankees are in the business of winning. That is their nature. The baseball is incidental.

[NHBill]

You can't be serious about Morgan.
He is infuriating!
His basic input is to state the obvious and then pat himself on the back for being correct.

[FirstGame72]

Mr. Warner,
I agree, and it is not talked about enough in the media, that the Yankees of the past fifteen years have consistantly conducted themsleves with class and dignity (with roger clemens being one notable exception). Can anyone say Derek Jeter?
Speaking of Joe buck, I will never forget the luck I had to catch him doing a regular season national TV baseball game a few years ago where the feed that he recieves in his earpiece accidently went live on the air for several minutes and we, the audience, were able to hear the information and speaking points that were being fed to him as they happend - revealing him to be just another empty, talking head.
On a similar note: Did anyone catch the 1st qtr of last night's NFL network game between San Fran & Chicago when the broadcasters voices just cut out? For about ten minutes it was just blissful visuals, on field sounds and crowd noise.

[NHBill]

If you can receive sports in digital 5.1 surround sound you can turn the center channel all the way down and eliminate the chatter. You will still have all the 3-D audio effects that put you in the middle of the action. Try it!

[inseb]

It was notable that Rivera was the only player or exec who even acknowledged the Phillies....much classier than the Yanks VP who crowed that "the world is right again" with the trophy back in the Bronx.

[annie0107]

Just as notable ... Jimmy Rollins insisting that the best team lost the WS.

[inseb]

As a fan of the game...not just one team...I think he was right. Nevertheless, the Yankees were clearly the better team during the series, and as such, they are entitled to the trophy and bragging rights for the next year.

[djwfutbol]

Sir,

These people are paid to act the clown. It is their job. Matsui and Rivera are paid to play baseball. That is their job. You must ask why the clowns are employed. What is it about the medium of television, Internet and news magazines that enhances this clownish behavior? In other words, why are they successful?

The only conclusion I have come to, so far, is that they are not interested in me and my patronage. There is an audience for the outlandish and ridiculous that I and you are not a part of.

I do not share your affection for McCarver and Buck, by the way. They talk too much and they always focus on the negative, as though perfection in sports is somehow attainable and desirable. Tim was better when he worked with Ralph Kiner and Gary Thorn on Mets broadcasts.

[dtghope]

Most if not all of the Yankees are class acts! Matsui and Rivera are particularly gifted and graceful!

[wrenchdevil]

Agreed. And what separates the Yankees from every other team in MLB except for the Dodgers? They proudly do NOT wear their names on the back of their jerseys either at home or on the road.