Globex Corporation Newsletter

The team with the best record in baseball played a game against the most storied franchise in baseball history yesterday at Yankee stadium in the Bronx. The Yankees are struggling, needing wins to catch the hated Red Sox in the American League East race, the surprising White Sox are trying to prove their legitimacy as one of baseball's elite teams. You'd think that'd be plenty to be a compelling baseball game. You'd think that would be plenty to keep a fans interest at a game. Guess again folks, some people have to be the center of attention no matter what, situation around them be damned.

The idiot's name is Scott Harper, he's 18 years old and apparently the excitement of a major league baseball game with playoff implications wasn't enough excitement for him. Oh no, Scott Harper wondered if the backstop screen would suport his weight and lept from the upper deck to the screen, a fall of about 40 feet. His stunt did garner him the attention of the entire Yankee Stadium crowd as the game, remember the game, it's the reason everyone but Scott Harper was there, the game was halted for four minutes as police took the young attention starved idiot into custody. The shame of this is, of course, that I now know Scott Harper's name. I can't for the life of me understand why I need to have that information in my brain, but now it is.

It's all about attention, you don't really leap 40 feet down into a backstop screen because you seriously wonder if it will support your weight, you do it so that everyone in Yankee Stadium will say' "Hey, look at that guy!" And that would all be well and good except that there were a lot of people on the field of play who have pursued a baseball career, who spent years practicing in their youths, spent seasons in little leagues, the minor leagues, playing winter baseball, spent countless hours practicing their craft, sacrificing, working toward the goal of playing in the major leagues only to have some idiot get just as much attention, if only briefly, by pulling a mindless stunt.

The really sad part is that I'm writing this, giving this jerk even more, though unbelievably small amount of attention. I just don't get it. Who is he to think that he should do something that takes attention away from professional athletes? The problem is, of course, that this sort of thing is even reported. The problem is that anyone with no talent can go on a lame-ass TV show and sing like an idiot. The problem is that anyone can get to live in a house with a number of other people and have everything recorded so that we can find out what happens when people stop being nice and start being real.

I just don't get it, I suppose part of that is me. I try to avoid being noticed. That may sound odd coming from a guy who plays music in front of people, but it's honestly the truth. I don't play music to be noticed, I play music because I like playing music. I do it in front of people because I worked hard, learned some songs and think other people might enjoy what I do. Compare that to the person you will see anytime karaoke is set up at your favorite watering whole. Some idiot with no preparation will get up and scream Billy Idol's Rebel Yell at the top of his lungs, off key, off tempo and not really knowing when the song is finished. Why did he do it? Did he want to 'share his gift' with the other folks in the bar or did he just want everyone to say "Hey, look at that guy!"?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not vehemently anti-karaoke, I did a couple of songs a week ago at a local bar (SRV's Cold Shot and the Supreme's Baby Love, that's right, Baby Love). There was a woman there who could really sing and really seemed to take pride in what she was doing. Maybe she doesn't know any musicians, more likely she doesn't like dealing with musicians, in any case, she exibited some talent, had obviously sung quite a bit in her life. She put on a good show. Compare that to Mr. Rebel Yell. That took no talent other than the courage to do it. Normally I'd admire the courage a bit, but karoke courage usually comes in a pop-top can.


BOJ