Over half a century ago a singer named Gene Pitney recorded a song for a movie called "Town Without Pity."
The song didn’t have a lot to do with the movie but it was immensely popular.
The concept of pity is a complex one, but in the world of sports it can be very simple for a fan. You either like a player or you don’t. You like a team or you don’t. You pity a player or a team or you praise a player and a team.
I love pity. Let’s take a look at some of the players and teams from the world of sports who deserve our pity.
The Milwaukee Brewers
How could you not? It’s not like these guys are dogging it. They are trying, you’ve got to believe that. But they are, to coin a phrase, clearly out of their league. It’s like taking a backup guard from UWM and asking him to start for one of Bo Ryan’s team. Out of their league and we pity them for it.
The Bradley Center
For more than a quarter-century this building has been the epicenter of big-time sports and events in our city. It was a gift and we didn’t have to pay a cent to build it. And now they are going to tear it down. The National Basketball Association has decreed that this lady isn’t young enough for us to still love. So we are going to build a new edifice that is going to keep everybody happy. But I pity the building, and as strange as it may be to say, I pity Jane Bradley Pettit who gave it to us.
Jordan Spieth
Hard to justify having pity for a very cute, 21-year-old who is nice to his entire family and everyone else and is a multi-millionaire. But I do. This young man is about to start feeling the kind of pressure that comes along almost never. He, of course, is the golfer who has won both the Masters and the U.S. Open. Winning those two and the British Open at St. Andrews and the PGA at Whistling Straits in Kohler, would make him the first golfer to win the modern grand slam. Nobody has come close ever since the modern grand slam was created by Arnold Palmer in an airplane flying to Scotland with his friend, writer Bob Drum.
Dustin Johnson
Another golfer. All the talent in the world. Suspended for failing PGA drug tests, once for marijuana, twice for cocaine. He had the U. S. Open in the palm of his hand and choked. While Spieth hugged his mom and dad, Johnson walked with Wayne Gretzky and Wayne’s sexy daughter Paulina, who is the mother of Dustin’s child. She was wearing huge sunglasses, tight jeans and a white shirt way too unbuttoned for the world of televised golf.
Tom Brady
This guy has Super Bowl rings, zillions of dollars and a Victoria's Secret model for a wife. But Brady is going to be the latest scapegoat in the kangaroo court that is run by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. I don’t know how anyone in the world can actually believe that Brady was a conspirator in "deflategate," the last thing this guy needs is a football that is a little softer in his hands. But Goodell, who has never met an infraction that didn’t move him to lick his finger and hold it in the wind, is going to slap Brady with some kind of penalty. That’s what gets my pity.
With a history in Milwaukee stretching back decades, Dave tries to bring a unique perspective to his writing, whether it's sports, politics, theater or any other issue.
He's seen Milwaukee grow, suffer pangs of growth, strive for success and has been involved in many efforts to both shape and re-shape the city. He's a happy man, now that he's quit playing golf, and enjoys music, his children and grandchildren and the myriad of sports in this state. He loves great food and hates bullies and people who think they are smarter than everyone else.
This whole Internet thing continues to baffle him, but he's willing to play the game as long as OnMilwaukee.com keeps lending him a helping hand. He is constantly amazed that just a few dedicated people can provide so much news and information to a hungry public.
Despite some opinions to the contrary, Dave likes most stuff. But he is a skeptic who constantly wonders about the world around him. So many questions, so few answers.
