Are The Angels Lame For Giving Ohtani A Tribute Video?

The Los Angeles Angels honored their former pitcher and designated hitter Shohei Ohtani last night by airing a tribute video to him on the big screen as he came to the plate.

I'm sure the Angels' personnel bet Ohtani would have liked that. 

EVERYTHING DOESN'T DESERVE AN AWARD

Me, however? I hated it.

Yes, Ohtani is a great player. Yes, he played for the Angels. And in that time, you didn't go to the playoffs ONCE. Oh yeah, and he left your team to go to another one in the SAME CITY. Imagine if the Yankees did that for a player that went to the Mets? Imagine if the Red Sox did that for Jonny Damon when he returned - who, by the way, actually DID win a World Series with the Sox before heading to the Bronx.

And yes, it's true that Ohtani was the only good thing that Angels fans had going for them for years and they blew it despite having the star two-way player and Mike Trout on the same team. Those future playoff hopes are long gone in Anaheim, that's for sure.

But the issue is larger than just Ohtani and the Angels. It goes to this pathetic, pandering, participation trophy atmosphere that has taken over society.

Last season, the Mets sent out farewell and thank you tweet as well as a damn video tribute to Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer. REALLY? Two players that said the hell with this and wanted to get as far away from New York as possible? (Scherzer ended up winning a World Series with the team he was traded to in the Texas Rangers)

This is competitive sports. Have some class. Have some dignity. Have some damn pride in yourself. Do you know what Max Scherzer and the entire Rangers team were doing when they went back into their locker room? They were making fun of the Mets and literally laughing at them. How do you think the Mets players themselves felt? Absolutely mortified that their team was honoring a player that doesn't play for them anymore.

Mike Trout has seen Shohei Ohtani more times than he wants to. He doesn't need to see a tribute video of a guy he's now competing against.

Tampa Bay Rays have a Wild Card banner

(Getty Images)

The participation trophy  society has now gotten so bad that we have the Tampa Bay Rays raising banners for winning the damn WILD CARD. Talk about settling for less. And don't get me started on NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and his pointless mid-season tournament of which the Lakers were FORCED by the league to raise a banner for that as well. 

The rules for a video tribute should be:

1. If a great player is doing a farewell tour and a team wants to honor him (Mariano Rivera, LeBron James, Cal Ripken Jr. type level)

2. A retired player comes back to the ballpark to throw out the first pitch or be honored

3. Someone breaks a record.

Otherwise, a standing ovation and cheering goes great if you're willing to do that for the competition.