Why I'm miffed – Noah Gragson, the USWNT and the Guardians

Sports so frequently provides thrilling team play, incredible individual performances and acts of sportsmanship that often leave you reaching for that tissue. That's why we love sports. We want to be entertained, enthralled and yes, sometimes brought to tears.But there is often a dark side to the sporting world. Bad things do happen and we are left with heading to the water cooler to hash out the reasons why we are disappointed.In the last couple of weeks some things have happened that indeed left me miffed. Not angry mind you, but not happy with the situation either. Let's take a look at what put me into this state. It may not be for the reasons you think.Noah Gragson is in his first season in the Cup Series, Nascar's highest level of competition. Well, at least he was. This weekend as the series rolled into the Irish Hills of Michigan word came out that Gragson had been suspended by Legacy Motor Club. He was taken out of the car at MIS and replaced with Josh Berry.Nascar quickly got involved and decided they would suspend him indefinitely. So what did Gragson do to warrant this action? He liked a tweet that was racist in nature somehow mocking the killing of George Floyd.Was I disappointed in Noah Gragson? Of course. But he was also disappointed in himself and seemed to understand the ramifications of what he had done. Others did not feel the same way. Some Nascar fans were unhappy that he was suspended at all. Their comments suggested that he has the right to like any message he wants. There is even a movement to boycott Nascar for this suspension. Seriously? My feeling of disappointment with Gragson was replaced by my being miffed at the fans that thought the suspension was unwarranted. These people don't seem to understand some basic concepts. First your right to freedom of expression is not unlimited. Secondly, what you have the right to do is not necessarily the right thing to do. And finally, your actions – though they may be legal – may still have consequences.When Gragson signed his contract there was a behavior clause in it. His boss felt like his actions did not reflect the views of the team or Nascar. Thus the suspension. If you want to have differing views than your employer, you may. You may also find yourself unemployed.Noah Gragson is young. He will learn from his mistake and I believe he will be back behind the wheel of a race car soon. But please don't condone his actions lest you miff me.The USWNT had an early exit at this year's World Cup. Some people's reactions to the team being ousted in Australia were downright cruel. And yes, it miffed me.The two main reasons for the criticisms were simple, yet at least from my perspective, wrong. First we seem to have in this country the theory that a win is the only acceptable outcome. When the win doesn't happen there has to be a reason for it. Player performance, coaching decisions or poor officiating are legitimate reasons for a loss according to these folks.Secondly, it is my considered opinion that some people had a problem with the women's team "political" stance. From not singing the National Anthem out loud to supporting minority rights, those that disagree with their views were appalled. Many even said they were glad they lost.So the criticisms are leveled even if they don't make any sense. Here's a thought. Perhaps they lost because their opponent was a little better on that day. It happens and perhaps we should also be aware that it is simply a sporting event.As for the Guardians trade deadline deals, I don't know where to start. When it comes to the trade deadline teams are usually buyers, sellers or they choose to stand pat. If you are a buyer, you trade youth for an established player for a playoff push. If you're a seller, you trade your own veteran players for the potential youngsters hoping that somewhere down the road the trade will get a favorable rating. Still some teams don't make any deals and that would presume they are happy with what they have. The Guardians made several deals, but left me shaking my head as to what their intentions were. We were within a game of the lead in the A.L. Central Division as the deadline approached. Good enough to be a buyer?One would think so, but the trades don't seem to make much sense. First Cleveland trades a young starting shortstop for a veteran pitcher who was on the injured list at the time. Then they trade perhaps their best starting pitcher (due in part to others being injured) for a minor league prospect.Finally they trade their starting first baseman/designated hitter for a veteran infielder who they promptly waived. They did get a minor league prospect in the deal, but money had to be a factor. Whether fans have to deal with a small market club or an owner that doesn't want to spend money, the options appear to be limited. And that's getting old.I was making the case for my "miffness" with the Guardians at a golf course last week. As I was pontificating on the state of Cleveland baseball, the manager of the course stuck his head into our room and made an announcement.He said the Guardians just traded Jose Ramirez for a cup of coffee and a couple of donuts. One of my buddies quickly responded with the quote of the year as he put things in the proper perspective. I realized that being miffed was not the end of civilization as we know it.So what was the comment that brought me to realize there are other more important things to be concerned with? Here it is…What kind of donuts were they?