University of Virginia Library

Illegal Procedure

All What?

With Bill Bardenwerper

THE ACC BASEBALL SEASON IS NOW OVER, and the
final 1973 batting averages are a matter of record. But
despite the fact that Virginia sluggers managed to cop three of
the top four spots in hitting, only one of those players
managed to grab all ACC honors.

Dave Bratt, who led all hitters with a .364 average, nearly
.030 percentage points better than his nearest competitor
Craig White of Clemson, and teammate Steve Sroba,
who finished third in hitting with a .330 average, were
somehow overlooked in the ballotting for first team honors.

INSTEAD, IT WAS SHORTSTOP Dean Pallotta with a
.321 average and fourth in hitting in the ACC who was tapped
as the lone Cavalier recipient of this dubious distinction. The
players are the ones who make the annual selections. And it
was made clear by certain "insiders" that since this was in
essence a popularity contest, it was no real shock that Bratt
was excluded.

The point here is not to besmudge the image of Bratt, who
may well be a very likeable fellow, or of Pallotta, who is
undeniably deserving of the award whether its donor's purpose
is to honor the the most charismatic or the most outstanding
player. Rather what this type of ridiculous oversight sourly
reminds us of is the familiar adage, "you can't judge a book by
its cover."

In other words, not only All-ACC but also All-America,
all-star, all-pro and so on are often only misleading labels
unwittingly yet perennially perpetuated by an extremely
sentimental and image-conscious populace. Often some of the
best athletes go completely unnoticed.

FOR EXAMPLE,in major league ball, it is invariably the
faceman who spends his time in front of the television camera
advertising Gillette foamy rather than at the batting cage who
gains his way into the viewers' hearts (and of course their
pocketbooks) and emerges the hero. It is he and the traditional
sentimental favorites who make the all-star team. Again this
year, we are likely to hear in the lineup: "and now in his 131st
year of baseball and 122nd consecutive all-star game..." And
he's likely to put on his best performance during the
commercials between the innings.

The point to be stressed here is that the type of awards
which we have mentioned are designed (whether they truly are
or are not is another question) to honor the best athletes
period, with no equivocation, no modifiers, and no further
adjectives. The best dressed, the best liked, and most likely to
succeed are distinctions for which there is little room, at least
on the field.

Dave Bratt is All-ACC if that award really stands for what it
is supposed to honestly represent.