Post Script to: "I played pro ball! Did you play pro ball?"

[Kevin Finnerty]

I remember Parrett when he was with the A's in the early '90s, and he was pretty well-liked by his mates and the media as well.

The real pros outnumber the wish-they-were pros exponentially, Dave. Parret's and Jones's comportment is the norm rather than the rule. My son's a JC pitcher (Chris Hickman umpired one of his games), and his pitching mentor all through school was Jeff Suppan, whose modest conduct and professional demeanor are almost beyond belief. Real pros don't impose it on us--especially when we're trying to manage a game.

But the ones that feel a need to bring it up, like it makes them some kind of all-encompassing authority, and we wouldn't be able to tell if they didn't mention it ... they really make me laugh.