A rare sports column . . .

Folks have asked me to write sports commentary on occasion. This story stirred me.

This story has played itself out, but I still wanted to get a chance to rant about it a little bit, largely because my opinions on the topic run counter to those of many other commentators.

Elijah Dukes is a centerfielder for the Washington Nationals. He is a professional baseball player and is paid a lot of money to be one. With his job come rules and responsibilities that every player has to follow. Players are also encouraged to represent the team in the community

On a recent Saturday, Dukes spent some time with kids from the Great Falls Little League. He was very friendly and spent time with the kids. For this, he was compensated $500. (Hang on to that).

He must have really enjoyed himself, because he left and went straight to the stadium, and he was five minutes late. As is team policy, he was fined $500.

Let us note here that Dukes makes $415,500 to play baseball. He is one of only 780 men in the world who play for Major League Baseball, and there are an incalculable number who would take his place if they were blessed with his skills and his work ethic. There are an equal number of people – at least – who would like to earn $415,500.

Now, here’s where the story skews sideways. The media and Nationals’ fans raise a hue and cry because he was fined because he was late after spending time with kids. That’s something the league and the team encourage. And, get this; the league president said he felt “so badly” that the league sent a check to the Nationals for $501 to pay for the fine.

Now, I don’t know what the team did with the money, but I would have sent it back, and the $500 the league paid Dukes, who dearly does not get “charity work.”

The team should have suspended Dukes, not just fined him. This is Major League baseball, not Little League. (Admit it, you were waiting for it.) It’s an honor and a privilege to play in the majors, and Dukes needs to learn to be on time, especially if he’s coming from somewhere that’s been lining his pockets with a little extra cash. Dukes has had off-the-field issues in the past, but this needs to be part of the learning process.

The only good news about this whole thing is that the Little League got so many donations that it was able to pass on money to its charity, an inner-city Washington, DC, Little League. Maybe Dukes ought to pay that league a visit – for free. And drop them a little cash, too.