The Virginian-Pilot
                             THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Sunday, October 20, 1996              TAG: 9610170176
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST          PAGE: 27   EDITION: FINAL 
COLUMN: SPORTIN' COMMENT 
SOURCE: JEFF ZEIGLER
                                            LENGTH:   66 lines

MANY ATHLETES, FANS NEED LESSON IN SPORTSMANSHIP

The premise behind athletic programs in high schools and colleges, in their purest sense, is to teach discipline, sportsmanship, team play and fair play. Incidents in the last few weeks - three at the pro level, and one at the local level - show that athletes, as well as fans, have not learned these lessons.

Consider these examples.

Baltimore Orioles second baseman Roberto Alomar spits in an umpire's face after a disputed call. Alomar is thoroughly condemned by fans and the media, but gets a slap on the wrist from the American League for punishment. This tells players and fans that this kind of behavior is tolerated in baseball.

Bryan Cox of the Chicago Bears curses and makes obscene gestures to refs and fans during a Bears game. This time the NFL fines Cox, who has a history of such behavior.

In a playoff game at Yankee Stadium, a 12-year-old boy reaches over the fence to catch a ball. The play is ruled a home run. The New York Yankees end up winning the game. The boy is not thrown out of the game like the league rules state, but he is made a hero for helping the Yanks win the ball game.

And right here in our own backyard, some (not all) fans in Hertford call for the coach's head at a Perquimans County High School football game when the Pirates get out to a slow start in the first quarter. Fans yelled that the coaching was terrible, and other things that can't be printed.

This has been a problem at Perquimans for the last several years. One year, the police even had to drag a fan off the field when he verbally assaulted a coach after a playoff game.

Hey folks, let's get a grip here. These are just sporting events. Entertainment. That's it.

One thing my dad always told me was ``try your hardest, there's always tomorrow.'' Alomar and Cox, and a few other players like Albert Belle, need a lesson in humility.

Many athletes today don't consider themselves to be role models. Sorry guys, but that comes with the territory.

But fans are also role models of sorts. Cheering on your team is what fans are all about, but aiding them in other ways is a different story.

The first thing I thought of when that 12-year-old boy made the game-saving swipe was last year's New York Giants football game when a fan was caught red-handed throwing a snowball on the field. It's improbable, but let's say that guy hits the opposing team's quarterback and knocks him out of the game.

Would that have made him a hero too? I hate to say it, but the answer is ``probably.''

On a high school level, the harsh criticism leveled at football coaches is particularly appalling. Again, a message is being sent to other spectators, particularly children, that this type of behavior is OK.

If you pay your $35 at an NFL game, some say that you are entitled to say anything you want. I'll concede that, to an extent. But these kids on the high school gridiron are far from being professionals. They are simply students who are trying to discover themselves. It's true that a college scholarship may be on the line, but that's no reason for a bunch of adults to rip apart the coaches who are supposed to be authority figures to these players.

Could this be the reason that I keep hearing high school coaches in all sports say, ``These kids aren't like they used to be 10 years ago''?

Players who abuse umpires and act like big babies need to revisit their Little League days when they were boys and were supposed to have learned about sportsmanship.

Fans who want their teams to win at all costs need to step back and remember this: if your team loses, the sun is still going to shine tomorrow. MEMO: Jeff Zeigler covers sports for The Carolina Coast. by CNB