Why Do Baseball Managers Have to Wear Uniforms?

I sometimes watch sports from a different point of view than most. I remember as a kid being flummoxed by the fact that Major League Baseball managers had to wear a uniform. It didn't make sense. My Little League coaches didn't have to wear a uniform. What's the difference?

Here's my examination of the baseball uniform question, as well as other things about sports that confuse me, including the New England patriots' Spygate scandal and soccer penalty kicks.

Why do baseball managers have to wear uniforms?
Of all the things that keep Major League Baseball stuck in the dark ages, this is one of the biggest. For no reason whatsoever, the league makes its managers and coaches stuff themselves into an actual uniform for games. This forces fans to watch overweight managers like Lou Piniella waddle out to the mound multiple times per game.

Could you imagine if the NHL made Mike Babcock strap on a hockey uniform behind the bench? Or if the NBA made Phil Jackson wear a tank top?

Let baseball coaches wear a suit and tie. Or at least more relaxed attire such as sweatsuits, like head coaches in the NFL. Stop the insanity of 60-year-old men forcing their overweight, misshapen carcasses into uniforms designed for svelte 25-year-old athletes.

This uniform "tradition" is one of the reasons baseball has lost its place as one of America's favorite sports.

Why is the penalty kick in soccer so close to the goal?
I don't care about soccer tradition. The penalty kick is a stupid way to decide a game and no one's convincing me otherwise. The problem is that it's way too close to the goal, so close that it's almost impossible not to score, unless the goalkeeper guesses correctly and dives to the correct side. It's ridiculous when soccer games are being decided by which goalie guesses correctly.

This problem could be avoided if the kicks were simply moved back another 10 or 20 yards. Make it a real challenge to score on one of those kicks. Force the shooter to demonstrate some skill. Allow the goalie to use his reflexes. In other words, make it a legitimate athletic exercise.

Why did the media let the Patriots off the hook for Spygate?
The NFL's New England Patriots cheated in the early '00s. They were proven guilty of stealing opponents' signals. They also won three championships during this era. Yet, after this information came out, members of the sports media bent over backwards to assure everybody that this thievery wasn't the reason the Patriots won three Super Bowls.

What a minute! How can anyone say that with certainty? The Patriots won their three championships by a grand total of nine points. That means every one of those wins could have been losses if just one or two plays had unfolded differently.

Can we say that cheating was the reason the Patriots won those games? No. But we can't say it wasn't the reason, either. That's the point. We'll never know. Who's to say that Ty Law's interception against Kurt Warner in Super Bowl XXXVI wasn't because of a stolen signal? That play changed the entire complexion (and the outcome) of the football game.

The Spygate scandal has forever tainted New England's three championships. We simply will never know if they could have won those titles without cheating, and sports writers deserve a great deal of blame for not acknowledging this simple truth.

How come every time an NFL defender gets his hand on a pass, it's "almost intercepted"?
I have a lot of pet peeves with sports announcers, but this is one of my biggest. Listen closely to an NFL broadcast and count the number of times a pass is "almost intercepted." If you believe these announcers, nearly every other pass is "almost intercepted."

Just because a defender gets a hand on a pass doesn't mean he was actually close to intercepting the ball. There's a difference. One that most announcers apparently aren't bright enough to comprehend.

Why do baseball managers have to wear uniforms: Summary
That's it for now. Stay tuned for future editions of things I just don't understand about sports. I think we've covered the baseball manager uniform thing, but there are plenty of other sports issues that just don't make sense.

Why do baseball managers have to wear uniforms: Sources
www.cnnsi.com
www.nfl.com