Let Pesky Sit

Major League Baseball, in all its wisdom, has decided that Johnny Pesky can no longer sit in the dugout during Red Sox games. Hello? Can we have a little respect? The man is 88 years old, and he IS the Red Sox. I get that they don't want teams sneaking in another coach, but couldn't we just have a Pesky clause? It's only going to be a few more years, at most.

The MLB suit in charge of this brilliant decision says it's about fairness:

Making an exception for an octogenarian icon, Garagiola said, is an example of the kind of distinctions MLB does not want to be drawing.

"Red Schoendienst is in uniform every night, down on the field, talking to players, hitting infield," Garagiola said, invoking the name of the Cardinals' Hall of Famer, who turned 84 last month. "But when the game starts, he's sitting upstairs with Walt [Jocketty, the Cardinals GM].

"Cardinals fans can say Red Schoendienst is as beloved [as Pesky]. If [Pesky] can be on the bench, why not Schoendienst?"

Why not? Let Schoendienst sit on the bench too. Call it the legendary old guys clause. Just remember that baseball is about sentiment too, and the suits place themselves in peril if they forget that.