As a general rule, it is both possible and desirable to have some class in life, whatever you're doing. Playing sports, working, at a party with friends, or at the mall. Always better to be polite and respectful.
Having said that, 20-year-olds are gonna 20-year-old. I flipped a ton of birds earlier in life, as well as shot dozens of moons and other less-than-classy stunts. *shrug* it's all a part of growing up for a significant segment of the population.
For the folks saying our players should do stuff like this all the time, or that antics like this are an important part of baseball: No. They aren't. Stuff happens, but it doesn't make anyone a better ball player. There are tons of ways to make baseball more fun without the birds and FUs. The coats and hands-over-eyes poses are good examples of good-natured fun. The lads on this squad are full of fun. They don't need birds for that.
For the folks saying he should be punished, come on. It was a bird finger, not capital murder. Let's have a sense of perspective here. A "don't do that" from the coach is more than enough.
For those (like that post the OP linked) who think there's some massive anti-Tennessee crusade going on by the world at large: please come back to reality. We get no more or less grief than any other program.
And for all the folks who understand that the middle ground is the right place to be on this kind of issue, good on you. You have a decent head on your shoulders.
Go Vols! Win super-regionals!
