Respect

After hitting his home run against the Padres last Friday, Alfonso Soriano started his trip around the bases by trotting backwards up the first base line while watching the ball sail out of the park. Jake Peavey, the Padres’ pitcher, said: "I didn't appreciate that. Just play the game. They pay him $136 million to hit home runs. They don't pay him to be a circus act on the field. If I think a player shows me up like that, I like the next guy to take one in the stinkin' ribs."

Whether this had anything to do with Derrek Lee getting hit by Chris Young on Saturday, which itself led to a fight and a five-game suspension for D-Lee, is unclear, but it certainly did not help.

Alfonso, however, sees nothing wrong with what he did: "I do it all the time. I enjoy my moment when I hit the ball. Why do I have to change?"

Why? Ryne Sandberg said it best when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005: "Respect." As Ryno said, "Hit a home run, put your head down, drop the bat, run around the bases, because the name on the front is a lot more important than the name on the back. That's respect."

If Alfonso did not see Ryno’s speech, maybe somebody on the Cubs can find him a copy of it. In the meantime, he could have learned a lot by watching Greg Maddux on Sunday, a man who can show you how to do your best without being the show yourself. Or he could talk to Billy Williams or Ernie Banks. They knew how to play the game right.