Someone will have to explain why a professional baseball player is getting grief because he wanted to be present for the birth of his child.

New York Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy has been pounded by radio talk show hosts and, presumably, some fans because he chose to be with his family rather than playing a couple of early-season baseball games.

http://espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/story/_/id/10721495/daniel-murphy-new-york-mets-deflects-criticism-taking-paternity-leave

This criticism bothers me on a couple of levels.

First, professional athletes have families and to me it is the height of arrogance to suggest that someone is letting his team down because he wants to sit out a couple of games while his wife is giving birth — to the couple’s first child, by the way.

Second, baseball is a team sport, meaning that it comprises quite a number of capable athletes who can fill in while a starting infielder is taking time away from the game. If the Mets are depending solely on Daniel Murphy’s presence in the lineup, then the team has some major problems with which it must contend.

What’s more, the season is 162 games long. It’s a long season.

My take on this? Get off the guy’s back. Salute him for putting family first.