Growing up doesn’t equal maturity

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Column by Tim Riley

It’s nice to know that no matter how old a person gets, the capacity to do the incredibly dumb shows no measurable decay.

There is no antidote for it. No matter what situation a person resides in, they are still just as capable of making a mess as your common kindergartener.

Anecdotally, evidence resides everywhere for this phenomenon, but there is currently no better example of this than the on-going quagmire that is ESPN commentator Steve Phillips’ personal and professional life.

The former minor league baseball player and general manager of the Mets has spent the last four years as a commentator on ESPN, but thanks to his predilection for women he works with, he now finds himself unemployed. Phillips, who has been married for 19 years, has admitted to other inter-office affairs in the past, but despite suffering the consequences of being caught again and again, he has continued down the same path.

Unfortunately for him, not only does he lapse in his choice to have affairs, but he struggles to identify women who are willing, discrete and sane enough to carry one out properly.

While working with the Mets, he was accused of sexual harassment by one mistress, but this did not change his opinion on the matter in the least. Instead, he opted to take a short break from cheating on his wife before becoming acquainted with Brooke Hundley.

It’s unfair to accuse someone of psychosis without adequate proof, but Hundley gladly has provided plenty to justify the argument. A quick read of the rambling letter she sent to his wife wherein she describes little known details of Steve Phillips’ anatomy while making it clear Steve loves her much more than he does his wife seems enough, but there is so much more. Steve’s paramour posted and carried through on a Craigslist’s ad looking to pay someone to call and harass Phillips’ wife. These are not the actions of well-balanced individuals.

I will be caught joining the Brooke Hundley fan club before I will shed a tear for Steve Phillips, though. I don’t know anything about his wife. She may be the most insufferable person on the face of the Earth or the sweetest flower of the garden, but it does not really matter.

Either way, when Phillips opted to begin carrying out extramarital affairs, he willingly opted to expose himself to the insanity of the entire covert action.

Did he deserve to lose his job over this mess? That is highly debatable. Sleeping around did not make him any less capable of dissecting baseball, and both parties willingly began the tryst. But within the confines of American society, a public figure has to be cognizant that his or her personal life is fodder for job evaluation, and deal with that fact. There is simply no basis for feeling an ounce of sympathy for Phillips.

If he wanted to sleep with 22-year-olds, then he should have divorced his wife first. If he wanted to stay together with his wife for the sake of his kids, then he should have considered how having affairs and getting fired would probably not be good for his offspring. There are other guilty parties in this play, but ultimately the story turns on the willingness of one man to act with about as much maturity as a high school freshman.

As the story evolves, more and more people in the story begin acting like children, but if not for the choice of Steve Phillips to set it all in motion, two people would still have jobs, a marriage would still exist and reputations of many would not be sullied. Not realizing the effect one’s actions have on others define immaturity and this sad orchestra in its entirety.

It all could have been prevented. Phillips could have taken a cold shower, gotten a divorce or simply acted like a mature adult. Hundley could have avoided a litany of unconscionable acts herself, but hers is a tale for another day. Steve Phillips is just the latest example that no matter how old a person gets, the base nature of humanity remains. Unfortunately for everyone involved, self-control is not a birthday present.

Tim Riley is an MBA graduate student. E-mail opinions@kykernel.com.