Friday column: Is jolt of reality a bad thing?

Hey, all you fans who think the game is about you. This week, a Philly police officer offered a reminder that it’s not.

The reminder — 50,000 volts worth — began a debate not on what should be done to keep the fannies of narcissistic ticket holders in their seats but on whether the Tasering of a 17-year-old was excessive force.

Among those answering in the affirmative was Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, who called the action “a big mistake.”

“There’s no need to use Tasers on fans who run on the field,” Rendell said. “We should just have enough personnel out there to surround them, take them off the field and put them in jail.”

Backing Rendell was Mary Catherine Roper, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union in Philadelphia, who said she didn’t understand why the officer had to use a Taser.

“How long can he really run around out there?” Roper said of the fan. “In this situation, he’s not dangerous, he’s not getting away.”

Well, in this situation, as it turns out, Roper would be right. Steve Consalvi wasn’t a danger, as it turns out. Did the officer know that for a fact when he launched his dart at the fleeing teen? He did not.

Same goes for the security at the Monica Seles-Magdalena Maleeva tennis match in 1993, which didn’t know whether Günter Parche was dangerous when he ran onto the court in Hamburg, Germany.

Same goes for the security at the Kansas City-Chicago baseball game at Comiskey Park in 2002, which didn’t know whether William Ligue Jr. and his 15-year-old son were dangerous when they jumped onto the field and moved toward Royals first base coach Tom Gamboa.

Turns out they were.

Gamboa was beaten up.

Seles was stabbed with a 9-inch blade. She could have been killed; as it was, her life and career were forever altered.

The people most affected when someone decides he needs “a once in a lifetime experience,” in Consalvi’s words, are the players, and if comments I’ve seen the last few days are any indication, athletes and coaches are not particularly sympathetic to Rendell and Roper’s view.

Said Seattle Mariners pitcher Cliff Lee: “You never know what their intentions are. They have probably been drinking, or maybe have taken drugs. You don’t know what they are going to do.”

Said Cardinals manager Tony La Russa: “If somebody comes up there and does some damage, they’re going to be second-guessing not doing anything. I just think it’s acceptable, because it’s a good deterrent.”

The Phillies have decided to handle such cases sans cop, unless one is suddenly deemed necessary. Of course, by the time one is deemed necessary, it might be too late. As long as proper guidelines are established and followed, why not keep the cop and his Taser in place?

Whose protection are we most concerned with here — the people who don’t belong on the field or the people who do?

Contact Jim Gordon at gjames43@msn.com.