Kerfuffle - 3

=== Spec again ===

Having journalists in my family and some background myself, I can say with pretty good confidence that LaRue went with the story ONLY because it appeared to affect the GAME.  That is, Jr. did not pinch hit.  (Note that yesterday, in the 9th Jr. did pinch hit for RJ.)  That makes it a "story" in a way that just catching a nap does not.

In a list of 100 great comments-points in this thread ... this one heliums to the very top of the chart.  :- )

................

Great point Spec ...

In the abstract, would cheerfully agree that this would be the key defense / rationalization / reason / whatever that saves the sportswriter's bacon here, if only barely.  Excellent call.

In this specific case, it doesn't fly.  No way no how, not IMHO.   And the reason is that there is nothing out of the ordinary about jet-lagged (thanks San) players relaxing during the game on their off days.

I think it was Blowers who noted that Griffey has, in his career, frequently had guys come back to get him in the clubhouse, during a nap, stepped up to the plate, and delivered the big hit.

Hence Wok saying, truthfully, Griffey WAS available.

..............

And that's why the players' enraged reaction to the sportswriter.  The "affected the game" bit, IMHO, makes sense only to people outside the clubhouse.

It makes it MORE infuriating that the writer tries to paint the nap as something important, when the fact is that it wasn't.  It's like me and my son scuffling and slap-boxing... some teacher sees it and calls the police and starts arguing that we were trying to hurt each other?  And now I'm in court giving 9,000 details as to how hard we swung, yada yada yada?  ... that's going to be more crazy-making than a pure lie.

That's the situation Wok and Junior and the M's are in right now, "answering" for the way they do things in what is supposed to be their own house.  When was I asleep exactly, when wasn't I, yada yada yada, when nobody INSIDE cares!  It's the people outside who demand a justification for how WE treat EACH OTHER.

Still, this is the life preserver that the writer will try to cling to, no doubt.

.

=== Grain of Truth ... ===

Now, a player grabbing a single nap during a game, on an off-day, or watching TV, or playing cards, or what-have-you, might not in itself be a big deal. 

But what DOES happen on some clubs, is that some players stop caring about the ballclub.  One way they manifest this, is by goofing off when it's not time to goof off.

Ichiro complained about this during the Hargrove era -- that it was time to bear down, and guys would be back in the clubhouse playing cards all the time.  His issue wasn't the cards -- it was the not caring. 

It's quite possible that Junior, under the circumstances, has developed a melancholy, a lethargy, an attitude problem (who knows?!).  And that this is what the young players were complaining about.

.

=== ... Washed Away In the Tide ===

Ichiro has also politely let it be known that he's not always impressed by Ken Griffey Jr's attention to the game.  The obvious fact is that Griffey can be annoying in his lack of attention to games he's not playing. 

BUT THAT HAS BEEN JUNIOR HIS WHOLE CAREER!  You knew when he got here, what he was in the clubhouse. 

Griffey was doing this kind of thing in 1998, and he was doing it with the Reds, AND HE WAS DOING IT IN 2009 when he was hailed as the Ticklefest key to the season.

Now the kids, and the writers, think it's time to call into question Ken Griffey Jr's entire career, because he's not hitting any more. 

That is the very definition of chickenfeathers.  Do it last year, gentlemen.

.

Your friend,

Jeff

Comments

1

Great put, Doc.  You're locked in like Fister recently.
I would just add -- it is highly likely Griffey has been the superstar he's been in some part BECAUSE of his layed back ("seeming" not to care) demeanor.
In "The Fan", when pressed as to how he finally came out of his horrid slump - Wesley Snipes says - "I stopped caring".  This is a truthful - (but completely unsayable in a public venue - where it might show up in print somewhere) - way to say - "I stopped PRESSING."
In large part - whenever you're got a TEAM all hitting vastly below their norms - the two likely causes are -- they're just happening to face a series of opponents who are really good - and really hot ... *OR* ... the entire team is PRESSING.  "Pressing" is the shorthand version of saying - "I'm trying TOO hard -- and it's making me tight instead of lose -- and because of that - I'm late (or early) on everything." 
Honestly, I think Griffey was likely one of the only guys NOT pressing during the first 6 weeks of the season.  He was still hitting warning track fly balls, (except this year, they aren't even reaching the track).  But, that creates a tricky paradox.  (Assume I'm correct for a moment) -- Griffey is actually playing "fine" - but getting lousy production -- Lopez and Sweeney and Kotch and Figgy and Bradley (et al) are trying SOOOO hard to hit that they are playing below their ability.
Well - nobody can actually see inside someone's mind - so it's pure speculation.  But, the ability of a player to stay lose when things aren't going well is a NECESSARY and beneficial trait in an athlete.  But, from the outside - the default response to lack of success is "work HARDER". 
And the ultimate irony in all of this.  For *offense*, not caring can allow a player to relax, and get back in a groove.  But, for *defense*, relaxing can be highly detrimental.  I think this is why bad teams will routinely hit better in the second half, (which leads to optimism for next year) - while their defense goes south, and they continue to lose.
Of course, being too high strung can lead to errors in the field, (or passed balls, perhaps).  But, if you're not paying attention every pitch, what is lost is the FIRST step, not the last, so you can "appear" to be playing all out in the field, while costing your team runs on a nightly basis.
Me?  I think Kotchman began the season lose - and that CAUSED his ridiculously high ISO rates.  But - when he was the ONLY guy hitting HRs for the team, he started pressing, and went down the chute with the rest of the team.  The fact that Gutz played through the team-wide slump is a great sign for the future.  But, the fact that the callups - Langerhans, Saunders, Wilson - are all doing fine just supports that position. 
Unfortunately, the fans and press WANT to see the emotion and indications of frustration from the players that they as fans are experiencing.  Unfortunately, those very emotions can often work to exacerbate a bad situation - so the players and team are better off NOT doing so.  Ultimately - the kerfuffle taking focus OFF team performance may well have been the best possible prescription for a team that was pressing horribly.  Perhaps they can remain relaxed - and start enjoying the game (like '09), and run off a 10-game winning streak.

Add comment

Filtered HTML

  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Allowed HTML tags: <a> <em> <strong> <cite> <blockquote> <code> <ul> <ol> <li> <dl> <dt> <dd><p><br>
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.

Plain text

  • No HTML tags allowed.
  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.

shout_filter

  • Allowed HTML tags: <a> <em> <strong> <cite> <blockquote> <code> <ul> <ol> <li> <dl> <dt> <dd>
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.