Most of the greats hate to fail more than they like to succeed, whether they somehow take great joy in playing the game or just seem angry at the world. Ultimate competitors who love the game and can't be pried off the field. Examples: Edgar Martinez, Randy Johnson. Moyer graduated to here.
The next level, who hate failure just as much but grind themselves into dust fighting it, are the fellas you need to convert to competitors who can use failure as fuel for success and not self-immolation. Examples: Jeff Cirillo, Brian Fuentes. I'd put Washburn and Cammy here.
And then there are the excuse makers, who need perfect environs, healthy clubhouse leadership and the ability to deflect questions and quibbles to succeed. Examples: Rich Aurilia, Ryan Franklin...can we put Junior here as one of the most amazingly talented of this breed in history?
You can have HOFers in any of these categories. The fact that I LIKE the guys in group one better on average doesn't mean that Cal Ripken (Grinder) or Junior Griffey (Excuse Maker) aren't all-world talents. So if I were to break the current batch of Mariners down...
Ultimate Fighters (sport is expression of life) :
- Felix, Ackley, Nick Franklin, League, Montero, Wilhelmsen, Paxton, Walker, Robinson
Grinders (sport is an expression of self) :
- Ryan, Smoak, Gutierrez, Ichiro, Carp, Hultzen, Liddi, Seager, Vargas, Wells
Excuse-Makers (sport is a reflection of self) :
- Figgins, Saunders (quickly plummeted from Grinder level), Moore.
We've ditched most of our excuse makers, majors and minor leagues. Cortes? JC Romero? Morrow? Gone. It seems Jack doesn't like that kind of player, which makes sense. They can be contributors on a winning team but are anchors on a losing one.
There's another group, the "I don't have a pulse" sleepwalkers, who have talent and maybe even desire but don't kindle that into ultra-competitive fire. Playing ball because they like the money, or someone thought they should. Sport is a reflection of life, aka the Halama group. I have Beavan and Peguero and Mike Wilson in this group, and I don't look to them for help in anything other than filling a roster and holding places for more competitve, less passive players. I used to toss up whether to put League here as the best of this sort of player, but there's a difference between ice water in the veins and valium, and I'm going with ice water in League's case.
It's wonderful to see the number of guys in category 1, and the number of guys I think can grind positively instead of negatively in category 2.
I can't help but be excited by it.
~G
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