Ode to Gerald Laird

that’s a good one!

The fruit bat look was never in.

I can only imagine the howls that will come when Feliz and Holland inevitably struggle in their first dose of the majors, or (god forbid) they don’t make it. I think unfair expectations are a primal instinct of sports fans though – it’s how you handle the dissapointment that sets you apart, and lord knows I, like many (perhaps most) others here am not very good at it.

that stems from the prospect mentality around here is funny. My favorite was the number of people calling for JD and Wash’s head for not playing Jason “I can’t even hit Japanese pitching” Botts over Sammy “I actually put butts in the seats and can at least hit lefties” Sosa.

Laird got a bit of that because certain people hated Barajas and wanted to see Laird play. Its ironic, since the number one piece of evidence when people called for Buck’s head was his playing Popup over Laird, but once Laird showed that he wasn’t as good as his platoon/backup numbers suggested people turned on him. He turned out to be an average catcher, just like Popup before him. And that angers everyone.

I think there is so much reading of MJH and Jamey that people think that all your prospects are going to be superstars. This is balanced by a record of spectacular flameouts in Texas that has everyone now thinking that player development is an all-or-none situation. The majority of guys on that prospect list being generated are never going to see the big leagues, and the vast majority of those that do will be mediocre to average major leaguers. And there is nothing wrong with an Eric Hurley becoming an average major leaguer.