Friday a.m. things
by Adam J. Morris on Mar 20, 2009 7:54 AM CDT
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PrintToday is the opt-out date for Andruw Jones, and with the Rangers not planning on adding him to the 40 man roster, Anthony Andro says Jones has a decision to make. Jones said yesterday he's going to talk to Scott Boras today and figure out what he wants to do.
Evan Grant writes that Omar Vizquel impressed in yesterday's game, with Ron Washington saying that Vizquel's arm is still significantly stronger than Joaquin Arias's. With Arias still having issues making throws, and with Jones not making the team, I think the position players for the Opening Day roster are pretty much set.
Grant also reports that Dustin Nippert is hurting right now, with stiffness in a shoulder blade muscle, and also suggests that the Rangers might put Nippert on the d.l. to start the season in order to buy some time to decide what to do with him, given his option situation. Grant says that Willie Eyre is close to nailing down a bullpen job, which would leave two spots open for Nippert, Josh Rupe, Derrick Turnbow, and Brendan Donnelly to fight over.
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TR's back...
http://trsullivan.mlblogs.com/archives/2009/03/friday_happy_hour_at_the_elysi_39.html
"[Font} doesn't turn 19 until the end of May and his heater can already hit 99 on the gun. That's baseball porn." - Jason Parks
Actually he’s been back much of this week. Here’s pith about pitching:
http://trsullivan.mlblogs.com/archives/2009/03/rangers_pitchingtwo_weeks_to_g.html
"[Font} doesn't turn 19 until the end of May and his heater can already hit 99 on the gun. That's baseball porn." - Jason Parks
by hightowersmith on Mar 20, 2009 8:16 AM CDT up reply actions
Oh dear God...
…I feel an onslaught of questions about the Red Baron’s possible return coming soon to an Evan Grant and/or TR mailbag.
* Pay attention, this is good: Rusty Greer retired because of a variety of serious injuries, including a bad shoulder and bad elbow in his left arm. He can hardly throw left-handed. He has three kids approaching Little League age. Greer has taught himself to throw right-handed so he can play catch with his kids. He can fire the ball with authority right-handed from 120 feet
We couldn't have known it at the time but we definitely killed the wrong Belushi brother.
And says that...
…newspapers should get bailed out if AIG can get bailed out (hmm, company that holds a significant percent of investments in multiple industries vs companies that have a business model that is having trouble keeping up with the internet…)
…rails against Ed Wade for saying he wasn’t pursuing Pudge when he really was. I get that it’s not honest and I love making fun of the Astros as much as possible, but…I just don’t care that much.
…and my favorite, commends himself for mentioning stats this morning-they’re all spring training stats. awesome.
by GhettoBear04 on Mar 20, 2009 9:24 AM CDT up reply actions
bailouts for newspapers
What a great idea, Heyman, let’s bailout cathode ray tv manufacturers and vcr makers next.
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newspapers? bailout?
its not like the seattle PI is going totaly under, nor is the rocky mtn times (although ti might)
the PI is still producing online content and the RMT is going to do so if it can get enough paid subscribers for an online paper
Scout: He was a first-round pick right? Got a huge bonus?
KG: Oh yeah.
Scout: Well, he spent a lot of it on milkshakes.
by knockoutking on Mar 20, 2009 10:28 AM CDT up reply actions
Don't think you need subscribers to pay
to make money as an online paper. You need to figure how to sell ad space.
Its no different really than a paper and ink newspaper. Newspapers aren’t making much of subscriptions. I’m not familiar with recent numbers, but 15 years or so ago, Newspapers subscriptions essentially covered the costs of printing and distribution. The newspapers made their real money selling ads. My guess is that subscriptions no longer cover printing and distribution anymore, with a dropping subscription base.
So if printing and distribution costs drop way down (they no longer have to pay for the presses, and distributors, and paperboys), they no longer need to charge subscriptions.
They just need to pump up their page sites and sell online advertising. That may be easier said than done, but thats the future of written journalism.
Get off my lawn.
papers don't need a bailout
they need a time machine so they can go back and recondition consumers to pay for online content.
That wouldn't work, either.
There are just too many other ways to get news for free. It’s like porn, why pay?
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That's what I say,
But apparantley internet porn is a revenue producer. I just heard the other day that interent porn generates some rediculous amount of money each year…I would try to look it up, but I’m at work.
Who actually pays for this?
by Anonymous New Guy on Mar 20, 2009 11:24 AM CDT up reply actions
Why?
They didn’t make money off the subscriptions before. Pretty much every dollar paid in from subscriptions went to printing and distributing the newspapers.
Even back in the ancient days of the late 70s, when a subscription cost $3.75 a month, the paperboy got a little over a buck of that, the distributor made around a buck and a half, and the printing costs ate the rest.
Considering how relatively cheap servers and bandwidth are now, all they have to do is figure out how to sell ads online.
Get off my lawn.
If he can’t field we had better hope he hits lights out to try to get a AL team to trade for him for a DH. Evan has a story up about Hank and his fielding.
Keith Law on Greg Golson, "He's similiar to Cameron and Hunter in that all three are black."
I didn't mean his fielding...
…I meant about leaving the game yesterday. Although his fielding is interesting to note. Why oh why did we pick up that option? Didn’t like it at the time, don’t like it now, and I can’t see that he will be $6.5 million in value this year…
because
in 500 ABs the last 2 years hes hit about .290 with 22 hr, 36 2b, with a 128 ops+
heh
Scout: He was a first-round pick right? Got a huge bonus?
KG: Oh yeah.
Scout: Well, he spent a lot of it on milkshakes.
by knockoutking on Mar 20, 2009 9:57 AM CDT up reply actions
that said
his comparable batters:
Ty Wigginton (945)
Casey Blake (939)
Dave Nilsson (939)
Ellis Valentine (937)
Corey Koskie (935)
Chris Sabo (933)
Jeffrey Hammonds (930)
Fernando Tatis (930)
Milton Bradley (928)
Hank Thompson (927)
his comparable batters through age 27:
Jim Ray Hart (945)
Bobby Murcer (941)
Richie Hebner (938)
Robin Ventura (936)
Bobby Bonilla (936)
Aramis Ramirez (935)
Reggie Smith (934)
Jim Tabor (930)
Bobby Thomson (928)
Ben Grieve (925)
and the one that REALLY hurts – most similar by age/year
22- Scott Rolen (975)
23- Scott Rolen (983)
24- Scott Rolen (959)
25- Gary Sheffield (961)
26- Aramis Ramirez (970)
27- Jim Ray Hart (945)
Scout: He was a first-round pick right? Got a huge bonus?
KG: Oh yeah.
Scout: Well, he spent a lot of it on milkshakes.
by knockoutking on Mar 20, 2009 9:59 AM CDT up reply actions
Listen
I’m not debating that Blalock can kill it with the bat. Is a DH that plays a fraction of the games who cannot play 3B worth $6.5 million? Absolutely not. If he can stay healthy and play ~120 games and hit well, I’ll be totally cool with this option. If he plays 40 games, it will turn out to be a waste. Only time will tell.
by FuturePants on Mar 20, 2009 10:14 AM CDT up reply actions
i dint say i would or wouldnt have picked it up
i just said thats WHY it was picked up
Scout: He was a first-round pick right? Got a huge bonus?
KG: Oh yeah.
Scout: Well, he spent a lot of it on milkshakes.
by knockoutking on Mar 20, 2009 10:29 AM CDT up reply actions
I'm actually not sure why they picked it up.
My only guess is that certainly the front office did not anticipate the free agent market being this depressed. Looking back, they could have bought him out then offered him a $2 million deal and that would likely have not been topped by any other club. Certainly, no other club was going to offer $6 million for him.
by FuturePants on Mar 20, 2009 10:52 AM CDT up reply actions
MJH is off to Surprise:
"It doesn't look like he's trying. It kinda pisses me off," "He could throw 110 if he tried. The way it explodes out of his hand is really something special." ~ B-Mac on Feliz.
Not sure if this was posted
But there’s an insider’s video of KLAW scouting Kiker and Moscoso
"He will not coddle them. Nolan Ryan doesn’t coddle." - Jeff Passan
Chris Davis
a lot was made about how significant his BA on balls in play was last year, as well as his K rate, and both of those concerns are back to the forefront this spring, but it should be noted that his BB rate has been very solid. I keep waiting for the day he goes 3-3 with a 2B and a HR to get his overall numbers back to what we would expect.
I'm not worried about his BABIP
just his k and contact rates. When he makes contact things happen, and it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if his BABIP stays above .350.
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the guy says he is a slow starter
so i might be worried at the end of april but not now.
start with Turnbow and Rupe
send Donnelly down, if he accepts (when is his opt-out date?); put Nips on the DL to start out, then reassess when he’s ready and/or if Donnelly forces a move. We should find out in the first few weeks if Turnbow can handle a role in the pen
"Hang-Dai, Wu...Hang-Fu$&ing-Dai"
Nippert
I don’t know why we need to figure out what to do with him. To me hes earned a spot in the pen. Putting him on the DL would allow us to figure out what to do with guys who haven’t really done anything to seperate themselves from the rest of the pack.
Bryan Smith (12:17:17 PM PT): Justin Smoak and Josh Hamilton. The AL West might just have found their Bash Brothers, v. 2.0.
Concur...
if healthy Nippert has earned a spot in the ’pen.
If he can’t go though it would give the Rangers a couple weeks to see if a guy like Turnbow or Donnelly have anything left. I’m fine with either scenerio.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
I meant health for Nips
that’s all – otherwise, he’s a lock
"Hang-Dai, Wu...Hang-Fu$&ing-Dai"
by Walter Sobchak on Mar 20, 2009 10:56 AM CDT up reply actions
It seems Turnbow does not have an opt-out date
I have searched hi and low for any reports to the contrary with no success.
There is some added incentive to keep him if the team is suitably impressed with him or thinks he can turn things around: he is arbitration eligible next year.
Lets not forget...
That there is a good chance that Harrison starts the season in the minors for a few weeks, which could open up another bullpen spot.
Hopefully Donnelly will accept a role in AAA so that we have some vetran fall-back options in case of injury or suckness.
Remember that you have to tip-toe a tight rope when it comes to spring training stats…yes you want to reward players for good ST stats, but you also have to play the numbers/options game.
Eyre and Madrigal have pitched well, but also have options which could allow us to take a longer look at Donnelly ot Turnbow.
I wonder if the Rangers might try to slide Rupe through waviers at some point this year.
by death of the cool on Mar 20, 2009 10:55 AM CDT up reply actions
Andruw sticking around for a couple more days it looks like
"He will not coddle them. Nolan Ryan doesn’t coddle." - Jeff Passan
Evan keeps establishing himself
as the go to guy for actual reporting on the Rangers. Hope DMagazine and he is able to make money from it.
Get off my lawn.
and hopefully, D magazine
realizes the completely unneccesary role columnists play in sports reporting.
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by t ball on Mar 20, 2009 11:00 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
I had to rec that...
…because it is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO true.
Man, columnists churn out some putrid junk.
We couldn't have known it at the time but we definitely killed the wrong Belushi brother.
nice
as much as Byrd is loved around the clubhouse, I would really like to see him dealt this spring while his value is high. this team still has too many areas of weakness to have the league’s best 4th OF, so if Byrd can be dealt for a significant piece, I can live with sliding Andruw Jones in his place.
via mlbtr.com
Scot Gregor of the Daily Herald writes that the White Sox need to make a deal for a center fielder who can bat leadoff. He thinks GM Kenny Williams is “probably close” to making a deal. Gregor doesn’t like Jim Edmonds or Juan Pierre for the job, but he doesn’t rule out Kenny Lofton.
"My mother always taught me that if the only thing you have to say is,
‘(Expletive) Dave Samson,’ then don’t say anything at all.
So I’m not going to say anything at all.
Is my mother the greatest or what?"
- Mariners GM Bill Bavasi, after signing Ichiro to a $90 million contract
would Byrd be considered by the Sox
as starting CF-worthy?
"Hang-Dai, Wu...Hang-Fu$&ing-Dai"
by Walter Sobchak on Mar 20, 2009 10:58 AM CDT up reply actions
Leadoff centerfielders are a scarce commodity
Kenny might have to lower his standards a little.
I'm Matt mutha-effing Bush, bitches, and mutha-eff East County.
"I'm as passionate and knowlegeable as any fan out there." Josey Wales
by Brian Thomas on Mar 20, 2009 11:06 AM CDT up reply actions
Why do you hate Julio then?
"My mother always taught me that if the only thing you have to say is,
‘(Expletive) Dave Samson,’ then don’t say anything at all.
So I’m not going to say anything at all.
Is my mother the greatest or what?"
- Mariners GM Bill Bavasi, after signing Ichiro to a $90 million contract
Borbon is hardly
a leadoff hitter right now. Do you want your leadoff hitter to have an OBP in the .320 range? Because unless he significantly improves his walk rate, that’s what he has to offer right now at best.
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I know, I know..
"My mother always taught me that if the only thing you have to say is,
‘(Expletive) Dave Samson,’ then don’t say anything at all.
So I’m not going to say anything at all.
Is my mother the greatest or what?"
- Mariners GM Bill Bavasi, after signing Ichiro to a $90 million contract
Leadoff hitters last year had an OBP of .345,
Borbon had an OBP in Frisco of .380. If he continues improving like he has, I don’t think its a stretch that he hits .290-.300 and has an OBP right around that .345 range. Add in his speed and that’s not a bad leadoff hitter.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
Interrogative
Why would he improve against dramatically stiffer competition?
Sure, he had a 380 OBP for the Frisco half of the season, but that was also the highest he’d had since his sophomore metal bat season. And it’s not like he was Andrus’s age putting up those numbers in AA, he was age appropriate.
I think if he could consistently put up a 345 MLB OBP, then of course, he’d be a feasible option at leadoff, but I think a) that’s most likely going to depend on him hitting about 310, and b) I don’t give too much of a crap if my leadoff dude steals bases, which you would think is why peeps are thinking of him at that spot (and which, if we’re focusing so much on Frisco, it’s clear he may be lacking in the SB knowhow, considering his percentage).
I'm Matt mutha-effing Bush, bitches, and mutha-eff East County.
"I'm as passionate and knowlegeable as any fan out there." Josey Wales
by Brian Thomas on Mar 20, 2009 5:22 PM CDT up reply actions
He has a minor league career OBP of .355
And that is including a terrible performance in the AZL and NWL. He improved when going from hitter friendly Bakersfield to Frisco. He showed much improved discipline in the AFL. I don’t think its a stretch to say its possible for him to continue improving even when the competition gets tougher.
He still has room for improvement in the SB department, but that is something he could spend a bit of time learning beforeh e is called up. And I don’t think its a necessity from your leadoff hitter, but if you can be a good base stealer, it just adds another aspect to your game that shouldn’t be overlooked. Good OBP+good SB total&percentage makes for a good leadoff hitter. And really, that’s more than enough from Borbon since his defense is going to be the reason the club sticks him in the starting lineup each day. Being at least average in his role in the offense is good enough.
Also, the ML average I listed is for those batting 1st in the batting order which it looks like includes pinch hitters later in the game. The 1st batter of the game averaged a .329 OBP last year though between 05-07, that OBP was in between .338-.340. FWIW.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
Ok, fine on your point above about average leadoff hitter,
but Kinsler was much better than that. Why put Borbon up there instead when you’ve got a Hoss like Kinsler? If Borbon walks at a 10% rate all year this year I might change my mind and be ok with Kinsler moving down. My fear, though, is that Washington will hit him leadoff just because he’s a speedy CFer, whether or not his OBP warrants it.
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I think Kinsler would make a better number 2 hitter than a leadoff hitter
Ideally, Young is nowhere near the top of the lineup which makes that possible. I’m also not certain on Borbon being the leadoff hitter in the best lineup this team could have. But not being the best doesn’t mean that he wouldn’t at least be average to above average.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
I'd love Kinsler #2...
if there was a better leadoff option available.
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I disagree with you there
I don’t think we necessarily need a better leadoff option, just a good leadoff option. I don’t want to see Arias leading off games, but if Borbon ends up hitting .300 with a .340-.350 OBP and can steal bases with a 75+% success rate, then move Kinsler down.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
Clarify
better option than the current alternatives to Kinsler.
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I'm with Gdawg here...
I don’t think the Rangers need a better option than Kinsler to lead off. Reason being that if Someone else is leading off then that puts Kinsler in the 2 hole, and Kinsler in the 2nd spot is >>>>>> MY in the 2nd spot.
If Borbon can hit .290 – .300 with a .340 – .350 OBP I still put him in the lead off spot. The Rangers need to get MY moved down to 6th or 7th in the order as soon as possible imo, just like they needed to get him off SS.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
I think/thought he was a one trick pony
His performance this past year has caused me to reevaluate him some. I now do not consider him to be a likely candidate for future assistant peep show janitor. I still think he needs another year in the minors, but he has surpassed my expectations.
I was cynical of many’s belief that he will continue to hit for a high average when facing MLB pitching. Wood bats were another concern. And anyone objective would concede the lack of walks is deeply troubling. So I was picturing a line of around 270/295/410, which, in my opinion, is nothing to get excited about, no matter how “speedy” he is.
It looks like I’m gonna be wrong (although he still looks to be a poor candidate for leadoff, even though we know Worsh would stick him in the 1 hole if his OBP was at 280 “because he’s a rally-builder on the basepaths”).
I'm Matt mutha-effing Bush, bitches, and mutha-eff East County.
"I'm as passionate and knowlegeable as any fan out there." Josey Wales
by Brian Thomas on Mar 20, 2009 12:30 PM CDT up reply actions
I'm thinking...
he’s only doing this to give Boras time to see if another team would be interested in him.
The other option is if the Rangers were to make a deal and send Byrd or Murphy somewhere, which seems unlikely now, and even if they do I’m not seeing how he fits in.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
Possibly his only option is....
Start in AAA for someone lacking OF depth and rake his way back to the majors. Not sure that this is with the Texas Rangers.
by death of the cool on Mar 20, 2009 10:58 AM CDT up reply actions
he fits in more as a 4th/5th OFer
than he does taking a minor league stint with us…if we cut/trade Cat or trade one of those two, I wouldn’t mind keeping him here for a month or two to allow Boggs a little more AAA seasoning before a call-up
"Hang-Dai, Wu...Hang-Fu$&ing-Dai"
by Walter Sobchak on Mar 20, 2009 10:59 AM CDT up reply actions
I think TR and Flaco Jaco were the only ones who thought Arias had a significant chance of beating out Vizquel
I'm Matt mutha-effing Bush, bitches, and mutha-eff East County.
"I'm as passionate and knowlegeable as any fan out there." Josey Wales
Jones
I think Andruw takes the Sammy Sosa route into retirement.
Elvis Andrus - 2009 AL Rookie of the Year
Klaw on Boscon, Richard Alvarez, and Font:
"It doesn't look like he's trying. It kinda pisses me off," "He could throw 110 if he tried. The way it explodes out of his hand is really something special." ~ B-Mac on Feliz.
Richard Alvarez =
Escobar?
No:
From Scott Lucas:
RHP Richard Alvarez looks to be about 14. Texas signed him last summer out of Venezuela. A search of Baseball America comes up empty, but I found an intriguing quote from St. Louis’s Director of International Operations Moises Rodriguez (via Brian Walton at Scout.com’s "The Birdhouse."). Per Rodriguez, Alvarez and another player "were the two best remaining July 2 pitchers on the market… We were monitoring the Alvarez situation but the dollars got out of control." So, a few months after signing for a bonus somewhere between fifty thousand and eleventy billion, Alvarez made his spring debut in Wednesday’s low-A game. He doesn’t throw hard (85-86, mostly) but truly baffled the Sox with a heady mix of fastballs, curves and changes. His delivery is smooth, his demeanor placid. The first comparison I made was Boscan, and Jamey concurred.
And Law:
Texas signed 16-year-old Richard Alvarez out of Venezuela in the fall, so he’ll make his pro debut at some point this summer in some form of rookie or complex ball. Right now, his fastball is just 85-86 mph, but it’s very easy, and he showed — of course — a good changeup. His delivery is fluid and easy and he repeats it well.
"It doesn't look like he's trying. It kinda pisses me off," "He could throw 110 if he tried. The way it explodes out of his hand is really something special." ~ B-Mac on Feliz.
by Kinslerhomer on Mar 20, 2009 1:05 PM CDT up reply actions
Newberg loves him as well
If you read his most recent report
"My mother always taught me that if the only thing you have to say is,
‘(Expletive) Dave Samson,’ then don’t say anything at all.
So I’m not going to say anything at all.
Is my mother the greatest or what?"
- Mariners GM Bill Bavasi, after signing Ichiro to a $90 million contract
More Golden Nuggets from Scott Lucas
Wilmer Font. I don’t want to go all gushy on you like a 13-year-old girl on that guy from Twilight, but, oh, he’s dreamy. You already knew about the speed, and in the two pitches I eavesdropped on the gun, he hit 95 and 96. Better still, he’s not just bringing random-vector heat. He controlled his fastball, consistently hitting low and to the outside of left-handed hitters. The one pitch he left up was converted into an ordinary fly out. He also mixed in some surprisingly potent changes.
Right after I extolled Boscan’s polish and freakish 6:1 SO:BB ratio as an 18-year-old to the White Sox bus driver, Boscan walked his first batter. He ended up walking another and hitting a batter before finishing the inning, after which all I could do is shrug to the driver. I’d written in my notepad that his fastball velocity was “fair” but was told that he’d reached up to 93 on the gun, pleasantly higher than I expected. He showed a very slow change (72-73) and a curve of similar speed.
Ezequiel Rijo is 76 inches tall, about two-thirds of which are his legs. Though listed at 190, he looks like a newborn colt. Like Alvarez, the 18-year-old Rijo offered a calm presence and clean delivery. He hit his spots effectively and struck out two in his inning of work. Rijo fanned only 14.5% of batters in the DSL last year. Based on my limited view, there’s upside in that category.
OF Tim Smith needs to pay me to leave him alone. I’ve had my camera trained on him in three at-bats: strikeout, strikeout, pop out.
Warner Madrigal pitched the high-A game and allowed three hits on his first three pitches. I got the heck out of there.
The White Sox are the only team I know that keeps the dugout gate closed. That’s where I usually stand to get unobstructed pictures. I hate the White Sox.
If you don’t receive Scott’s periodic emails, then you should go to the Newberg Report and sign up. Scott’s periodic emails are the most entertainingly informative messages out there.
Also, I think it's about time we
give even more credit to the guys running the Dominican Academy. It seems as if many of the kids coming stateside now are described “smooth, clean delivery, polished, etc”.
Quite stunning when we are speaking of 16-18 year old pitchers.
"...my balls are really like a veiny flesh color" blueballlefty on Jun 4, 2008 7:44 PM EDT
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
Yes we can! November 04, 2008
Yeah, it's at the point now
where I just won’t believe their age until they retire and we don’t care.
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I only recall three pitchers signed of note:
Parra (DR), Escobar (VZ), Batista (?)
never heard of this signing, I’m glad to say. One more quality guy to watch at DSL1.
IMO, MY deserves about 5 more
Marvin Miller Awards…what a class act, and overall great human/role model.
"...my balls are really like a veiny flesh color" blueballlefty on Jun 4, 2008 7:44 PM EDT
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
Yes we can! November 04, 2008
tell that to thedirkatron
I'm Matt mutha-effing Bush, bitches, and mutha-eff East County.
"I'm as passionate and knowlegeable as any fan out there." Josey Wales
by Brian Thomas on Mar 20, 2009 5:23 PM CDT up reply actions
Of course, I posted that after reading
Jamey’s email this morning. Very touching report.
"...my balls are really like a veiny flesh color" blueballlefty on Jun 4, 2008 7:44 PM EDT
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
Yes we can! November 04, 2008
Jamey's been on fire this week
Related to that, I haven’t been as effusive as most re Big Hammy. It just hasn’t resonated w/ me as resoundingly as it seems to have w/ almost everybody else. I had been kinda meh, yeah he’s turned it around, but he fucked it up first, and more importantly, he’s like any addict, a high candidate for recidivism. And that’s not to say I downplay or sneer at how tremendously difficult it is to stay clean; I have 3 friends that are fighting that good fight. Maybe it’s b/c I’ve seen how low they sunk that his story is more commonplace/less inspiring to me, I dunno.
Anyway, all that changed after reading Jamey’s Erica story. Something just hit me in my core. I became a much bigger fan.
Sappy rant over.
I'm Matt mutha-effing Bush, bitches, and mutha-eff East County.
"I'm as passionate and knowlegeable as any fan out there." Josey Wales
by Brian Thomas on Mar 20, 2009 7:35 PM CDT up reply actions
Ditto
Despite having seen several of these interviews with him — and being impressed with him in every one of them — something about his sincerity, and mostly his comfort level with himself and who he is, struck me. This is a guy who really has a firm grip on himself and a maturity and humility that most athletes/celebrities just never approach. No guarantees still, of course, that he won’t have a relapse, but I do have great confidence that he would deal with such a situation forthrightly and quickly. Like you, I know folks fightin’ that fight, including a brother. Hamilton acts and talks like my brother, who’s been sober now for nearly 20 years, and is also full of humility and has no shame talking about what he almost lost completely.
And every time I really stop and think about it, I am effin’ blown away that he can still play baseball like that. Unbelievable. I sometimes roll my eyes at Jamey’s effusiveness, but at the same time I love reading him for his sense of wonder at things like that. Every fan should do so well to retain that sense of “gee, this game is awesome” despite all the ups and downs of following the Rangers.
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Well said
My thoughts exactly.
I'm Matt mutha-effing Bush, bitches, and mutha-eff East County.
"I'm as passionate and knowlegeable as any fan out there." Josey Wales
by Brian Thomas on Mar 21, 2009 8:22 PM CDT up reply actions
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- College player makes impossible over the fence catch to save tournament game (Video)
- Security!: Camden Yards guard collides with Royals’ Mike Moustakas
- The Juice: Nelson Cruz matches career high eight RBIs, Pujols stays hot in Seattle
- Benches clear at Fenway as Red Sox-Rays rivalry heats up
- Keeping good company: Albert Pujols becomes fourth-youngest player to hit 450 home runs
