"It was brought up. I overheard it but not from specific people," said Shane Spencer, now a coach with the high Class-A Lake Elsinore (Calif.) Storm. "I think I overheard it in our clubhouse, but that team was really split up -- a bunch of groups of threes and fours. It wasn't a real close clubhouse and guys start talking especially when you're getting your butt kicked everyday. I remember hearing that."
about 3 years ago
Adam J. Morris
90 comments
0 recs |
Email
PrintComments
x
“I overheard it but not from specific people,”
I’m still laughing.
"A good start would be not giving up 900 runs again." -Jon Daniels
by Randy Richardson on May 4, 2009 11:09 AM CDT reply actions
I think this is all just rumors
and confusion about the pitch calling imbroglio. But the atmosphere described starts at the top and is why I’d have Washington over Showalter as manager every time. Brilliant as Buck is he is just not a leader of men. Hershisher didn’t help one bit. Is Washington moves an inch or two in the right direction in terms of strategy, he’s better than Showalter overall because managing people is much more important than when to bunt.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
by t ball on May 4, 2009 11:10 AM CDT reply actions 2 recs
If A-Rod were here, maybe he could make decisions for the manager too!
Wonderboy, what is the secret of your power? Wonderboy, won't you take me far away from the mucky-muck now. -- Tenacious D
Agree
Bill Simmons made a good point one time. In the context of discussing Joe Torre’s aptitude for managing the Yankees, Simmons said that being a good baseball manager is like being the captain of the Love Boat: you don’t necessarily have to be a tactical expert, though you might have to make a few of those decisions, but you must be someone who can guide the ship, keeping everyone working for you happy and pulling towards the same goal.
Warsh is by no means a tactical expert, and I’m not even sold that he’s a great leader of men, but I think it’s exceedingly clear that this set of players likes him, will go to the mat to defend him, and all pull the same direction for him and for the franchise.
Would Wash
be able to overcome the cooler? Is it Buck or A-Rod that was the problem?
I’m not sure. One’s cantankerous and the other’s cancerous.
"I saw your act, just didn't make it for me. Just a lot of fluff."
The answer to your question
can be quickly answered by anyone who has ever tried to upstage their boss.
"I’m not even sold that he’s a great leader of men"
but I think it’s exceedingly clear that this set of players likes him, will go to the mat to defend him, and all pull the same direction for him and for the franchise.
You answered your own question.
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
Yes we can! November 04, 2008
true, sometimes we take the idea of leader to mean more than it should
if he garners the respect and willingness to follow of the players, than he’s leading well
"The House That Ruth Built, 85 years old, goes out as The House That Hamilton Knocked Down"
it doesn't pass the smell test
so he only tipped off other middle infielders who would return the favor, and only in blowout games? what about the guys he approached that didn’t want any part of it? i’m not buying it.
Man, I love winning! You know? It's like better than losing!
this is what im thinking
it just makes very little logical sense
"The House That Ruth Built, 85 years old, goes out as The House That Hamilton Knocked Down"
don't underestimate ego
For some people ego is a much more powerful motivator than logic. I think Bitch Tits clearly fits this description.
Doctor please. Some more of these.
Are you going to keep calling him that?
by Adam J. Morris on May 4, 2009 12:32 PM CDT up reply actions
Did I miss something?
Where did the nickname Bitch Tits come from?
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
I don't know either
been hearing it a lot though here… not sure if it was just tricer every time or not though..hadn’t been paying attention
From cmkelly's fanpost:
Roberts broke the story that A-Rod failed a steroid test in 2003. Yankees teammates, Roberts writes, nicknamed Rodriguez “B—-h T—s” in 2005 because he put on 15 pounds in the offseason which included round pectorals, a condition called gynecomastia that can be caused by anabolic steroids.
"I saw your act, just didn't make it for me. Just a lot of fluff."
oh, thanks
i hate cmkelly
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
Yes we can! November 04, 2008
i kind of hate everyone
"Hustle doesn't cost a dime and it looks good." - Pete Rose as Channeled by Marcus Lemon
it's a dumb nickname
It’s pretty hard to come up with something more annoying than A-Fraid, or A-Job, etc, etc., but that is dumber.
Yes - unless you specifically ask me to stop
I think it’s a good nickname for him. I didn’t come up with it, his teammates did.
Doctor please. Some more of these.
Bitch Tits
I think it is funny. I don’t understand the masses that defend ARod anyhow so that is probably why I find it amusing. I think he could murder entire families of some board members, and they would still defend him. I will fully admit though that I am at the ready to throw him under the bus at any speculation because of my beliefs as well. So it goes both ways
You should read the article
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
I'm not going to ask you to stop
Just curious.
by Adam J. Morris on May 4, 2009 2:08 PM CDT up reply actions
Will Carroll
Had a good question – did ARod hit better in blowouts than he did close games in those seasons with the Rangers? Has that been analyzed?
It also doesn't help that Selena Roberts is the one reporting this
I have a hard time imagining her getting this info when no one else did for years. Add in that her book calls A-Rod out for how he tipped waitresses and the whole book just seems like bull shit.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
well she broke the story that he failed a test
and he confirmed it, so we know for a fact that part wasn’t bullshit.
Doctor please. Some more of these.
She broke the story
Good job Selena. She somehow got one of the 104 sealed tests that the results were never supposed to be revealed to the public. There’s nothing shady as hell about that.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
And she did a bang-up job on the Duke lacrosse case
by Adam J. Morris on May 4, 2009 2:08 PM CDT up reply actions
I don't know anything about this author other than this book
What’s the story on her and the Duke lacrosse team?
Doctor please. Some more of these.
From Jason Whitlock of the KC Star
Not long ago, sports writer Selena Roberts compared the Duke lacrosse players to gang members and career criminals.
She claimed that the players’ unwillingness to confess to or snitch about a rape (that did not happen) was the equivalent of drug dealers and gang members promoting antisnitching campaigns.
When since-disgraced district attorney Mike Nifong whipped up a media posse to rain justice on the drunken, male college students, Roberts jumped on the fastest, most influential horse, using her New York Times column to convict the players and the culture of privilege that created them.
Proven inaccurate, Roberts never wrote a retraction for the columns that contributed to the public lynching of Reade Seligmann, Colin Finnerty and David Evans.
http://www.kansascity.com/sports/story/1175681.html
Godwin's Law Version 2.0 (Rangers Edition)
"As a Ranger discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Danks, Volquez, or Young approaches one."
thanks
That certainly gives some perspective – the woman is apparently a man hating bitch. But it also doesn’t mean that these accusations are untrue. But yeah, her credibility has certainly taken some hits. I had no idea about that.
Doctor please. Some more of these.
The problem is that she is pretty much the only one reporting this
5/6 years down the line, we have never heard anything about A-Rod doing some of the things he’s accused of. The sources are almost all anonymous and even guys like Shane Spencer can’t come out and say for a fact that he did it. The fact that she is putting this all in a book only further hurts her credibility.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
That whole thing should have been an embarassment to the media
Unfortunately, they just let the whole thing drop. There was pretty much no evidence of any wrong-doing and yet those guys were absolutely destroyed in the media.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
Wash seems like the type of guy that when things are down in the dumps, he'll pull the whole team together in a circle and ask them what they think he should do to be a better person for them
by oc on May 4, 2009 12:38 PM CDT up reply actions
Right, and I don't mean to say
I think Washington is a good manager, just that I prefer him overall the Showalter. A mix of the two might be great.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
I agree he's gotten better
Earlier in the season he would not have considered bringing in Frankie in the eighth becuase he was the closer. Now he’s done a few times and it’s worked out for him. That’s an example of the man learning from his mistakes.
Signature! I don't need no stinking signature!!
Yeah, I wonder how Buck did it in NY and Arizona
and somehow found a way for the 2004 Rangers to win 89 games.
Really uninformed statement, Tball.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
I don't think his NY and Arizona record disagree with this train of thought
He did well in both of those places, but he also eventually lost those teams and got crossways with management.
I would never dispute that Buck is a pretty solid baseball man, but his resume suggests he doesn’t do a great job of playing well with others for an extended period of time.
What?
It has been universally reported that Buckles put a blowtorch to all bridges snake and pinstripe-related, with not a whiff of support from any former players. Dude abrasively, obnoxiously wore down everybody’s nerves to the last nub.
In short, he is the Josey Wales of MLB managers…
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
So how is that famous player's manager known as
Ron Washington working out?
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
We need the baseball equivalant of Jeff Fisher.
Perfect combination of discipline and player’s coach.
"I saw your act, just didn't make it for me. Just a lot of fluff."
I do love me some Jeff Fisher
If only future NFL head coaches and MLB managers had signs that said “next Jeff Fisher” or “next Buck Showalter”, that’d make JD’s job much easier.
Prediction:
Crickets…
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
Your nonsensical, non sequitur reply? It do sound familiar.
Oh, how it do.
Heartfelt congratulations, Old Sod. You put the er naut, in juggernaut.
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
It really bothers me
that a lot of writers are commenting on this book as if it’s full of proven facts. People calling for Selig to suspend Rodriguez, etc. What a lynch mob. Where were these guys when pitchers were doctoring balls? I cannot stand selective persecution.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
I understand what you are saying
but I think it is important to remember that this is the author that introduced the evidence of Bitch Tits failed test. She uncovered evidence that was verified by his own admission, so she does have some credibility. Nothing in the book has been *dis*proven to my knowledge.
Doctor please. Some more of these.
But that level of proof also exists
for many other players, for steroids, doctoring baseballs, corking bats, etc. Some of the same people calling out Rodriguez speak of pitchers who doctored balls as being “wiley” or some such. It’s selective finger wagging at it’s worst. Rodriguez, Clemens and Bonds are terrible, terrible people, but the others who have already admitted to steroid use are barely mentioned. It’s a double standard.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
The streroids thing is a double standard
And frankly, I don’t care a wit whether ARod was on them or not.
The pitch tipping thing is a bigger deal, though hearsay and a tabloid book does not a truth make. But even tabloids get real scoops occasionally (just ask John Edwards). While I think the pitch tipping thing is a joke and just indicative of a general amount of disgust some players around the league have with him; it has the potential, more than steroids, to destroy ARod’s career. When you get right down to it, telling opposing hitters what pitch is coming for reciprocal behavior is just about as bad as anything this league has faced; it’s comparable to the Black Sox scandal, but instead of getting paid by bookies, you get inflated stats that help you later. Blowout games, so what?
Rodriguez, Clemens, and Bonds
all lied about it and were proven to be liars. That is a difference that should not be ignored IMO.
Doctor please. Some more of these.
At this point it is imperative to undersatand the general opinion towards ARod
People dislike him right now and are inclined to believe negative things about him. I tend to agree that he is a cheating snake so I tend to believe this information
That said, please spare me this high road bullshit when people here call him ARoid and bitchtits all the time
lol, shane spencer, really?
"if my kid said 'uhh' that much, i would say, Hey! ... stop saying 'uhh' that much..." - dennis miller
yea, there's a long lost, long forgotten Ranger
hahaha, this has to be the highlight of his ranger career, right?
"The House That Ruth Built, 85 years old, goes out as The House That Hamilton Knocked Down"
hahaha, this has to be the highlight of hisrangercareer, right?
yup.
"if my kid said 'uhh' that much, i would say, Hey! ... stop saying 'uhh' that much..." - dennis miller
Well the guy did go to a couple World Series.
by Black Francis on May 4, 2009 12:46 PM CDT up reply actions
yeah
so did Luis Sojo
"if my kid said 'uhh' that much, i would say, Hey! ... stop saying 'uhh' that much..." - dennis miller
That doesn't refute his point
His did refute yours, however.
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
Those 2001-2003 Texas Rangers
had to be the most painful teams to follow in my lifetime. And I remember watching some of those epically boring teams of the ‘80s. Look at the roster of those teams. Their pitching was bad, but they shouldn’t have been as painful as they were.
It’s just fascinating to hear now how dysfunctional they were. We all knew as fans that the team was being pulled from many different directions. But to hear the details now is captivating to me.
I don’t care if ARod was calling or tipping pitches. In fact, the worse it was the better, in a way. It seems like only the Texas Rangers could be so screwed up in so many ways.
Yeah. Good thing I got caught up in the Newberg Report back then.
Basically, the ability to overanalyze minor league baseball has been the only thing that’s kept me a Rangers’ fan during those years and since. Teixera/Blalock/Lewis/Pratt/Mench, those minor league guys were the players that most interested me during those years, outside of Pudge.
Wonderboy, what is the secret of your power? Wonderboy, won't you take me far away from the mucky-muck now. -- Tenacious D
I would really
like a book just detailing those teams.
"Hustle doesn't cost a dime and it looks good." - Pete Rose as Channeled by Marcus Lemon
ARod
WOW! I wonder if all the numbers crew that was all up on ARod’s jock, and NEVER bought the chemistry issues will finally climb of his nootsack. This guy is proving to be a complete piece of crap
Well
I don’t really buy the chemistry issues. I don’t think, at this point, he’s a complete piece of crap who was dragging everyone down.
by Adam J. Morris on May 4, 2009 1:24 PM CDT up reply actions
Why not?
I don’t necessarily buy into every single story, but where there is smoke there is fire don’t you think? I am not going to go research, but there has been probably what 10-15 of his teammates that have come out and either directly or indirectly said that the teams he has been on were divided, and he was one of the causes. I guess if you just set your mind to something then nothing can change your mind. It just seems to me that the preponderance of evidence shows that he was indeed a morale killer
this is not true.
please tell me where he ‘split’ a team…
"if my kid said 'uhh' that much, i would say, Hey! ... stop saying 'uhh' that much..." - dennis miller
Seattle, Texas, New York
do you want me to look up his minor league stops also or will that suffice?
Don't know about Seattle
But I don’t think he is the one that split up the Rangers and Yankees teams. Just look at that Spencer quote. It wasn’t A-Rod and a couple of friends vs. the rest of the team. You think A-Rod is the one that split the team into a bunch of groups of 3 or 4 people? And with the Yankees, that’s what happens when you bring in a whole new set of overpaid players each offseason.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
No
I don’t think it was just him at all, but he was the de-facto leader of the Rangers so it started with him. And yeah I never heard bad about him in Seattle…just exaggerating there. He is a well known cancer at this point in his career isn’t he? I mean come on GD how many people have to come out about him being a turd, before you start calling that pile of poo a turd?
He's an odd bird.
Wasn’t MY the only ballplayer at his wedding? That just seems weird. Anyone that’s ever played team sports on any level knows the camaraderie that forms among teammates.
Rich, famous, good-looking and going to call girl services is odd to me also.
Rote replies- except for the GQ interview dissing Jeter.(wrongly I’d say)
The mercenary status that he helped cull here by not participating in much, if any, team promotion.
Just seems like an odd dude. And not the interesting, eccentric type.
"I saw your act, just didn't make it for me. Just a lot of fluff."
The guy doesn't hang with his teammates?
So what? Lots of people view work as just that… work. And they don’t go to happy hours or invite colleagues to weddings and their kid’s graduations and so forth. That doesn’t mean that they are any less qualified for their jobs, or even any less “team players.”
If anything, team sports with their forced socializing can be intimidating to socially awkward people. He may just be a introverted, less social person. This comes off as snobbish and self-centered, but is nothing more than him just not being comfortable in that context. This doesn’t make him worse a ballplayer, in fact, is even more impressive.
Could be social anxiety. I don't know.
I like Ricky Williams, but I find him more of an eccentric.
A-Rod, not so much.
"I saw your act, just didn't make it for me. Just a lot of fluff."
"well-known cancer"
I don’t think he’s that at all. I think he’s probably a d-bag and that he doesn’t have many friends in the locker room, but that doesn’t mean he’s a cancer that is destroying team morale or anything like that. A guy like Bonds calling people out as racists is someone I would consider a cancer. Just being a jerk isn’t someone I’d consider a cancer.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
Yep
He’s a prima donna, I think. And one of those guys that doesn’t seem to win friends and influence people. But he doesn’t seem to be a malignant presence, either.
by Adam J. Morris on May 4, 2009 7:01 PM CDT up reply actions
Say what you want about ARod
but he played his ass off in Texas.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
I agree with Adam
Jeeez, why would Michael Young continue to defend him?
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
Well
my “question” that I somehow made a statement by placing a period instead of a question mark has been answered. No those that defend him will do it to the end!
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Lone Star Ball
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
In Association With
Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports
- 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
