The Gray Pages

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

A Tale of Two Pitchers

Player One: 10,300 hits
Player Two: 625 hits

Neither player is Graig Nettles.

posted by Josh at Wednesday, May 30, 2007

6 Comments:

  • Did anyone else think his name was Craig Nettles growing up, or was that just me?

    By Blogger Josh, at 3:35 PM  

  • Wait, if neither of these players is Nettles, then what are you doing thinking about them. (No, I'm not ready to let this die yet.)

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 9:00 PM  

  • Josh, honestly, this proves nothing.

    This comparison is just as instructive:

    Player One: Zero hits

    Player Two: One hit

    Actually, this is slightly more accurate since your search only indicates where the word "coward" appears anywhere on the same page as the person's name.

    But we're still not anywhere near the point. What does Curt Schilling have to do with anything?

    You are usually a pretty bright guy when it comes to baseball analysis, objectively looking at evidence and drawing rational conclusions. But say the magic words "Jim Bowden" or "Roger Clemens" and you turn into Dr. Seething Hatred.

    My dictionary describes "coward" as "a person who lacks courage, esp. one who is shamefully unable to control fear and so shrinks from danger or trouble."

    Maybe you're talking about his handful of disappointing playoff performances. It's a stretch, but I'll grant you that anyway. Despite the looks of his 14-9 postseason record with a 3.66 ERA (against championship-caliber teams, remember), there are instances of poor play in critical situations. Maybe this is a function of his inability to control fear.

    But I don't hear you saying that. I hear you saying that he's a coward because he doesn't want to face the Red Sox on Sunday.

    I don't believe this, and you offer specious evidence for it, but let's assume for the sake of argument that it actually is his decision. What is he afraid of? Is he afraid of losing to the Red Sox? Or because he is afraid he is going to be booed? Hasn't he been through all of that already? Would he have signed with the Yankees if he's afraid of pitching against the Red Sox? Please.

    If he's not pitching against the Red Sox, it's because the Yankees need to bring their 45-year old pitcher along slowly and the hype and hoopla of a New York-Boston game would be counterproductive. You and people of your ilk fuel this meaningless sensationalism when you tout every Red Sox-Yankees game like it's Wrestlemania. To win a playoff spot, the Yankees have to win a lot of games. Sunday's game is just another one. (Incidentally, I figure their chances at 30 percent.)

    You can call him a bastard and a liar. That's a statement I probably couldn't argue with. You can say that this isn't about sour grapes, that you're not peeved that Clemens chose New York (or Houston, or Toronto) over Boston. But you sound a lot like the guy who says he's over his ex-girlfriend and then goes around calling her a slut.

    This partisan viciousness obscures your intelligence. Please bring back thoughtful, objective Josh.

    By Blogger Jason Hammersla, at 11:50 AM  

  • Chad Finn: Me, I'm looking forward to watching him limp off the Fenway mound with a mysterious "cramp," his old standby bailout move when thee Sox are lighting him up. (See: Game 3, 1999 ALCS). In the meantime, promise me this, Nationites. Tell me you will not get caught up in his annual, ego-feeding charade again next season. Tell me you'll ignore the talk-radio banshees and the press-box GMs who pine for his return and the easy story. Tell me that the next time he pitches at Fenway Park - which may be as soon as June 1 - you'll ring his ears with chants so clever and cruel ("Where is Rog-AH? In the show-AH!") that Debbie Clemens will reprise her tearful whine from the '99 ALCS: "Why do they treat him like Hitler? What did he ever do to them?"

    The better question is this: What hasn't he done?

    By Blogger Josh, at 1:32 PM  

  • I hate him because he is worthy of my hatred.

    By Blogger Josh, at 1:36 PM  

  • Clemens left the Red Sox because Dan Duquette didn't want him anymore and the Blue Jays offered him a TON more money. And then the Blue Jays traded Clemens to the Yankees.

    I can see why the Red Sox fans are bitter. But if they wanted Clemens to stay with the Red Sox after 1996, then why aren't they angry at Duquette instead of Clemens?

    And if they think he only performs in meaningless games and isn't all that valuable, especially at age 44, then why are they so worked up about everything he does? Why can't they just leave it alone?

    By Blogger dl004d, at 2:42 PM  

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