Men Who Can Play The Game

[petrel]

(Inspired by comments from HoustonGM.)

I can't tell you how many times I've been to major league ball games and found players who didn't know how to play the game. I mean, I've seen some weird sh-t out there in professional games.

How many times I have seen batters come to the batters box holding the thick end of the bat and trying to swing with the handle end? Or the time that Cecil Fielder came up to the plate with his bat in one hand and a foot-long hoagie in the other?

I'm still laughing over the time that Mike Stanton came to the plate wearing his athletic cup on the outside of his uniform. How many times did we watch Juan Pierre watch a fly ball fall to the ground in simple amazement, like a child, as his teammates screamed at him to make some effort to catch the ball?

I can still remember the great Kent Tekulve, who when presented with the ball, began chewing on it as it were some sort of food.

Joe Torre of the Dodgers is unhappy that many of the Dodgers think their bats are toys, and sometimes, one batter will follow another to the plate and they'll reenact the lightsabre scene from "Return of the Jedi".

What's wrong with these players? They don't know how to play the game.

One of the marks of a great player is that he knows how to play the game. He knows that there are nine innings, and that the object of the game is to score runs, and that the team with the most runs at the end of nine innings wins. That you swing at the little ball when it comes to you, and that you catch it when a batter sends it flying in the air. That the glove is worn on the hand, and not on the head. Clearly, mastery of these simple fundamentals is essential to a long baseball career.

Don't believe me? Check out some of these comments from baseball experts:

1. Minnesota GM Ron Gardenhire: (on David Eckstein) - "He knows how to play."

2. Michael Cuddler of the Twins: "Our organization knows how to play baseball."

3. Baltimore manager Frank Robinson (on Cal Ripken Jr.) - "I see my guy day in, day out, so I can really appreciate him and know he knows how to play the game."

4. Carlos Zambrano of the Cubs on Kosuke Fukudome - "The guy knows how to play baseball."

5. Reds GM Wayne Krivsky on Bubba Crosby - "He's a left-handed batter and really knows how to play."

6. Chone Figgins on the Rays Nathan Haynes - "Nate knows the game, and he knows how to play."

7. A scouting report on Jeff Conine - "(Conine) can play first, play the outfield, he's not very athletic but he knows how to play the game."

8. Boston manager Terry Francona on Justin Pedroia - "He knows how to play the game."

9. University of George baseball coach David Pemo on prospect Chris Nelson - "He just knows how to play baseball."

10. Gary Sheffield of the Tigers on Carlos Guillen - "He's a great guy, a smart hitter and he knows how to play the game."

I hope that someday, everyone will know how to play baseball. Really, it's not that hard. Easier than cricket, anyway.

--Pet

[Alloutwar]

LOL - so you read HGM's personal rant on that, too. Funny stuff here, Pet.

[gRYFYN1]

having coached 6 and 7 year olds knowing "how to play the game" is a HUGE part of it!!!


(also, i think i saw that came where Cecil Cooper came up to bat with a hoagie in his hand, actually that may have happened alot)

[HoustonGM]

Oh God. Actually, I would have posted a comment to HGMs LJ rant, but I really didn't want to make an account - LJ sucks.

I'm pretty sure you can comment anonymously without signing up, although I'd prefer if you did that you identified yourself in your comment.

So, what kind of comment would you have posted? Are you saying that this "knows how to play the game" nonsense isn't just meaningless crap?

[HoustonGM]

By the way, **** has been uncensored? Or am I just delusional and it was never censored?

Oh, what the heck? crap? Lol. ****. Okay, apparantly, it's only uncensored if followed by a question mark!

[dickay]

So, what kind of comment would you have posted? Are you saying that this "knows how to play the game" nonsense isn't just meaningless crap?

I don't think it's meaningless ****. Basically they are saying that they have a greater understanding of the game and its intriquicies than most players. They don't make the same mental mistakes some do in the pitch count, on the bases, or in the field.

These guys are professionals, they all know the rules and how the game is played for the most part. There are however some who understand it's finer points....and often go onto coaching and managing later in their careers.

It's actually fairly simple to understand, but another one of those intangibles that statistics can't grasp.

[HoustonGM]

It is meaningless. Everybody that makes it to the major leagues knows how to play the game. Period. If they want to say that a player is very intelligent, doesn't make many mental mistakes, etc. then they should say that, instead of repeating a tired, meaningless cliche.

Brian Bannister is a pitcher who admire for his intelligence. It would be stupid to say "Brian Bannister knows how to play the game", because that means nothing as every single major league player (and minor league player) knows how to play the game. You would not get drafted if you didn't know how to play, and if by some reason you did, you certainly would not make it to the bigs. Instead, I'd say, "Brian Bannister understands statistical concepts such as BABIP, and is a real student of the game", or simply "Brian Bannister is really friggen smart."

[Alloutwar]

Actually - maybe this is an assumption, but: I've always assumed it was used as a blanket statement, to cover players that master the fundamentals - running hard on ground balls; putting in their best effort every at bat (here's where 'grinding' comes in, another tired tem); good baserunning in general - tags up when there's a weak outfield arm, etc.

Examples of the opposite would be, players that put themselves and personal goals/stats above the team; players that mosey towards hits their way; players that refuse to bat in spot in the lineup, refuse to play a position, or refuse to pitch relief/non-closer situations; players that are the negative clubhouse presence, or aloof, or don't enjoy themselves.

I can definitely see why we pick on this statement, but just on the above, you can start to see players that don't fit some of these: sluggers like Bonds, Manny Ramirez, maybe Thomas or Delgado? Players that aren't happy with their playing time or position/lineup spot - think of Alfonso Soriano. Guys that have issues off the field, or who throw stuff at umpires and get suspended, like Elijah Dukes, or Dmitri Young? And, of course, the guys using 'roids to gain an advantage. Obviously they can play the game - sometimes rise to stardom. They just don't play it the way that managers/owners/other players/commentators would like to see.

I think the simple point - and cause of much of this generalization - is that managers, owners, commentators - these guys can't out and out say 'you know, I played with Ken Griffey, and that guy will sit on the DL for 3 weeks if he breaks a fingernail.' They can't say 'these kids are really putting on a show, with an almost .500 record, despite no big-name stars and management that obviously doesn't care to spend money on them.' They can't say 'You know, when I think of Manny Ramirez making $33,000 or so per at bat, and then see him jog up the line for an easy out instead of keeping pressure on the opposition...well, it just makes me sick.'

When confronted with a microphone and trying to censor yourself, you use euphemisms and bland statements like this. It kind of sucks, because we hear a continual looping reel of the same tired phrases...and they lose their meaning, like this one has. After you've watched many games, and listened to so many people speak, it begins to really bother you such it is such a nebulous/meaningless term. But, what can you do? They're not allowed to say anything and everything, and not everyone watching the game on a weekend wants to hear SaberSpeak.

[gRYFYN1]

There is a meaning to what they are saying, problem is they are just dumbing it down so much, instead of saying the a player focus's well, understands how to take good routes to the ball etc, they just say " he knows how to play".


Its annoying, beacause they are talking in such broad general terms that it belies thier "expert" status and passes no actual information on to the viewer/reader.

[HoustonGM]

Its annoying, beacause they are talking in such broad general terms that it belies thier "expert" status and passes no actual information on to the viewer/reader.

Exactly. They (and I'm talking about "analysts", "experts", and the like here, unlike Petrel's examples of players/managers) claim to be "expert analysts", yet offer no expertise or analysis...they just repeat boring cliches that impart no information to the audience.

[dickay]

There is a meaning to what they are saying, problem is they are just dumbing it down so much, instead of saying the a player focus's well, understands how to take good routes to the ball etc, they just say " he knows how to play".


Its annoying, beacause they are talking in such broad general terms that it belies thier "expert" status and passes no actual information on to the viewer/reader.

So you are all saying the same thing. These 'cliches' as you call them DO have meaning and we know what they are trying to say but don't like how they are saying it and wish they would elaborate more.

I agree it would be much more intriguing if they explained examples, such as the player that always puts themselves in the right position on the field without having to be 'micro-managed'. Or the player who makes the heads up base-running play, or the catcher who understands the batter AND his pitcher and calls the right game.

One can argue the same point when they say a hitter 'knows how to hit'. Well using your simple logic applied here, its uhh..see ball, swing bat, hit ball. Obviously the manager is saying more than that. Maybe that the batter understands pitch count and studies the pitcher, or that the batter understands technique and can spot holes or bad habits when developing, or that they see the ball well and adjust to it, or any combination of those and more.

We all know what they are trying to say but it doesn't tell us much.

[gRYFYN1]

The thing is there ARE saying nothing, only because we have the ability to analyze whats happening do we understand.

Tell a 7 year old, Torii Hunter is a great center fielder because he "know how to play", and you've just told him nothing. Tell him Ted Williams hit .406 cuz he "really know how to hit" is 100% useless.

They may as well sit there and spout gibberish like Steve Carrel from Bruce Almighty while the clip is playing, and they will pass on the same amount of information.

Watch Ron Jawarski on NFL match-up, he actually analyzes the plays and tell you WHY something happened. Not a John Mayer-esque "and that happened"

[HoustonGM]

Watch Ron Jawarski on NFL match-up, he actually analyzes the plays and tell you WHY something happened.

Baseball has a real lack of analysts that analyze, in the mainstream media at least.

[dickay]

The thing is there ARE saying nothing, only because we have the ability to analyze whats happening do we understand.

Tell a 7 year old, Torii Hunter is a great center fielder because he "know how to play", and you've just told him nothing. Tell him Ted Williams hit .406 cuz he "really know how to hit" is 100% useless.

They may as well sit there and spout gibberish like Steve Carrel from Bruce Almighty while the clip is playing, and they will pass on the same amount of information.

Watch Ron Jawarski on NFL match-up, he actually analyzes the plays and tell you WHY something happened. Not a John Mayer-esque "and that happened"

OK...if you respected my car knowledge similar to the way many have some kind of respect or appreciation for baseball analysts or coaches...if you were looking for a car and I said to you that one is a junker, or that one is a lemon...without saying anything you know what I mean.

I agree, they are not saying anything specific......but to *most* of the people watching baseball tonight and to everyone in this forum, we all know what they mean. Are we that bored that we have to debate something this dumb? I guess we are, i've chimed in now three times about it

[HoustonGM]

My only contention really is that the people that repeat this tired drivel claim to be "expert analysts." When I hear an expert analyst, I expect to hear some...you know...expert analysis. If they're going to repeat this stuff, then they shouldn't claim to be experts. They should claim to be...staters of the obvious.