Last month, I reported on all of the misplaced hoopla and airheads loudly proclaiming that New York Mets pitcher Tom Glavine would be the last pitcher to ever win 300 games in a career.
Here is the original post:
Tom Glavine at 300.
Well, The Onion ran a fantastic short piece just after Glavine notched #300. Read below for a good quick laugh:
Glavine's warning.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
The Onion article on "What might have been?"
I found this article about two months ago, and I loved it. Today, I'm finally posting it, considering the disappointing news about my favorite player, Griffey.
What might have been.
Off the top of my head, I cannot think of another superstar ballplayer in recent memory who has suffered through so many injuries across so many seasons. Sure, guys like Jimmie Foxx had their share of injuries, but those were of the career-ending kind in their prime. Griffey, you have labored through 'em all.
Mend well, Junior!
What might have been.
Off the top of my head, I cannot think of another superstar ballplayer in recent memory who has suffered through so many injuries across so many seasons. Sure, guys like Jimmie Foxx had their share of injuries, but those were of the career-ending kind in their prime. Griffey, you have labored through 'em all.
Mend well, Junior!
Griffey Injured
This is terrible news.
For the past month, I have been like an addict, counting how many games Ken Griffey, Jr. plays for the Cincinnati Reds. Each night, I'd check ESPN to see if the Reds game was over and if Griffey played. He had a long stretch of games in early and mid-September, and he made it in all of those games. The closer he got to big numbers, the more I anticipated each game for him.
Why has this been a source of interest for me? Look at the following chart, since he joined the Reds in 2000:
Year Games Played
2000 145
2001 111
2002 70
2003 53
2004 83
2005 128
2006 109
2007 144
I have been eagerly anticipating him playing the most games this year for the Reds since joining the club. Games played is not in itself a crucial stat. But where Griffey is concerned, considering his history of injuries, the more games he racked up this year, the more it would signify, to me and others, that he has found a pace that suits him in his 37th year of life--and that he has remained injury-free all season, no simple task where he is concerned.
He was so close to breaking 145 games. He had already passed his 127 games of his rookie year (1989), 128 (2005, when he seemed on the mend), 142 (1992), and 140 (1996, when he hit 49 homers--his third-best year).
The switch to the less-demanding right field position (a move he detested) and pacing himself better have helped Griffey remain healthy all season long. Also, his pursuit of 600 home runs was a chase that people followed until the end of August, when it was clear he didn't have much of a chance of breaking that milestone.
Well, wait until next year.
Not only will Griffey not join the 600 club this season, but he is likely done for 2007. At 144 games. One shy of the most he has played since joining his hometown Reds 8 seasons ago.
He had little chance of getting close to the next series of most-games played--154 in 1991, 155 in 1990, and 156 in 1993. Given the number of games left in the season (about 10) before he was injured, coupled with the Reds' schedule against terrible teams (Houston and San Francisco), the Reds said they'd sit Griffey for several games starting today to give him rest and also see some of the young talent in the club. So, he would have likely ended 2007 with about 150 games played, which would have been the most he'd have played since 160 in 1999.
He also has not had an injury-free September since about 2000.
He has his day of rest today, but it's not the way anyone envisioned it coming about. It's just sad and disappointing for several reasons. Griffey should be a fixture of late-season baseball. He has been a marquee player before. But he'll never be a late summer/early fall phenom while with the Reds. We're entering the hottest stretch of the baseball calendar, and it's too bad that Griffey won't be making his mark along with the pennant races, single-season record chases, etc.
At least his injury wasn't to his groin or hamstring. Godspeed, Junior! I can't wait to see you in 2008. I plan on a road trip to Cincy to see you play in person.
For the past month, I have been like an addict, counting how many games Ken Griffey, Jr. plays for the Cincinnati Reds. Each night, I'd check ESPN to see if the Reds game was over and if Griffey played. He had a long stretch of games in early and mid-September, and he made it in all of those games. The closer he got to big numbers, the more I anticipated each game for him.
Why has this been a source of interest for me? Look at the following chart, since he joined the Reds in 2000:
Year Games Played
2000 145
2001 111
2002 70
2003 53
2004 83
2005 128
2006 109
2007 144
I have been eagerly anticipating him playing the most games this year for the Reds since joining the club. Games played is not in itself a crucial stat. But where Griffey is concerned, considering his history of injuries, the more games he racked up this year, the more it would signify, to me and others, that he has found a pace that suits him in his 37th year of life--and that he has remained injury-free all season, no simple task where he is concerned.
He was so close to breaking 145 games. He had already passed his 127 games of his rookie year (1989), 128 (2005, when he seemed on the mend), 142 (1992), and 140 (1996, when he hit 49 homers--his third-best year).
The switch to the less-demanding right field position (a move he detested) and pacing himself better have helped Griffey remain healthy all season long. Also, his pursuit of 600 home runs was a chase that people followed until the end of August, when it was clear he didn't have much of a chance of breaking that milestone.
Well, wait until next year.
Not only will Griffey not join the 600 club this season, but he is likely done for 2007. At 144 games. One shy of the most he has played since joining his hometown Reds 8 seasons ago.
He had little chance of getting close to the next series of most-games played--154 in 1991, 155 in 1990, and 156 in 1993. Given the number of games left in the season (about 10) before he was injured, coupled with the Reds' schedule against terrible teams (Houston and San Francisco), the Reds said they'd sit Griffey for several games starting today to give him rest and also see some of the young talent in the club. So, he would have likely ended 2007 with about 150 games played, which would have been the most he'd have played since 160 in 1999.
He also has not had an injury-free September since about 2000.
He has his day of rest today, but it's not the way anyone envisioned it coming about. It's just sad and disappointing for several reasons. Griffey should be a fixture of late-season baseball. He has been a marquee player before. But he'll never be a late summer/early fall phenom while with the Reds. We're entering the hottest stretch of the baseball calendar, and it's too bad that Griffey won't be making his mark along with the pennant races, single-season record chases, etc.
At least his injury wasn't to his groin or hamstring. Godspeed, Junior! I can't wait to see you in 2008. I plan on a road trip to Cincy to see you play in person.
Monday, September 3, 2007
Answers to Quiz #1
The only two current starting pitchers who have won a World Series title with at least two different teams?
How about Boomer and the Old Blowhard Himself.
David Wells won a World Series with the Toronto Blue Jays in 1992 (the first Canadian club to win the title, and their first of two straight championships) and the 1998 New York Yankees, one of the greatest teams ever fielded.
Curt Schilling, meanwhile, after toiling through some terrible Philadelphia Phillies teams (how many Phillies teams are good?), jetted out to the Southwest, where he helped lead the Arizona Diamondbacks to become the modern-era team to win a World Series title in the fewest years since its founding. Of course, Schill also took a starring role with the "Idiots" of the 2004 Boston Red Sox, who erased 86 years of New England psychosis with a sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals.
***
Now, if I had a vote for the Baseball Hall of Fame, neither Wells nor Schilling would have their slot darkened on my sheet. Yes, Schilling has over 3,000 strikeouts, which in the past was automatic. But he didn't catch fire until the late 1990s, when he finally figured out that he needed to take better care of his body. He gets props for his considerable charity work. He was the main attraction for the pivotal Game 6 of the 2004 ALCS against the Yankees (the "bloody sock" game).
But he can't keep his trap shut, has openly spared with at least two nationally known baseball writers (SI's Jon Leyman and the admittedly insufferable Mike Celizic of MSNBC), and racked up 5 seasons of double-digit losses, among other blots. Was Schilling dominating for a long stretch of his career? In my mind, the answer is no. He has 2001, 2002, and 2004 on his record as phenomenal years, but he also has hoe-hum years in '03, '05, and '07.
Wells, to me, is even less of a vote-earner. He did not hit anything close to a stride until he was about 35. He was dominant in '98, when he hurled a perfect game (and later admitted, much to Commissioner Bud Selig's delight, no doubt, that he was terrificly hung over during the milestone), and with Toronto in 2000, going 20-8. Wells certainly shined in New York (68-28 in 123 starts), reveling in being on the biggest stage in the game. He is a tough-as-nails pitcher when his back isn't bothering him, and while he isn't dominating, he is intimidating.
It is the rest of his career that is so uninspiring and, to me, doesn't warrant highlighting in Cooperstown. Instead, we'll be left with his entertaining personality and some key moments from his career. "Key" moments include getting fined by Bud Selig for inappropriate comments, posting a letter in his locker, in full view of reporters, from Selig warning Wells, and getting into altercations with fans. Let's not forget that Wells alleged that he was misquoted in his autobiography, either.
How about Boomer and the Old Blowhard Himself.
David Wells won a World Series with the Toronto Blue Jays in 1992 (the first Canadian club to win the title, and their first of two straight championships) and the 1998 New York Yankees, one of the greatest teams ever fielded.
Curt Schilling, meanwhile, after toiling through some terrible Philadelphia Phillies teams (how many Phillies teams are good?), jetted out to the Southwest, where he helped lead the Arizona Diamondbacks to become the modern-era team to win a World Series title in the fewest years since its founding. Of course, Schill also took a starring role with the "Idiots" of the 2004 Boston Red Sox, who erased 86 years of New England psychosis with a sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals.
***
Now, if I had a vote for the Baseball Hall of Fame, neither Wells nor Schilling would have their slot darkened on my sheet. Yes, Schilling has over 3,000 strikeouts, which in the past was automatic. But he didn't catch fire until the late 1990s, when he finally figured out that he needed to take better care of his body. He gets props for his considerable charity work. He was the main attraction for the pivotal Game 6 of the 2004 ALCS against the Yankees (the "bloody sock" game).
But he can't keep his trap shut, has openly spared with at least two nationally known baseball writers (SI's Jon Leyman and the admittedly insufferable Mike Celizic of MSNBC), and racked up 5 seasons of double-digit losses, among other blots. Was Schilling dominating for a long stretch of his career? In my mind, the answer is no. He has 2001, 2002, and 2004 on his record as phenomenal years, but he also has hoe-hum years in '03, '05, and '07.
Wells, to me, is even less of a vote-earner. He did not hit anything close to a stride until he was about 35. He was dominant in '98, when he hurled a perfect game (and later admitted, much to Commissioner Bud Selig's delight, no doubt, that he was terrificly hung over during the milestone), and with Toronto in 2000, going 20-8. Wells certainly shined in New York (68-28 in 123 starts), reveling in being on the biggest stage in the game. He is a tough-as-nails pitcher when his back isn't bothering him, and while he isn't dominating, he is intimidating.
It is the rest of his career that is so uninspiring and, to me, doesn't warrant highlighting in Cooperstown. Instead, we'll be left with his entertaining personality and some key moments from his career. "Key" moments include getting fined by Bud Selig for inappropriate comments, posting a letter in his locker, in full view of reporters, from Selig warning Wells, and getting into altercations with fans. Let's not forget that Wells alleged that he was misquoted in his autobiography, either.
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