Red Sox players, staff members and officials marvel at Dustin Pedroia‘s energy, describing him as a force of nature unlike any other and one of the great leaders in the game. But what does that mean?
On Friday night, at the annual Hot Stove Cool Music baseball roundtable (raising money for the Foundation To Be Named Later), the conversation centered around the importance and challenge of changing a clubhouse culture. Red Sox assistant GM Mike Hazen offered an anecdote about Pedroia that illuminated his leadership and the values the team hopes to embody going forward. He referenced the final roadtrip of the season, at a time when the distance between the Sox and the Orioles exceeded that between the sun and Neptune.
Here was Hazen’s story:
“I had the pleasure of being in Baltimore at the end of the season, that last road trip. We’re standing in the dugout, talking, Adam Jones is going to run up during batting practice to field his position. Pedroia just starts screaming at him.
“‘Don’t hit the ball my way tonight. I’m telling you right now, you better plan on pulling that thing because if you hit it my way, you’re out. You are out.’
“Adam Jones is running out to his position, looking around, like, ‘What? That guy’s crazy. What’s wrong with him?’ He didn’t respond.
“I looked at him and said, ‘Hey Pedey – we’ve lost 89 games and these guys are about to go to the playoffs.’ Then he turned on me and started screaming at me. ‘I don’t care how many games we’ve lost! I don’t care – that guy’s out!’
“After that, I said, ‘All right. All right.’ I walked away.
Repoz
Posted: January 12, 2013 at 07:43 AM |
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1. Non-Youkilidian Geometry Posted: January 12, 2013 at 10:03 AM (#4345535)Keep fighting, little guy! Soon, we'll rid the world of T.B.A.!
I think a team of 25 anyones would be insufferable. Variety is the spice of life. Some Pedroias, some Lesters, mix it up a bit. Just no ####### Valentines please.
The Orioles did win the game, 9-1, and swept the Red Sox in the three game series.
Just my two cents: When a new manager is having a stupid pissing match with one of your teammates, a leader walks into that manager's office and has a quiet, off-the-record, adult conversation about how this might not be the best way to handle the situation based on past experience with what this clubhouse does and does not respond to positively. A guy who goes and ##### to the press about it instead is something other than a leader.
That's somebody who needs to reread Trilling.
I mean, he's threatening him with fielding a ground ball. Is that frightening?
You said it.
I mean, I get passion and all that, but that's just strange
...because he was busy thinking, "There goes my plan to lead my team into the playoffs by hitting ground balls to the secondbaseman" ...?
Jones comes off well here. Pedroia just looks like a jackass.
I have totally done stuff like this before games, but (A) I was kidding, and (2) everybody knew I was kidding.
[same with yelling "THAT'S RIGHT - I OWN YOU!" after catching the line drive a friend on the other team crushed right at me]
- for all we know, maybe pedroia DID go see bobby privately - maybe so did some other guy/s and got nowheres except a battle in the media
i know that when cooper was manager (jeezus what a disaster) a few of the team leaders tried talking provately to him and to fast eddie and got like noweres. of course i houston, there is no such thing as fighting a battle in the media seeing as how the media is the team shill
"So you're saying Dustin plays baseball like a guy in a PS3 frathouse tourney? Gotcha."
Just going by his selection of inspiring anecdotes, maybe this guy isn't pulling his weight either.
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