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Friday, August 21, 2009

Jim Rice rips Jeter, A-Rod, Manny during speech to Little Leaguers

Speaking to players before the start of the Little League World Series, the new baseball Hall of Famer said today’s major-leaguers are too focused on individual goals and getting big contracts.

“You see a Manny Ramirez, you see an A-Rod (Alex Rodriguez), you see (Derek) Jeter ... Guys that I played against and with, these guys you’re talking about cannot compare,” Rice said to Little Leaguers gathered in the cafeteria.

We didn’t have the baggy uniforms. We didn’t have the dreadlocks,” Rice said. “It was a clean game, and now they’re setting a bad example for the young guys.”

happysky Posted: August 21, 2009 at 05:50 PM | 158 comment(s) Login to Bookmark
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   1. Dewey, Steven Wright Wannabe and Soupuss Posted: August 21, 2009 at 05:57 PM (#3300966)
Rice had to shout, so that the kids could simultaneously hear him and stay off his lawn.
   2. Repoz Posted: August 21, 2009 at 05:59 PM (#3300969)
Thank you, BBWWAAAA.

Your sight and site sucks.
   3. Jose Can Still Seabiscuit Posted: August 21, 2009 at 06:00 PM (#3300972)
Look, I'll kick the guy around any chance I get but while there is cause to rip A-Rod and Manny, how does Jeter get lumped in with them?
   4. Drew (Primakov, Gungho Iguanas) Posted: August 21, 2009 at 06:00 PM (#3300974)
When Rice was a rookie, he had to tote the equipment bags uphill to and from the clubhouse.
   5. OCD SS Posted: August 21, 2009 at 06:00 PM (#3300975)
The only way this could get better is if Jim Rice challenged the entire assembled mass of little leaguers to a fight.
   6. Rants Mulliniks (formerly Cold Prosimian) Posted: August 21, 2009 at 06:02 PM (#3300977)
I wonder, at what point will the steady decline of respect, politeness, dignity and morality in our society be judged for what it is and not just a generational difference.
   7. BDC Posted: August 21, 2009 at 06:02 PM (#3300979)
how does Jeter get lumped in with them?

The dreadlocks. The baggy pants. The je ne sais quoi.
   8. strummer Posted: August 21, 2009 at 06:02 PM (#3300981)
Look, I'll kick the guy around any chance I get but while there is cause to rip A-Rod and Manny, how does Jeter get lumped in with them?


Perhaps he will become the new Albert Belle?
   9. happysky Posted: August 21, 2009 at 06:03 PM (#3300982)
Derek jeter is not good role model? also why he is lumped with them.......
   10. Guapo Posted: August 21, 2009 at 06:04 PM (#3300984)
For those without the will to click, the end of the article is priceless:

Rice’s appearance was part of a promotion by Allstate Insurance Co. He got a standing ovation from players and coaches, though some of the 11- to 13-year-old players were yawning or had their heads in their arms on the table about 15 minutes into the talk.


sing it with me!

"I believe the children are the future..."
   11. Dewey, Steven Wright Wannabe and Soupuss Posted: August 21, 2009 at 06:05 PM (#3300985)
how does Jeter get lumped in with them?

All young people look the same to Jim Rice.
   12. snapper (history's 42nd greatest monster) Posted: August 21, 2009 at 06:05 PM (#3300986)
The only way this could get better is if Jim Rice challenged the entire assembled mass of little leaguers to a fight.

That's freakin' gold!! Gold I tell ya!! :-)
   13. Shock Posted: August 21, 2009 at 06:06 PM (#3300989)
Did he also rip his inductee-mate, Joe Gordon, for those damn baggy pants he sported?

The only way this could get better is if Jim Rice challenged the entire assembled mass of little leaguers to a fight.


After he took off his shirt of course.
   14. tjm1 Posted: August 21, 2009 at 06:07 PM (#3300991)
Derek jeter is not good role model? also why he is lumped with them.......


He's definitely not as bad, but the fact that he didn't offer to switch position when ARod arrived in New York is a minor issue.
   15. strummer Posted: August 21, 2009 at 06:09 PM (#3300998)
I wonder, at what point will the steady decline of respect, politeness, dignity and morality in our society be judged for what it is and not just a generational difference.


What is it? You state the "steady decline" as if it was a fact. From the beining of human existance there has been disrespect, impoliteness and immorality. It is nothing new. The only thing new, perhaps, is how it gets framed. To Rice, it is obviously baggy uniforms and dreadlocks.
   16. Randy Jones Posted: August 21, 2009 at 06:10 PM (#3301001)
To Rice, it is obviously baggy uniforms and dreadlocks.


Rice is just a racist.
   17. base ball chick Posted: August 21, 2009 at 06:11 PM (#3301003)
interesting that jim ed has forgot all about oscar gamble and The Fro

interesting that jim ed has forgot ALL about ALL the guys his own age who had ALL kind of contract arguments

interesting that jim ed has forgot ALL about ALL the guys who went to DH so as they could up their hitting stats once they couldn't play REAL baseball

- which reminds me

now exactly what is wrong with dreads?
   18. happysky Posted: August 21, 2009 at 06:13 PM (#3301007)

He's definitely not as bad, but the fact that he didn't offer to switch position when ARod arrived in New York is a minor issue.

We don't know for the fact that Jeter was asked to switch position!! I know jeter may not be like as media has portrait but he can't be that bad ...
   19. Cooperstown Schtick Posted: August 21, 2009 at 06:14 PM (#3301009)
How many bodies does Jeter have to dump on Chipper Jones's ranch before people catch on that he's a bad influence on kids?

It is nothing new. The only thing new, perhaps, is how it gets framed.


Well, plus, the internet.
   20. RMc and His Roster of Rubbish Posted: August 21, 2009 at 06:16 PM (#3301012)
But did the kids FEAR him, the way their granddaddies did?
   21. tjm1 Posted: August 21, 2009 at 06:16 PM (#3301013)
We don't know for the fact that Jeter was asked to switch position!! I know jeter may not be like as media has portrait but he can't be that bad ...


He should have offered publicly, to make it such that the Yankees could do what's best for the team without any controversy. He should have just said something like, "If Joe Torre thinks it's best for the team to move me to third base, I'm happy to do that. I'm excited to have a superstar like Alex Rodriguez as a teammate." It would have been within the caricature of what he is that the media have created for him to do that. I don't really blame him for saying nothing at that time, though.
   22. JMPH Posted: August 21, 2009 at 06:17 PM (#3301020)
But did the kids FEAR him, the way their granddaddies did?

They weren't snoozing, they were playing dead.
   23. Dan Szymborski Posted: August 21, 2009 at 06:24 PM (#3301031)
Players in the 70s and 80s were so pure of heart. They'd never think to do steroids or wear dreadlocks, just good ol' fashioned apple-pied afros and illegal stimulants. Damn those kids today with their rock and/or roll music and no appreciation of Jheri curl.
   24. cardsfanboy Posted: August 21, 2009 at 06:24 PM (#3301032)
Jim Rice can't wait for Bob Feller to die to take over the grumpy old man role in the hof.
   25. cardsfanboy Posted: August 21, 2009 at 06:26 PM (#3301035)
Players in the 70s and 80s were so pure of heart. They'd never think to do steroids or wear dreadlocks, just good ol' fashioned apple-pied afros and illegal stimulants. Damn those kids today with their rock and/or roll music and no appreciation of Jheri curl.

not to mention a lot of the other stuff they liked to do in the 70's, wife swapping? sure. beat a guy up with a baseball bat for beaning you? no problem. Disco riots? of course.

In one of the Mauer/Tex threads MSilva linked to a voter for the MVP in 2006 who didn't vote for Jeter because according to him Jeter was a destructive influence in the clubhouse with his feud with Arod.
   26. happysky Posted: August 21, 2009 at 06:27 PM (#3301037)
We don't know that. He should have offered publicly, to make it such that the Yankees could do what's best for the team without any controversy. He should have just said something like, "If Joe Torre thinks it's best for the team to move me to third base, I'm happy to do that. I'm excited to have a superstar like Alex Rodriguez as a teammate." It would have been within the caricature of what he is that the media have created for him to do that. I don't really blame him for saying nothing at that time, though.

why should he do that!! i mean he may not has been able play Third base, he hasn't played other position except ss !! look at the present situation it seems Yankees have made the right decision....also Arod said he will Play third base
   27. Justin T is expanding the aperture of awareness Posted: August 21, 2009 at 06:29 PM (#3301042)
As someone who long ago stopped caring about the HOF, Jim Rice never concerned me much. Now, I think he is a POS. Uplifting message to the kids, you crotchety ############.
   28. rconn23 Posted: August 21, 2009 at 06:30 PM (#3301043)
The headline is that Rice ripped Jeter, basically lumping him in with steroid guys. Of course, it's buried on NESPN's Web site.

Once again, Rice has no business being in the Hall of Fame, and since he's gotten in he's ripped Tony Gwynn and Derek Jeter.

Thanks BobShaughnessyGammonsESPNWEEIGlobeHerald for driving the Hall of Fame train for Rice and creating the myth that he was the most feared hitter of his era.
   29. cardsfanboy Posted: August 21, 2009 at 06:33 PM (#3301044)
since he's gotten in he's ripped Tony Gwynn

what is that from? I missed that one, and who has the right to rip Tony Gwynn?
   30. JP Ricciardi Posted: August 21, 2009 at 06:34 PM (#3301046)
Rice is correct, he's unlike Jeter. Jeter will earn a spot in the HOF.
   31. Misirlou is bad, he's nationwide Posted: August 21, 2009 at 06:35 PM (#3301048)
Dreadlocks and baggy pants are bad examples. But what do these images show? Respect?
   32. pthomas Posted: August 21, 2009 at 06:35 PM (#3301049)
And, of course, the players from the 60's and 70's never shot beaver.
   33. tjm1 Posted: August 21, 2009 at 06:36 PM (#3301052)
why should he do that!! i mean he may not has been able play Third base, he hasn't played other position except ss !! look at the present situation it seems Yankees have made the right decision....also Arod said he will Play third base


At the time, ARod was definitely a better defensive shortstop. Whether he's also much better at third than Jeter would have been, I can't say. But essentially, Jeter made it clear by not saying anything that shortstop was his position, and the new guy was going to have to be the one to move. Again, this is totally normal behavior for a big leaguer - it is out of character with what the media have built up Jeter to be.
   34. rconn23 Posted: August 21, 2009 at 06:38 PM (#3301054)
"what is that from? I missed that one, and who has the right to rip Tony Gwynn?"

They were talking about it on WEEI in Boston one day, but it may have been an off camera comment when he was working the Red Sox post game and said that Tony Gwynn was not the same class of Hall of Famer he was, and that if you started a team you'd pick him over Gwynn any day of the week."
   35. cardsfanboy Posted: August 21, 2009 at 06:40 PM (#3301055)
Rice with a guy who knows how to respect the uniform

funny how he didn't insult a former Red Sox shortstop.
   36. Hang down your head, Tom Foley Posted: August 21, 2009 at 06:40 PM (#3301056)
Jeter and Manny would trade all their millions for just one of the many rings Rice won as a team player.
   37. Rusty Priske Posted: August 21, 2009 at 06:43 PM (#3301059)
The day we stop worrying about hairstyles and start worrying about performance we will all be better off.

And I am NOT just talking about baseball.
   38. cardsfanboy Posted: August 21, 2009 at 06:44 PM (#3301060)
They were talking about it on WEEI in Boston one day, but it may have been an off camera comment when he was working the Red Sox post game and said that Tony Gwynn was not the same class of Hall of Famer he was, and that if you started a team you'd pick him over Gwynn any day of the week."

wow delusions of grandeur I guess. I mean I would probably want two of Rices years over Gwynns (maybe) but if you even go out five years it's no longer a contest, and that is just talking hitting, add the steals, character and maybe even defense and Gwynn has it all over him.
   39. Randy Jones Posted: August 21, 2009 at 06:44 PM (#3301061)
that Tony Gwynn was not the same class of Hall of Famer he was


Well that part is certainly true. Gwynn is in the mid level of HoF'ers while Rice is in the "How the #### did they get in?" group with George Kelly and Tommy McCarthy.
   40. Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Griffin (Vlad) Posted: August 21, 2009 at 06:44 PM (#3301063)
Jim Rice: "The only thing scarier than me is change."
   41. The Marksist Posted: August 21, 2009 at 06:45 PM (#3301064)
why should he do that!! i mean he may not has been able play Third base, he hasn't played other position except ss !! look at the present situation it seems Yankees have made the right decision....also Arod said he will Play third base

Your agitation appears to be messing with your ability to type. Take a deep breath.
   42. Young Blasarius yonder Posted: August 21, 2009 at 06:45 PM (#3301065)

what is that from? I missed that one, and who has the right to rip Tony Gwynn?


The jack-ass said this about Gwynn (and Ripken):

“You can also look at Cal Ripken, did he dominate? Did Tony Gwynn dominate? No he didn’t. When you’re looking at a team, you want a guy driving a guy in. You can be a dominant player in different situations.”

Nothing irks me more than the old bitter ballplayer.
   43. RoyalsRetro (AG#1F) Posted: August 21, 2009 at 06:45 PM (#3301067)
Forget the damage cocaine use of the 70s and 80s did, DREADLOCKS ARE TEARING THIS COUNTRY APART! THIS IS NOT THE COUNTRY I GREW UP IN AND LOVED!!!
   44. happysky Posted: August 21, 2009 at 06:47 PM (#3301070)
At the time, ARod was definitely a better defensive shortstop. Whether he's also much better at third than Jeter would have been, I can't say. But essentially, Jeter made it clear by not saying anything that shortstop was his position, and the new guy was going to have to be the one to move. Again, this is totally normal behavior for a big leaguer - it is out of character with what the media have built up Jeter to be.


U know it's all hyperbola....We don't know What went at that time .... for this We can't say Jeter is bad person...
   45. Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Griffin (Vlad) Posted: August 21, 2009 at 06:47 PM (#3301073)
Headline: Rice Wore Onion On Belt, As Was Style At Time
   46. jwb Posted: August 21, 2009 at 06:47 PM (#3301074)
Look, I'll kick the guy around any chance I get but while there is cause to rip A-Rod and Manny, how does Jeter get lumped in with them?
Zoning variances. A terrible, terrible example for our youth.
   47. JMPH Posted: August 21, 2009 at 06:48 PM (#3301075)
Headline: Rice Wore Onion On Belt, As Was Style At Time

I still laugh every time.
   48. happysky Posted: August 21, 2009 at 06:48 PM (#3301076)
Your agitation appears to be messing with your ability to type. Take a deep breath.

lol:)
   49. Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Griffin (Vlad) Posted: August 21, 2009 at 06:51 PM (#3301081)
"how does Jeter get lumped in with them?"

Well, exactly how did you think Rice ended up with herpes?

It ain't elves...
   50. Chase Utley, Shooty's Favorite Robot (Joey Belle) Posted: August 21, 2009 at 06:53 PM (#3301085)
Jim Rice: "The only thing scarier than me is change."


Primey.
   51. Walt Davis Posted: August 21, 2009 at 07:02 PM (#3301093)
I wonder, at what point will the steady decline of respect, politeness, dignity and morality in our society be judged for what it is and not just a generational difference.

About 100 years ago?

I really don't know if you're serious or not but I'll add that Rice ranting at Little Leaguers shows a lack of respect, politeness and dignity and that hairstyles and baggy pants are not moral issues.

And clearly anyone who would say anything the least bit negative about Mr. Jeter is a total nut job.
   52. Eric P. Posted: August 21, 2009 at 07:03 PM (#3301095)
Rice with a guy who knows how to respect the uniform

funny how he didn't insult a former Red Sox shortstop.


Look at that sloppy punk his with jersey hanging down around his thighs. He should be ashamed of himself.
   53. rconn23 Posted: August 21, 2009 at 07:04 PM (#3301097)
"He got a standing ovation from players and coaches, though some of the 11- to 13-year-old players were yawning or had their heads in their arms on the table about 15 minutes into the talk."

Smart kids. Maybe after they heard the Jeter part they thought "Oh, this guy's crazy" and it was nap time.

And yes, I realize it was just because they were ages 11 to 13. Still, a man can dream.
   54. tjm1 Posted: August 21, 2009 at 07:11 PM (#3301106)
And yes, I realize it was just because they were ages 11 to 13. Still, a man can dream.


Adolescent boys are very keenly aware of when someone is full of it, probably more than any other age group you could pick.
   55. base ball chick Posted: August 21, 2009 at 07:11 PM (#3301107)
Miserlou payed the phone bill in 300 years Posted: August 21, 2009 at 02:35 PM (#3301048)

Dreadlocks and baggy pants are bad examples. But what do these images show? Respect?


- bad examples of WHAT?



pthomas Posted: August 21, 2009 at 02:35 PM (#3301049)

And, of course, the players from the 60's and 70's never shot beaver.


- correct
they F****D beaver. especially beaver belonging to females who were not their wives
   56. billyjack Posted: August 21, 2009 at 07:14 PM (#3301110)
Half the league was coked up in the early 80's.
   57. Harmon "Thread Killer" Microbrew Posted: August 21, 2009 at 07:14 PM (#3301111)
they F****D beaver. especially beaver belonging to females who were not their wives


I <3 BBTF
   58. RoyalsRetro (AG#1F) Posted: August 21, 2009 at 07:18 PM (#3301118)
Dreadlocks and baggy pants are bad examples. But what do these images show? Respect?

- bad examples of WHAT?


Fashion sense.
   59. Guapo Posted: August 21, 2009 at 07:19 PM (#3301119)
Thanks for clarifying which persons were in possession of the beaver(s).
   60. jacksone (AKA It's OK...) Posted: August 21, 2009 at 07:25 PM (#3301129)
Flexing the muscles in his right arm, Rice said, "That's all the steroids you need . . . It's called God-given talent."


How has no one pointed this gem out yet?
   61. Gonfalon Bubble Posted: August 21, 2009 at 07:25 PM (#3301131)
Jim Rice ran into the stands to save a small child, Derek Jeter ran into the stands to smash fans with his forehead and infect them with his herpes-tainted blood. ADVANTAGE RICE.
   62. AROM Posted: August 21, 2009 at 07:27 PM (#3301136)
Good to see that Rice can finally be his true self again, after putting on the nice guy act for a few years to ingratiate himself with the HOF voters.

Interesting stat I found on him: Most run estimators put him around +30 wins/ +300 runs for his career, mine, B-ref, Fangraphs. But Fangraphs WPA has him at 22.65 wins, 7 wins less than you'd expect from his batting numbers. Talk about being unclutch, piling up your numbers when they mean the least.
   63. Shock Posted: August 21, 2009 at 07:29 PM (#3301140)

they F****D beaver. especially beaver belonging to females who were not their wives


So that's who did that to my beavers. I owe Ryan Jones an apology.
   64. Marc Sully's not booin'. He's Youkin'. Posted: August 21, 2009 at 07:47 PM (#3301157)
Somewhere, Dewey, Bobby Grich and Rock are quietly enjoying their summers. It's a funny thing.

My hope of all hopes as a Red Sox fan: A Dewey/Manny number 24 retirement ceremony. That would just kick so much ass.

#### Jim Rice.
   65. Ray (RDP) Posted: August 21, 2009 at 07:49 PM (#3301159)
So funny that he's turned into Goose Gossage already.
   66. Infinite Joost (Voxter) Posted: August 21, 2009 at 07:51 PM (#3301161)
Now that Jim Rice is irrevocably in the Hall of Fame, I have realized that he is hilarious.

In other news:

U know it's all hyperbola


Thanks to the ignore button (still appears to be working), that hilarious typo will be the last thing I ever read from that guy.
   67. RJ in TO Posted: August 21, 2009 at 07:52 PM (#3301163)
So that's who did that to my beavers. I owe Ryan Jones an apology.


You most certainly do.

Well, unless your nickname for your mom is "Beavers."
   68. mlbfan303 Posted: August 21, 2009 at 07:59 PM (#3301170)
Rice signed a contract in 1986 that caused him to be the highest paid AL player in 86,87. Second highest in 88, and fifth highest in 89. However 87 is when he started sucking and became an average hitter at best. Rice is such a hypocrite. He was like the Vernon Wells of today in terms of production once Wells has those 20M seasons kick in
   69. rconn23 Posted: August 21, 2009 at 08:00 PM (#3301171)
From Pete Abe's LoHud blog:

Jeter on Rice’s comments: “I didn’t know I was like that. That’s a first for me.”
   70. willcarrolldoesnotsuk Posted: August 21, 2009 at 08:03 PM (#3301175)
Jeter made it clear by not saying anything that shortstop was his position, and the new guy was going to have to be the one to move.
This (common) claim is just silly. Who plays shortstop is neither Derek Jeter's decision nor Alex Rodriguez's.

Joe Torre was the one who made it clear. He did so by pencilling Derek Jeter's name onto a lineup card with "6" next to it.
   71. base ball chick Posted: August 21, 2009 at 08:18 PM (#3301191)
sad to see 50 something guys still doing the penis measuring stuff

guess i'm gonna have to tell jim ed and da goose to get the he!! offn my carpet....
   72. Obi One Kenobi Nil Posted: August 21, 2009 at 08:20 PM (#3301193)
Jim Rice: Disappointed "Dickety" No-Longer In Common Use
   73. Harry Balsagne's transparent jealousy Posted: August 21, 2009 at 08:23 PM (#3301199)
He could be referring to Jeter's famed bird-dogging of celebrity beaver, or many endorsements, or his line of cologne. None of which I personally object to.
   74. Harry Balsagne's transparent jealousy Posted: August 21, 2009 at 08:36 PM (#3301207)
sad to see 50 something guys still doing the penis measuring stuff

I always wondered why vagina-measuring never caught on.
   75. tjm1 Posted: August 21, 2009 at 08:41 PM (#3301213)
This (common) claim is just silly. Who plays shortstop is neither Derek Jeter's decision nor Alex Rodriguez's.

Joe Torre was the one who made it clear. He did so by pencilling Derek Jeter's name onto a lineup card with "6" next to it.


Yes, but Torre was smart enough to know that the team was better with a happy Jeter than a sulking Jeter. ARod was the more mature, team-oriented player on this issue, by coming out and saying he'd move positions to go to a winning team.
   76. cardsfanboy Posted: August 21, 2009 at 08:44 PM (#3301218)
Yes, but Torre was smart enough to know that the team was better with a happy Jeter than a sulking Jeter. ARod was the more mature, team-oriented player on this issue, by coming out and saying he'd move positions to go to a winning team.

of course this makes the assumption that Jeter would have sulked, since he was never asked(to our knowledge) it's hard to know what he would have done.
   77. Cooperstown Schtick Posted: August 21, 2009 at 08:48 PM (#3301222)
Yes, but Torre was smart enough to know that the team was better with a happy Jeter than a sulking Jeter.

If Torre ever had any issue with Jeter's attitude about playing shortstop or general sulkiness, I would think we'd have read about it by now.
   78. Tom Cervo, backup catcher Posted: August 21, 2009 at 08:49 PM (#3301224)
Yes, but Torre was smart enough to know that the team was better with a happy Jeter than a sulking Jeter. ARod was the more mature, team-oriented player on this issue, by coming out and saying he'd move positions to go to a winning team.


Which was the only way the Yankees were trading for him, since they made it clear to him that they wanted him for 3B before the trade was done. Why should Jeter have said he'd move to 3B when it was already decided by the Yankees' FO and coaches that A-Rod would play 3B?
   79. tjm1 Posted: August 21, 2009 at 08:49 PM (#3301225)
of course this makes the assumption that Jeter would have sulked, since he was never asked(to our knowledge) it's hard to know what he would have done.


There are only two possibilities here. One is that Torre genuinely believed that Jeter at short and ARod at third was the best defensive alignment for the team. The other is that Torre didn't want to rock the boat. I think Torre's a smart enough baseball man that he knew ARod would be a better defensive shortstop.
   80. base ball chick Posted: August 21, 2009 at 08:54 PM (#3301230)
col mustache

i don't know either

but us females don't use expressions where we would substitute female gonads for male gonads

(yeh, my left ovary) (suck my uterus)

etc
   81. Cooperstown Schtick Posted: August 21, 2009 at 08:55 PM (#3301232)
I think Torre's a smart enough baseball man that he knew ARod would be a better defensive shortstop.

That can be true, and moving Jeter to third can still not be the best defensive alignment for the team.
   82. madvillain Posted: August 21, 2009 at 08:56 PM (#3301233)
You know what, #### Jim Rice. He's symbolic of a deep rooted problems in how the media views baseball talent and who is the best and who isn't.

And apparently he's also a gaping #######.
   83. tjm1 Posted: August 21, 2009 at 08:59 PM (#3301240)
And apparently he's also a gaping #######.


Everyone in Boston already knew this. That's why I was surprised the Boston media and Red Sox organization went so hard for him for the HOF. Why not invest that energy in a somewhat more deserving player who was a much nicer guy named Johnny Pesky?
   84. Cooperstown Schtick Posted: August 21, 2009 at 09:18 PM (#3301279)
Thinking about it, I think it's a little odd that some of the same people who argue that a player has to hit at THIS level in order to play that position, but only has to hit at this level in order to play this position (an argument that has never, ever made any sense to me) also push that it would have made more sense to have the less powerful hitter between Jeter and A-Rod play the corner infield position.
   85. Shock Posted: August 21, 2009 at 09:23 PM (#3301285)
(suck my uterus)


Well, good luck finding someone to do this.

(I have heard females say "suck my c**t" before)
   86. tjm1 Posted: August 21, 2009 at 09:26 PM (#3301290)
Thinking about it, I think it's a little odd that the same people who argue that a player has to hit at THIS level in order to play that position, but only has to hit at this level in order to play this position (an argument that has never, ever made any sense to me) also push that it would have made more sense to have the less powerful hitter between Jeter and A-Rod play the corner infield position.


It does make sense that the minimum level of hitting is higher for the easy defensive positions than the harder defensive positions. Once you get to the major league level, there's almost no correlation between hitting ability and fielding ability. That means that if the defensive requirements are higher, there aren't very many good hitters available, so you have to settle for lesser hitters.

Now, onto part 2. Both Jeter and ARod were good enough hitters a few years ago to play any position (and still are). The point then, is that you need to get both of them in the lineup, and set up the defense so that it is as good as possible. If ARod's a better hitter than Jeter, and a better fielder, then he's just a better player. That's all there is to it.
   87. Steve Treder Posted: August 21, 2009 at 09:34 PM (#3301303)
And apparently he's also a gaping #######.


Everyone in Boston already knew this. That's why I was surprised the Boston media and Red Sox organization went so hard for him for the HOF.

Yet one more aspect of the remarkable revisionist history that the Rice-for-the-HOF campaign became.
   88. Cooperstown Schtick Posted: August 21, 2009 at 09:50 PM (#3301312)
It does make sense that the minimum level of hitting is higher for the easy defensive positions than the harder defensive positions. Once you get to the major league level, there's almost no correlation between hitting ability and fielding ability. That means that if the defensive requirements are higher, there aren't very many good hitters available, so you have to settle for lesser hitters.

And by this argument it makes more sense to have Jeter at short and A-Rod at third.

Now, onto part 2. Both Jeter and ARod were good enough hitters a few years ago to play any position (and still are). The point then, is that you need to get both of them in the lineup, and set up the defense so that it is as good as possible. If ARod's a better hitter than Jeter, and a better fielder, then he's just a better player. That's all there is to it.


This gets to my response in 81: A-Rod being better than Jeter at short doesn't necessarily mean that A-Rod at short and Jeter at third is the best possible defensive alignment.
   89. Eric J can SABER all he wants to Posted: August 21, 2009 at 09:54 PM (#3301317)
It does make sense that the minimum level of hitting is higher for the easy defensive positions than the harder defensive positions. Once you get to the major league level, there's almost no correlation between hitting ability and fielding ability. That means that if the defensive requirements are higher, there aren't very many good hitters available, so you have to settle for lesser hitters.

And by this argument it makes more sense to have Jeter at short and A-Rod at third.


This isn't really an argument, though, because both players easily hit enough to hold down third base. Your point about the best possible defensive alignment is valid, although I think it would have been worth trying both players at third to actually find out which alignment was better.
   90. Athletic Supporter gangnam style Posted: August 21, 2009 at 09:58 PM (#3301320)
Okay, before I thought it was kind of cute that everyone was so apopleptic about Rice. Now I just want to punch him in the nuts.
   91. Steve Treder Posted: August 21, 2009 at 10:00 PM (#3301322)
And by this argument it makes more sense to have Jeter at short and A-Rod at third.

Mmm, no.

If it's a given that both Jeter and A-Rod are going to be in your lineup, and it's another given that short and third are the spots they're going to be playing, then the best defensive alingment these two present at short and third is the one and only consideration to bear on which one plays short and which one plays third. Their hitting is at this point irrelevant, once it's determined that they're both playing.
   92. Eraser-X is emphatically dominating teh site!!! Posted: August 21, 2009 at 10:06 PM (#3301331)
(suck my uterus)

But you should. That would be awesome!

As for changes in the times, there have been many, but the elderly's complete and utter disrespect for youth is one routine that has amazing staying power.
   93. nick swisher hygiene Posted: August 21, 2009 at 10:10 PM (#3301334)
youth, on the other hand, have since time immemorial displayed respect for the wisdom of age--oh.
   94. Swedish Chef Posted: August 21, 2009 at 10:21 PM (#3301345)
I read a book about the Lunar Society (a scientific club in Birmingham), the straightlaced early Victorian children looked down on their parents for their free thinking, godless and lecherous 18th century ways.
   95. Ray (RDP) Posted: August 21, 2009 at 10:27 PM (#3301352)
(suck my uterus)


In that connection, I note that, apparently, sending a text message from your wife's phone to her ex-boyfriend that says "suck it" after you have killed your wife turns out not to be the best of ideas.
   96. Cooperstown Schtick Posted: August 21, 2009 at 10:38 PM (#3301362)
Their hitting is at this point irrelevant, once it's determined that they're both playing.

Which is why I've never understood the argument that Player X hits well enough to play short but not well enough to play left. If you have the lineup you want, and the cumulative offense and defense of that lineup, regardless of the distribution, is competitive, then what difference does it make where those individual players are positioned? If the most logical defensive alignment puts a weaker hitter in left, what difference? It feels like the big picture view of the collective team concept is getting lost in these assessments of where individual players "can" play based on their offensive production. I'm sure I'm not saying anything that hasn't been said before in response to this, and maybe there's a logical response that I haven't seen, but I haven't seen it and I don't intuitively grasp it.
   97. Steve Treder Posted: August 21, 2009 at 10:50 PM (#3301370)
Which is why I've never understood the argument that Player X hits well enough to play short but not well enough to play left. If you have the lineup you want, and the cumulative offense and defense of that lineup, regardless of the distribution, is competitive, then what difference does it make where those individual players are positioned?

Well, the ARod/Jeter situation then is a bad example, because it's a case in which both players were so good they were obviously going to play, and the only question was which one moves to third.

But the vast majority of teams aren't in a situation anything like that. The vast majority of teams DON'T "have the lineup they want," and for the vast majority of teams, "the cumulative offense and defense of the lineup" ISN'T optimally competitive. The vast majority of teams are continually struggling with issues of talent scarcity, mixing and matching the strengths and weaknesses of players who aren't so good as to be guaranteed a starting job.

And in this circumstance, compromises must be made. If you want a good fielder to play shortstop, second base, or center field, you're almost certainly going to have to sacrifice some offense, because players who can handle those positions defensively and still hit like 230-pound first basemen are in short supply. If this weren't the case, every team would just fill their roster with a bunch of power-hitting brutes and not worry about where they played defensively, but in real life such a team would surrender more runs on defense than they generate on offense.

What all this boils down to is the practical reality that the offensive barrier to entry to being a major league middle infielder/center fielder is lower than that for a first baseman/corner outfielder, and conversely the defensive barrier to entry is lower at the corners than it is up the middle. Maximizing team production within an environment of sub-optimal talent supply requires focusing players into the positions at which their strengths will be leveraged and their weaknesses sheltered, to the degree possible.
   98. Athletic Supporter gangnam style Posted: August 21, 2009 at 10:55 PM (#3301373)
I think the logical response comes from the following question: why do you want your best defender playing short? It's because shortstops get the most chances, and you want your better defenders getting more chances (although obviously the relevant skillset differs between outfielders and infielders, and to a lesser extent within those groups.) If Derek Jeter is a 3 defender at SS and a 5 at 3B, and Alex Rodriguez is a 7 at SS and a 9 at 3B, then if SS gets more chances (or to be more precise, more variance, the existence of trivial chances being immaterial), you want A-Rod there. If a shortstop is fielding twice as many balls, you'd rather have your expected defender be (2*7+5)/3 = 6.33 rather than (2*3+9)/3 = 5.00. (For actual GB numbers this is a good reference.)

Now, of course, if one thinks Jeter's skills will translate worse to 3B than A-Rod's, then it's perfectly reasonable to have the worse defender at SS. But this is the general principle if we assume that players' skill sets translate equally.
   99. Athletic Supporter gangnam style Posted: August 21, 2009 at 10:58 PM (#3301375)
Which is why I've never understood the argument that Player X hits well enough to play short but not well enough to play left. If you have the lineup you want, and the cumulative offense and defense of that lineup, regardless of the distribution, is competitive, then what difference does it make where those individual players are positioned?

To answer this specifically in the above vein, it's much easier to overcome offensive deficiency at shortstop than LF, because the coefficient applied to your defensive skill is higher. If your optimal defensive alignment of 8 players had a bad hitter in LF and a better hitter at SS, it's just statistically likely that you could find a better LF option because the defensive coefficient in LF is so low that improving that player's hitting at the cost of LF defense is almost certainly possible.
   100. tjm1 Posted: August 21, 2009 at 11:02 PM (#3301377)
Which is why I've never understood the argument that Player X hits well enough to play short but not well enough to play left. If you have the lineup you want, and the cumulative offense and defense of that lineup, regardless of the distribution, is competitive, then what difference does it make where those individual players are positioned?


It doesn't. The point is more that Player X hits well enough to be a good player at shortstop, but doesn't hit well enough to be a good player in left field. Let's take someone more like Alex Cora, than Alex Rodriguez. Alex Cora in his prime was a tremendous defensive shortstop and second baseman, and had a few years where he got on base enough to be a decent overall offensive player, but usually was well below average offensively. If have no doubt that if he had been given a spring training to work on playing the outfield, he'd have been an outstanding defensive left fielder. The problem is that most of the plays a left fielder handles are routine. Cora might catch one ball a week that someone like Jeremy Hermida (just to pick an all-around somewhat below average left fielder) would miss. That wouldn't come close to the offensive difference between them. At shortstop, on the other hand, Cora might make three plays a week that someone like Hermida wouldn't make. That would make Cora more valuable.

Now on an occasional basis, just because of the talent around, a team might put a so-so hitter at a hitter's position because they don't have a guy who's an overall better fit for that position. But in the long run, that guy is either someone who needs to move to a more defense-oriented position (if he's a good enough fielder), or just be outright replaced with a better player.
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