The team is struggling of late. Not only are we not producing runs, but we are giving up an alarmingly high number of hits. Three of our last five games have featured our opponents collecting at least 17 hits...that's a no-no.
Our starting rotation, from 1-6, has struggled mightily of late which is not a good sign. Hopefully we can turn things around tonight against Thunder Bay. For whatever reason, this season, we have had their number. Yeah, they are at the bottom of the division, but they aren't so far down that everyone beats up on them like we do...As a matter of fact, we have the best record against them than anyone else. Nothing wrong with beating up on the bad teams.
I am a huge Texas Rangers fan and I am so excited for their success. It is the first summer in four years I have not worked in the Rangers press box so instead of spending my summer at The Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, I am spending it at Mills Field here in Brainerd.
Anyway, I was reading a Rangers article the other day and came across this quote from Rangers left-handed starting pitcher, C.J. Wilson, when comparing the Rangers and their division rival, the LAAAAAAAAA of AAAAA Angels.
"We're the better team, 100 percent. When we play up to our capabilities, it might not be that close. We have a better balance to our team. They have good pitching. We have more wins. It's pretty simple. I'd rather take our offense. I'd rather take our defense. I'd much rather have our bullpen."
Pretty poignant, huh? In my experiences dealing with C.J., he is a very bright and fun person to be around and, what media members love most about him, is that he speaks his mind.
After he heard the comments, Angels centerfielder Torii Hunter said the most sensible thing an athlete could say in response to the comments when he brushed aside any hard feelings and suggested that everyone feels that way about their team. I love Torii Hunter and love him even more with that response.
C.J.'s comments were mildly controversial but I do not know why. He did not slight the Angels, simply commented on his team and their abilities over the Angels. He pointed out Rangers advantages and strengths rather than Angels disadvantages and shortcomings...
A friend of mine warned me that it would provide bulletin board material and I snapped...
Bulletin board material. You hear it all the time, mostly in football when teams take stabs at each other during the week. But what is it? To me, it is a sports cliche that the media likes to use to create a storyline, but nothing of any kind of substance...
Does a player offended by those comments think to himself: Man, I can't believe he said that. **** him, I am going to play harder now!
I hope not. If they do, I don't know that I want that person on my team. I don't want someone who needs others to motivate him and bring out his best work ethic. Rather, I want guys who will play their best and work their hardest because of their purest desire to win.
I believe most professional athletes have this burnign competitive desire and that bulletin board material truly does not exist. Do players take heed of what is and is not said? Sure. If a player is attacked in the media by another player, might that attackee seek out the attacker with the intent of responding with some extra aggression? Yeah. That happens without a doubt. But does that extra aggression help his team win? No. If anything, it might only hurt his team.
I wish professional athletes would speak their mind more often, though I understand they have reasons for not doing so...I just hope their fear of creating bulletin board material is not one of them.
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