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…i am back at the stadium…it’s so peaceful in the mornings here…every one is just setting up, it’s sunny, but calm and muggy, the sound of sprinklers tap in the background…
…i have a great view of the player’s parking lot from where i am writing in the media room…one by one guys pull up, roll out of their fancy car, grab their bag and hop to the clubhouse…i have found it interesting just how clock-work their day is, in the way that my day is, or your day is…it’s like they come in, punch a clock, do their work and go home…it just so happens work for them is playing baseball…
…at any rate, i am going in to the locker room to see what that’s all about…i should be back sooner than later…
that post reminds me of something Barry Bonds said recently, it was something along the lines of “I haven’t played baseball since college. I’ve worked for the last 20 years. This is a job, not a game.”
Now, granted, he’s a sociopath, but I wonder how many MLB’ers feel that way? I think he’s absolutely dead wrong…and I guarantee you guys like David Wright & Jose Reyes still realize they’re being payed to play a game, but I wonder how many of the older vets forget that. It’s kinda sad, really.
Agree that for Reyes and Wright, it isn’t just a job.
I think it varies greatly from player to player in how they view their “jobs.”
Would Piazza be looking to still latch on to a team if it were just a job to him? At this point in his career and with all the money he’s made, I’m guessing he would have hung it up a long time ago if baseball were just a job for him.
Alou also. Not because he is filthy rich…just because he really seems to love the game and continues to comment how lucky he is to have the quick hands still so he can continue to play
Alou after the final loss to the marlins in ‘07; “I really hate baseball right now.”
Quote.
That goes to show you that he loves baseball and is quite passionate about it.
A very different reponse than T#m Gl@v!ne, who was not quite devastated with his outing.
Certainly two sides of a spectrum
I agree about Piazza and Alou. Another good example: Rickey Henderson. The guy played in the friggin Eastern League for 2 years so he could keep playing baseball. Imagine that, a 1st ballot hall-of-famer playing in a glorified Double-A league.
Don’t bet that all the guys like Rickey just love baseball. Some of them probably like the fame, groupies, fans, etc. basically the trappings of the lifestyle.
It can be hard to retire into the background when you are used to being a star!
thats definitely true for alot of guys, they like being in the spotlight, they like being recognized. i think rickey is 50/50 in that he does love being rickey and being loved by fans but he also loves the game i dont think we could argue against that.
This is a great place to tell my favorite(and only good story) of the 2007 season. After the Maine game 161 game I called the Box Office and bought 2 tickets to the Glavine game 162 debacle. Anyway, I was able to get 2 in the Picnic Area. My buddy and I were under the bleachers for most of the game, and frankly after the 1st inning the season was officially over for me.
By the 6th or 7th people started leaving and we went upstairs to the bleachers. It sounds strange,but it was kind of cathartic to sit there on what was(otherwise) a beautiful day, and just watch baseball knowing the worst was over. Nothing else bad could happen. Not to mention knowing this was the last taste of baseball I would get for 6 months. For the 8th and 9th inning when Alou ran on and off the field my buddy and I (and no one else) gave him a standing ovation and screamed ‘Its not your fault Moises”. I knew he played his ass off when he was out there and how much this hurt him just as much as it hurt us. Along with a few other guys I dont blame him for 2007 one bit. He hit .341 for Christs sake and gave me one of the last happy moments of 2007 with that big HR.
Before he ran off the field after the top of the 9th he pumped his fist of his heart and pointed up to us. It was legitimitaly one of the coolest moments I’ve ever had at a park, and it officially ended the 2007 Mets for me.
Anyway, maybe its not proof, but to me it was a little way of him showing that he’s one of the good ones and I’m glad they brought hm back.
great story. I love him a little more right now. Thanks for sharing
Well, technically it is a game, but it is their job and livelihood. So yes, they are going to work. And not everyone actually enjoys what they do for a living, they just do it for th emoney.
Actors get paid a lot of money, and they work, but I was in plays in HS for fun, so is that the same thing?
oh, I have no problem with them acting professionally and taking their jobs seriously, but I just think some people, with Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens being extreme examples, just take it TOO seriously. I think some of these guys don’t realize just how lucky they are: how many of us on this message board would be willing to play baseball for free? Or heck, how many of us actually PAY to be in baseball or softball leagues? And these guys are out there being paid millions to do the same thing. It’s a pretty awesome gig. And I’d say the same goes for actors (and to a slightly lesser extent writers/directors/etc.)…they get to do a hobby for a living.
I’m not saying that’s a bad thing: I’m certainly glad they do it, and do it at such a high level. I just feel sorry for the guys like Bonds who don’t realize how lucky they are. I’m reading Boys of Summer right now by Roger Kahn, about the 1952-53 Brooklyn Dodgers, and he catches up with all of them in the early 70’s, and to a man they pretty much all talk about how lucky they were to get to play baseball, even though none of them became millionaires because of it.
My guess is that both are true. They know they are playing a game, but they approach it with a professional attitude as they know *alot* is riding on their performance.
Cerrone, next time it’s all quiet and no one’s around. Go tell Peterson about your idea to put Duque in the bullpen, so he can roll up one of his notebooks and beat you about the head and chest.
I think you have to see it as a job and not a game. If it was just a game, you wouldn’t care how you performed. If it’s your job, then you make sure you do the best you can. I’m sure competiveness and pride are factors that influence players, however, I doubt many of the players would go through all they do (being away from family for 8 months, abusing their bodies, dealing with the media, etc.) if they weren’t being compensated for it.
but their job *is* a game. I don’t think it’s possible to separate the two. And as I said above, I don’t want them to not take it seriously, and not work hard at it. I was more commenting that I feel sorry for the ones who see it as only a job. From 1871-1980ish guys played the game for 6 months, then went home to their other job for another 6 months, because they weren’t making nearly as much as guys today (in real or adjusted dollars.) But they still played, and still took it seriously.
have you ever seen a bunch of decrepit middle aged guys, with braces everywhere, practically kill themselves in a mens BB or SB league (basketball too)? talk about competitive, and they sure ain’t getting paid!
You don’t have to get paid to be competitive. However, you do have to get paid to be a professional. Pros work hard because this is serious business.
It’s great if they enjoy their jobs as much as Wright and Reyes do, but it’s not required.
On the other hand, they must work hard and be professional, because as much as you love the game and are competitive, if you don’t work hard and take the game seriously, you will not be successful.
Isn’t this why so many kids go into basketball over baseball and football to a lesser extent, because they can make money quicker. I’m sure they are just as competitive in either sport, however, they know that they’ll have to sacrifice and want to be compensated for it right away.
Once you settle in and have a cup of coffee, go read Newsday’s artcle by the ever-so-positive Wallace Mathews just to get your day started. While the optomist sees the glass half full and the pessimist sees the glass half empty, Mathews manages to see the same glass virtually empty.
No, Wallace Matthews sees the glass smashed to pieces.
wow…
that was the most insane article i’ve ever read
Read the comments. Other than one Yankee/Islander fan (talk about issues!), the readers ripped old Wally to shreds.
I don’t care if he writes something negative, if it is well thought out and contains facts, but that article was about as intelligent as the posts on metsblog from FMM.
well. we all knew that article was going to be written by somebody and its not the last time youre going to see one in that vein.
regardless, it was kind of whitty and made me laugh. you cant fake funny.
and he does bring up some good points.
but
today is 62 degrees and it feels like spring
LETS
Go
METS
I don’t think Wallace Matthews has known a single moment of joy in his entire life. If he was hanging out with Kafka, ol’ Franz would probably tell him he needs to lighten up a little.
Give Wallace Matthews a break…the yankee shill still hasn’t come to grips about Pettite and Clemens cheating during his beloved dynasty years.
Oh and I’d love to have a baseball player’s job. I know “be careful what you wish for” but it has to be better than accounting work!
Lets hope Maine has a good outing today
you’re making me drool…. BUT i will be down there in 5 days to get my fix
Off topic …
Klapisch wrote an article today that said Gooden is in a bad state now so that even he blew off Darryl when he tried to contact him last year.
A must-read article, but very sad. I hope this gig works out for Darryl and he stays with the Mets a long time. It remains to be seen if Doc can ever turn his personal life around.
Here’s the link:
northjersey.com/sports/mets/Gooden_is_out_of_control.html
That is truly sad. I wish Doc would get his act together. I saw an article in ‘06 when he was in jail around the time of the Mets 20 year anniversary of ‘86 and he spoke of how he regrets what he did and how he wished to be at the celebration and enjoy mothers day with his mom. It seemed like he was turning a corner because it was the first time he had actually had to pay the price for his actions. I guess it was all a show.
In this peaceful morning, there are professional athletes that will have to train very hard to get to where they want to be, worried about injuries, or just dealing with the pressure of securing the role they want on the major league team. Then there are reporters who have to write and report to exacting standards by their respective news organizations. They have to be on the ball 24/7, looking for stories, making predictions, etc.
And there’s Matt Cerrone, a blogger and Mets fan, possibly the only one who gets to enjoy the scene and wax poetic about it. :)
I hate you Matt.