Thats great news.
Like I said earlier, serious injuries from line drives back at pitchers are very rare. I dont think its worth outfitting them with special gear
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Blue Jays, 2013 edition
- Thread starter Perry Mason
- Start date
Like I said earlier, serious injuries from line drives back at pitchers are very rare. I dont think its worth outfitting them with special gear
The equipment suggested is basically a ballistic cap worn inside the regular baseball cap, barely visible.They could wear the John Olerud fielding helmet. Basically a small batting helmet without the ear flaps protecting the temple. Not very stylish though.
This is simply atrocious!
Is it possible for a pitcher to forget how to pitch?
Because that, obviously, is what happened to Romero about a year ago.
Perry
Is it possible for a pitcher to forget how to pitch?
Because that, obviously, is what happened to Romero about a year ago.
Perry
Yes.Is it possible for a pitcher to forget how to pitch?
Perry
Steve Blass.
Mark Wohlers.
Rick Ankiel.
Three names that immediately come to mind.
From Dirk Hayhurst:This is simply atrocious!
How To Kill an All-Star.
Last year I said Ricky Romero should not have been in the big leagues to finish the year. He should have been sent down to recover from whatever mental issues were ailing him. The process should have started then, in 2012 when time was on his side.
If you look back at his numbers, without the benefit of eyes on his individual performances last year, you may be inclined to build the sterile narrative that it was the lack of run support that really broke him. But the truth is, Ricky wasn't there.
Not Ricky the resilient, big league all-star. His ability to handle rough innings and recover accordingly left him. He didn't just walk guys, nibbling and missing the plate by inches; he threw balls into the dirt in front of the plate and then stood the catcher up on ball out of the zone. He got exponentially worse in jams, and relied on the mistakes of opposing hitters to get him out.
It was this dramatic way in which his ability left him that warranted a call for demotion. There are pitchers who have bad luck. Even long stretches of bad luck. Then there are pitchers who lose their abilities, who pitch crippled, who look lost. Those are the ones that need to go down, and Ricky fit the bill.
Finally, after a 2013 spring training of the same, the Jays came to their senses sent Ricky down to work it out.
But the longer the Jays waited, the worse it was going to get. I think they waited to far long. However, when they finally made the decision, I was pleased because I believed they'd surely—since it was like pulling teeth for them to actually do it— take the all the time needed to get Ricky right. It was obvious they cared about his career, they wouldn't possibly rush him back until absolutely sure he was fixed. Not after all he'd been through...Would they?
You can imagine how disappointed I was at his premature return.
The call to return Ricky to the bigs was an absolute mishandling of a career on the part of the Blue Jays.
If you're going to overhaul a player, and you know that player's confidence is a factor, how can you, in good conscience, throw him back into the fiercest competition after only a single outing in High A?
Any baseball man worth his salt knows the true test of a pitcher is not what he does when he has his good stuff. It's what he does when he's got nothing. Ricky was never put in struggle situation before returning to the big leagues. If he had been, the Jays would have realized he was not ready. How could they not let him recreate the variables that broke him last year to see how he'd react?
Now, instead of having a guy hungry for the bigs, building a firm foundation to work off of, learning to trust the organizations guidance, the Jays have a mess on their hands. A career that, despite all efforts to grind, and fight, and harness the inner bulldog, could be DOA.
Instead of taking their time and fully rebuilding Ricky, the Jays paid him a great disservice. When a player is in a fragile place, removing them from play is a traumatic, soul crushing thing. It's a rock bottom moment. The only upshot is, things can only get better. And it is that precious ember of hope that the organization must fan into flame lest the player be lost to the darkness of their on self doubt, permanently.
I'll say it plainly. Baring some miraculous turn of events, the jays have ruined Romero. If he makes it back to any level of consistant success with this club, I'll be surprised.
And the worst part is, the Jays had other options. They had a stable full of Triple A innings eaters. The could have bought time. They could have done this differently.
They could have done it right.
Ricky was climbing out of a dark place only to be driven back into it. Lord only knows when he'll feel ready for confident enough to trust himself again. Lord knows when he'll trust the Jays again.
Don't forget Jose Valverde (meltdown in last years playoffs). Looks like he's back now though.Yes.
Steve Blass.
Mark Wohlers.
Rick Ankiel.
Three names that immediately come to mind.
He's finished. Just mentally collapses at the first sign of trouble. We can't have a pitcher like that cuz even the best will get into trouble in the MLB. You NEED the mental fortitude to stay composed and figure a way to get out of trouble, or brush off a bad inning to go on and shut down the rest.
It's like every time he makes a pitch he's thinking "please don't screw up, please don't screw up," when his mind should be focused on making a good pitch.
It's like every time he makes a pitch he's thinking "please don't screw up, please don't screw up," when his mind should be focused on making a good pitch.
I agree.Just mentally collapses at the first sign of trouble.
He did it all last year, showing horrible temper and lack of control when he would come in from the mound and throw his glove and have a tantrum in the dugout...
I said, then, and I say now that he should go see a shrink not a pitching coach!
Perry
Did Romero get into drugs maybe??
He just got sent back to minors btw: http://www.thestar.com/sports/bluej...rs_after_disastrous_outing_against_tampa.html
He just got sent back to minors btw: http://www.thestar.com/sports/bluej...rs_after_disastrous_outing_against_tampa.html
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We all heard of a walkoff home run, right. Well I heard a new expression yesterday, it is call a "walkoff walk".
Well, even though they are not yet consistent and playing up to their skill levels, the BJ's are starting to jell.
Much improved over all even with injuries and losing. The body language has changed somewhat. They seem more confident.
Let's see if they can kick it up a few more notches. If so, there is still hope for this season.
But I am not going to hold my breath waiting...
Perry
Much improved over all even with injuries and losing. The body language has changed somewhat. They seem more confident.
Let's see if they can kick it up a few more notches. If so, there is still hope for this season.
But I am not going to hold my breath waiting...
Perry
Yeah, they did manage to get the grand total of one hit to-night. Could have been worse. Raja Davis hurts himself running to 1st base. Getting injured running the bases is fairly common for the Jays.The body language has changed somewhat. They seem more confident.
Let's see if they can kick it up a few more notches.
Really, name the last five Jays who got hurt running the bases this season. Something tells me you can't.Yeah, they did manage to get the grand total of one hit to-night. Could have been worse. Raja Davis hurts himself running to 1st base. Getting injured running the bases is fairly common for the Jays.
Better question is, which team does not get players injured while doing routine things like running the bases?Really, name the last five Jays who got hurt running the bases this season. Something tells me you can't.
Milton Bradley tore up his knee arguing with an ump and some other guy broke his leg celebrating a home run.
Weird injuries happen routinely but it's more fun to imagine there's is something uber defective about the Jays or there is some kind of conspiracy or curse or whatever.
