The Underground Insight 07.09.07: The Passion and the Fire

Posted by JD Koziarski on 07.09.2007

A simple question: Why do people put so much stock into such subjective, often meaningless, words in baseball? That and some other goodies to head into the All-Star break.

The Show

In Peter Gammons' July 7th blog, he says, "Jose Reyes never stops moving. He makes everyone on the Mets better because of his daily energy, and is the poster person for what high energy [sic] players do for their teams."

A couple months ago, a friend was arguing the merits of Darin Erstad and said that he made everybody on the White Sox better just by being out there. As this friend argued, Erstad's grindery, gritty, dirty hustle makes the other players on the team try harder. I suppose the logic is that trying harder automatically means performing better.

Let us quickly tackle that last point. Sure, being a lollygagger probably means you aren't as focused and won't perform as well as you otherwise might. But that isn't what the argument was. Nobody was saying Jermaine Dye was loafing out on the field. No, it's that 110% that Erstad apparently inspires. But how good is it, especially in baseball, to be extra amped and ready to go? That works in a sport like football where you need to be all out and flying around like a madman. But in baseball, calm and collected is the way to go. Relaxed and just playing "within yourself" is what will produce the best performance, not squeezing sawdust out of the bat because you just have to try so darn hard because that grindy Erstad is.

So, assuming that Erstad trying so hard actually does inspire other players, what is the effect of this? That effect is impossible to quantify, obviously, but if it is there then the White Sox should win more games, right?

Go on, check the record of the White Sox with Erstad in the lineup this year. Go on, do it, because I'm not going to waste my time. I know it's bad.

For Erstad's inspiring effort to truly be effective, especially since he's horrible at baseball, the players he motivates to play better have to more than compensate for his deficiency on the diamond. And, well, they don't. In fact, there's no evidence anywhere that anybody has ever played even a little bit better because of Erstad's presence. Maybe he makes going to work everyday a little more fun, but all that passion and fire don't translate to wins. In fact, "passion" and "fire" really only matter when combined with "talent."

Jose Reyes has talent. So does Derek Jeter, who also has that passion that drives players to unparalleled success. In that same Gammons blog, he quotes an anonymous scout (good thing his name was omitted, because if he gave his name he would probably be fired for incompetence) who said, "Look what Darin Erstad did for the Angels all those years. That was part of what made George Brett one of the greatest players who ever played."

During Erstad's career with the Angels, they made the playoffs three times. They did win one World Series (they can thank Dusty Baker's general managerial stupidity for that), but in eleven years with the Angels they finished with a losing record four times. It seems to me that all Erstad did for the Angels "all those years" was have three good offensive seasons. What made George Brett "one of the greatest players who ever played" – he's one of the best third basemen, but I'm not sure he's in anybody's top 25 greatest players – was his .856 career OPS. He wasn't making All-Star teams and winning Silver Slugger awards because he had the passion in his belly. He was receiving accolades for actually being good at baseball.

So for those people who believe that the passion and the fire make a team better, why are the aforementioned White Sox so bad this year? They have one of the most passionate managers in baseball! Why are the Yankees ten games behind the Red Sox? They have Derek Jeter! And why have the Cardinals been so bad? They have fiery little David the Gnome leading the charge!

Passion and fire are fine. Those guys make the game a little more fun, and they're certainly more fun to root for than a guy like Manny Ramirez who isn't afraid to job out an easy ground ball. But you know what? Manny Ramirez is a better player than most people who have the passion and the fire, and he's going to win you more baseball games. These guys are professionals. They go to work everyday. And yeah, maybe some guys have a lot of extra energy, but does the guy in the cubicle next to you with all that energy make you work any harder? I didn't think so.

Spraying to All Fields

Mark Buehrle Stays in Chicago

How cool is it that Mark Buehrle took considerably less money and years to remain in a White Sox uniform? While the players union will probably be very unhappy with him, it is commendable that in a day where the highest bidder always wins that just this once that wasn't the case. Players always say how they want to stay with the team they're on, then a month later sign with a big market team for a whole lot of cash. But Buehrle meant it, and he sacrificed every step of the way to get the deal done. Of course, this entire process makes Kenny Williams look like the Grade-A jerk that we all know he is. But this is a good thing for White Sox fans in a year where nothing is very good.

A-Rod hits his 30th

I'm gonna say it right now: Alex Rodriguez rules. And unless it directly affects one of my rooting interests, I want him to hit a home run every time he steps to the plate. The less time Barry Bonds is the Human-Growth King of the Home Run World, the better. The best part is that after this season he's going to leave New York and go to a city that will be able to appreciate just how unbelievably talented he actually is.

Jason Ellison is a little you-know-what

I don't know if Jason Ellison is one to pray, but if he is, he better be on his knees tonight thanking some invisible man that Joe Blanton didn't absolutely destroy his face during the little A's/Mariners scuffle today. For those who missed it, mlb.com has the video clip. In short, Ichiro and Ellison had scored on a play. The throw from the outfield got by Jason Kendall, so Blanton ran towards the Mariners players to retrieve the ball. Ichiro was standing right next to the ball so Blanton gave him a little shove. It was harmless and done only to make the play. Well, at that point, Ellison grabbed Blanton and shoved him. Benches cleared, Blanton was ejected and Ellison wasn't. Ellison cannot be suspended since he wasn't ejected from the game, but I hope Major League Baseball suspends him the maximum they can for inciting a bench-clearing incident. And Joe Blanton should get a medal for not crippling Ellison.

Ellison, you are now on my list right next to Doug Mientkiewicz and Robert Fick of players who are nothing more than obnoxious, whiny, and cheap.

Say What?

"Of the 8 AL starters, only Derek Jeter was born and bred in America." – Stuart Scott

Scott said that on the post-Sunday Night Baseball edition of SportsCenter last Sunday. I find this a curious statement considering ESPN's favorite whipping boy, Alex Rodriguez, was born in New York, the only American city that ESPN acknowledges. Furthermore, Ivan Rodriguez was born in Puerto Rico, which means Rodriguez is a United States citizen, and thus American, at birth. Maybe this isn't exactly Scott's fault, since I doubt he writes his own copy. At any rate, somebody at the Boo Ya Network needs to have some docked pay for this particular nugget of misinformation.

You Oughta Know
Cameron Maybin, OF, Detroit Tigers Born: 04/04/1987 Birthplace: Asheville, North Carolina Height: 6'4" Weight: 205 Bats: Right Throws: Right High School: T.C. Roberson (Asheville, NC)

Maybin is injured right now, but so far this year he has been tearing up the Florida State League with a .396 OBP and .466 SLG. He was just as good last year in the Midwest League where he hit .304/.387/.457. A recent mlb.com article on Maybin promotes him as a five-tool player who is sure to make an impact before long. And they're right, but it's not the "five tools" that excites me. Lots of players have been five-tools guys who actually were bad at baseball. Corey Patterson is one of those guys.

Maybin gets on base and in just one year has already developed some pop in the bat. He has also grown an inch and put on five pounds since his first pro season last year. He's only 20 and might not be ready for the Tigers outfield for a couple years, but Maybin looks like one of those sure things who could be ready to roam the spacious Comerica outfield sooner rather than later.

Enter the Sandman

So the All-Star break is upon us, but I already did an All-Star column a few weeks ago. In all honesty, the All-Star game has never been that interesting to me. Even if it counts, I still don't care a whole lot. I'll watch it because there won't be anything else on TV, but my main reason for watching is to see if Aaron Rowand gets in the game. In a way, I take the next three days to recharge my own baseball batteries. When you watch as much baseball as I do (both for this column and just because I love the sport), a few days without it can be a blessing.

I leave you with some All-Star predictions going into next week: Home Run Derby winner – Justin Morneau. All-Star Game MVP – Carlos Guillen.