Even more feedback
Man, this blog is starting to write itself. I'll just post these, then resume shaking my head at the letter in this week's Sports Illustrated with the headline "K - K - K Katie."
First off, Simon F. telegraphs from Idaho again, where he took a break from his weekly Friday hunt for Communists and other undesirables:
Well Dave, the Mike Morse hysteria has yet to even approach it's
zenith. These are the Mariners, Dave, and their fans are among the
most fawning in the game. In the midst of last year's dreariness —
which reminded me of my fave M's teams of 1977-90, except for with a
much higher payroll — everybody was talking about how the future looked
so bright with youngsters like Bucky Jacobsen and Bobby Madritsch.
Those guys have combined for, I believe, two appearances this year
thanks to injuries. Madritsch might still be a studboy for them, which
is to say a decent No. 3 or 4 starter for a few years.
But Bucky Jacobsen? Bucky Jacobsen? He's Pat Putnam. Dave Edler. Gary
Grey. Richie Zisk. These are some of the fine M's first basemen of my
youth. I love them all, without reservation, but they were all total
turds.
You notice, I did not say Ken Phelps, because Bucky Jacobsen is not
that good.
So, yes, Mariners fans and their announcers fall in love too easily. I
am betting if I were to put on a Mariners uniform, and look like I
MIGHT be able to hit a jack while walking around during BP, Dave
Niehaus would probably talk about this "good-looking kid" the M's just
signed. Niehaus, BTW, doesn't keep his fawning to Mariners players. He
once said that Cecil Fielder was built like a "Greek God."
And next, a regular correspondent I'll call the Texas Yankees Fan chimes in with a really good point on how John Trautwein's role on the 1988 Sox demonstrates just how much the game has change:
The Trautwein reference actually shows how much the game has changed in two decades. Never mind that Roger has zero complete games in his last two Cy Young seasons, but in 1988, the Sox had Trautwein on the roster all season because he was a Rule 5. Imagine a team being able to carry a relief pitcher for the entire season for nine innings. Implausible. Bullpens are overworked as is and most have six pitchers now. Some seven. In 1986, every team in the Majors had 10-man staffs, five starters, five relievers. It's just weird how LaRussa reinvented baseball. And for the worse, too.
Anyway, I have to make my semi-weekly pitch here: The site is growing much faster than I expected, through good ol' fashioned grassroots word-of-mouth. If you're one of those people who have added me to your daily online reads, please send on the link to my site to a friend or two. Thanks.
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