Everyone knows that one play cannot change the outcome of a game. Youk, watsamatta wityu?Originally Posted by SoxHop
Everyone knows that one play cannot change the outcome of a game. Youk, watsamatta wityu?
The King of TalkSox has Spoken.
That's one of the biggest pieces of hogwash ever perpetrated on an athlete. Of course one play can change the outcome of a game. It may be true in the global sense but try telling that to a player who makes an error allowing the tieing and winning runs to score in the bottom of the 9th.
This is something we tell kids in Little League so we don't damage their psyche, something I wholly support BTW. But at some point in everyone's career they recognize that everything they do has the potential to cause the team to lose so they focus a little more, try a little harder. It's called "Motivation".
"One play doesn't change the outcome of a game" works well for little kids. It's all a part of building their confidence. But giving professional athletes a pass on bad plays because someone else made a bad play only perpetrates the bad plays.
Fortunately the players see it. It's the "a trophy for everyone" fans who don't.
It's a mere moment in a man's life between the All-Star game and the Old Timer's game.
-Vin Scully
I honestly don't think there's anyone who thinks 'a trophy for everyone' can ever be applied to professional sports.
That comment may have been taken a bit too literally. My point was that there are those fans who believe in "a trophy for everyone' for kids and they then allow that attitude to somehow absolve professional players of any responsibility for their mistakes.
Why can't we just step up and say, "That ball he threw to the middle of the plate and got hit for the grand slam homer in the 3rd inning probably cost the team the game"? The player knows it. Deep down the fans know it. Why is it so verboten to speak of it? It's all a part of the attitude that "if it's everyone's fault it's nobody's fault" mentality that I find it hard to subscribe to.
It's a mere moment in a man's life between the All-Star game and the Old Timer's game.
-Vin Scully
It's certainly not verboten for fans to say that. Most fans probably would. Some see things differently, that's really all there is to it.
Well, I suppose anyone can read a piece of gnomic wisdom any way they want. But I don't think everyone who disagrees is necessarily a bad person who is ruining sports as well as our kids' future. The reason I tend to accept this rule ('no game is decided by one play') is the same reason I hate replay. No coach or player draws up a game-plan that includes getting the favorable or correct call on a close play, whether that's a ball/strike call, or in football, a foot landing a millimeter inside or outside the line. All those plays (that is, every play that goes to replay, and yes every borderline pitch) is essentially a coin-flip as far as game tactics and relative skill is concerned. So to me (as far as replay is concerned), you may as well have them called on the field (for better or worse). And if you're a hitter, you better be swinging at anything close on a 2-strike pitch; as a pitcher, you better get more of the plate on a 3-x count (I don't think if a professional athlete does that, that means they're a "trophe for everyone" guy).
I don't know what replay has to do with this. I guess you're saying bad calls by the ump that affect the outcome should be part of the deal - they should be one of the potential 'big plays'.
It was nice to see Porcello pitch so well, giving most of the pen some rest in the process.
Here's some interesting tidbits on Porcello from my favorite tweeter:
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats 7h7 hours ago
Opponents have hit .320 with 6 homers and a .600 slugging off Porcello changeups this year.... he's dumped the pitch, 0 in his last 2 starts
Porcello's sinker had about 5" more drop tonight than in his last start, about 3" more than his average for this season.
Awesome. Aggressive baserunning at its finest.
Had he been caught, it would have been deemed the boneheaded play of the season.
Yes they figured something out - not to throw his changeup.
Interesting stat on Rick, when the Sox score 3 or more runs for him he's 10-0 with a 3.69 era, and the team is a perfect 13-0, in those games.
This is funny. Because I know for a fact, if he was caught I would have called it a boneheaded decision. I would have chalked it up as "Benni being Benni", as I almost think that is a thing now. And last night I almost posted something about that decision to run as being written down as a boneheaded decision.
If there ever was an example of the fine line between boneheaded and aggressive, that play was one of them.
In the town where I was born
Lived a man who sailed to sea
And he told us of his life
In the land of submarines
So we sailed up to the sun
'Til we found a sea of green
And we lived beneath the waves
In our yellow submarine
ahahah....... I didn't know this...........
I wonder how that conversation went. hey Rick.......... you know that change up you throw............ well don't throw it anymore............. your changup is crap....
In the town where I was born
Lived a man who sailed to sea
And he told us of his life
In the land of submarines
So we sailed up to the sun
'Til we found a sea of green
And we lived beneath the waves
In our yellow submarine
Watching it on television my first reaction was that it was a boneheaded thing to be even trying to do in spite of the fact that he was safe, but after watching it on the replay when I could see the whole field I changed my mind. Beni had a huge running lead and he really only had to go about 60' to be safe.
Anytime a player tries to steal a base it's a gamble but that one was a smart gamble. It's the dumb ones that bother me.
It's a mere moment in a man's life between the All-Star game and the Old Timer's game.
-Vin Scully
I just don't understand what took Cobb so long to figure out what was going on. He must have been in his own world. He didn't even react at all until Benny was about 3/4 the way down the path. maybe even longer.
In the town where I was born
Lived a man who sailed to sea
And he told us of his life
In the land of submarines
So we sailed up to the sun
'Til we found a sea of green
And we lived beneath the waves
In our yellow submarine
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