Instead of focusing on last nights loss (although I might come back to it b/c I heard on EEI this morning that Judas Demon was shit talking after the game and I haven't heard/read what he said yet*) I just HAD to post an article about Dustin Pedroia.
I found this article from a post by Beth at Cursed to First who got it from Texas Gal who got it from Hacks with Haggs - man I love the blogesphere. Anyway, it's the best article I've read in a while and really gives you a great perspective into the relationship between a coach and a player. And into the "mind" of a major league player.
http://hackswithhaggs.com/2007/08/26/did-you-hear-the-story-about-pedroia.aspx
Some of my favorite quotes:
He’s really willed his way to the big leagues…he really has. Let’s break it
down: He’s 5-foot-6, he’s can’t run, he’s not strong, his bat speed and his
hands are tremendous because his arms are only about 11 inches long and so
close to his body that he’s not getting to anything hit 5 or 6 inches to the
right or left of him and he doesn’t have a lick of athletic ability…yet he’s
a rookie of the year candidate.
He’s just a throwback, this kid…his intent is very easily seen. He catches every ball that’s hit to him, he makes every throw accurately to get every out, and he centers the baseball on the barrel…that’s his game.
I’ve been trying to figure it out and I can’t. Mike Gallego is a good friend of mine and I used to tell him that he reminded me of Gags. That used to piss Pedroia off. He would say ‘Mike [expletive] Gallego, are you [expletive] me?’ and he would say that all the way back when he was a freshman. Can you imagine a freshman in college baseball reacting like that when you’re comparing him to a Major Leaguer…but that’s exactly the way Pedro is.
He is the most unique player I’ve ever been around and I don’t put anything past him.He moved to the big leagues and he struggled early, and I was worried about him…but the only thing I said to him is to stop being a wimp and to go out there and do it. I said to him ‘Pedro, you’re 5-foot-6, you’re balding and you’re not an athlete…how the hell are you in the big leagues? Figure that out and go get it done.’
Here’s our first meeting: he walks in and I’m in this little cubby hole office that I have in the stadium and he’s just got this plain white cut-off undershirt on. He walks by and he’s this pale white kid who is about 5-foot-6 and 130-pounds and he’s this big hullabaloo recruit. People are coming up to me and going ‘this is your big recruit shortstop?’ I’m like okay and then Pedroia walks by, flexes and then says ‘Hey Murph check out these guns, man.’ The guy has the biceps of a six-year-old, he has no business wearing a shirt with cut-off sleeves and I’m getting blinded by the shine from the head of a college freshman that’s going bald; then he just proceeded to go out and make every play.
*ohhhhhhhhh I just heard.
"It's taken a number of players to replace me. I'm Johnny f'n Damon" Get over yourself. Loser.
