02-09-2009, 11:48 PM
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->That's what, back in 1997? He was a 25-year-old then.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
OK, so clutchness is <b>not</b> an <i>inherent trait </i>that some guys like Jeter and Reggie just have in spades...it's something that "grows" with age. That's your story?
At age 25, Manny had just completed his 3rd straight full season with an OPS+ above 140 (for comparison, the last time the Cubs have had a player with an OPS+ that high, in even a <i>single</i> season, was back during D. Lee's monster year in 2005)...he was a superstar, and the best player on pennant-winning team. I fact, this was his <i>second</i> World Series, having led the Tribe to the '95 Series too. So he was hardly some unexperienced rook.
When Bobby Thomson hit his famous pennant-winning homer, he was 27. When Bill Mazeroski hit his World Series-winning blast in 1960, he was 23.
If Manny was truly "clutch," he would have won that Series for the Tribe with a timely hit.
But he didn't, because "clutchness" isn't an actual trait. Excellence is, and Manny has done well in other tight situations because he's an excellent hitter.
OK, so clutchness is <b>not</b> an <i>inherent trait </i>that some guys like Jeter and Reggie just have in spades...it's something that "grows" with age. That's your story?
At age 25, Manny had just completed his 3rd straight full season with an OPS+ above 140 (for comparison, the last time the Cubs have had a player with an OPS+ that high, in even a <i>single</i> season, was back during D. Lee's monster year in 2005)...he was a superstar, and the best player on pennant-winning team. I fact, this was his <i>second</i> World Series, having led the Tribe to the '95 Series too. So he was hardly some unexperienced rook.
When Bobby Thomson hit his famous pennant-winning homer, he was 27. When Bill Mazeroski hit his World Series-winning blast in 1960, he was 23.
If Manny was truly "clutch," he would have won that Series for the Tribe with a timely hit.
But he didn't, because "clutchness" isn't an actual trait. Excellence is, and Manny has done well in other tight situations because he's an excellent hitter.
There's nothing better than to realize that the good things about youth don't end with youth itself. It's a matter of realizing that life can be renewed every day you get out of bed without baggage. It's tough to get there, but it's better than the dark thoughts. -Lance