07-31-2009, 01:14 PM
Butcher's theory is not totally out of left field. Historically, pitchers have done similar things: I just read an old SI article about the 1984 Cy Young race (which <!--coloro:#0000FF--><!--/coloro-->Sutcliffe<!--colorc-->
<!--/colorc--> of course won, although it was hotly contested at the time), and in the article, <!--coloro:#2E8B57--><!--/coloro-->Steve Stone<!--colorc-->
<!--/colorc--> specifically mentioned how he won his 1980 Cy. He said that he was willing to sacrifice a bunch of mediocre seasons for one great one, so he doubled his curve balls he threw, from 30 a game, to 60 a game.
He said he<i> knew</i> he was gonna screw up his arm, but he made the mental decision to go for it. He won 25 games that year, and the Cy. The next year, he won 4, and, because of a mangled arm, was soon out of MLB.
<!--coloro:#9932CC--><!--/coloro-->Dave Stewart<!--colorc-->
<!--/colorc--> (the A's staff ace during their 3 pennant run in the late 80's) had a similar story, only backwards: his team was out of the race, so he spent the 2nd half of the season experimenting with a new pitch (a change-up, I think). He was getting fucking <i>hammered</i>, and his manager would be screaming at him mid-game to stop throwing the BP pitch to MLB hitters, and that he was gonna lose his job, etc.
Stewart kept throwing it, working on it, etc. The manager did get fired, and Stewart had a terrible year, but when he came back the next year, he now had an "out" pitch, and became one of the best pitchers in the league for awhile.
So, it's not unprecedented for pitchers to both ease up on the accelerator, and conversely, to push it to the floor, <b>at their discretion</b>.
<!--/colorc--> of course won, although it was hotly contested at the time), and in the article, <!--coloro:#2E8B57--><!--/coloro-->Steve Stone<!--colorc-->
<!--/colorc--> specifically mentioned how he won his 1980 Cy. He said that he was willing to sacrifice a bunch of mediocre seasons for one great one, so he doubled his curve balls he threw, from 30 a game, to 60 a game.
He said he<i> knew</i> he was gonna screw up his arm, but he made the mental decision to go for it. He won 25 games that year, and the Cy. The next year, he won 4, and, because of a mangled arm, was soon out of MLB.
<!--coloro:#9932CC--><!--/coloro-->Dave Stewart<!--colorc-->
<!--/colorc--> (the A's staff ace during their 3 pennant run in the late 80's) had a similar story, only backwards: his team was out of the race, so he spent the 2nd half of the season experimenting with a new pitch (a change-up, I think). He was getting fucking <i>hammered</i>, and his manager would be screaming at him mid-game to stop throwing the BP pitch to MLB hitters, and that he was gonna lose his job, etc.
Stewart kept throwing it, working on it, etc. The manager did get fired, and Stewart had a terrible year, but when he came back the next year, he now had an "out" pitch, and became one of the best pitchers in the league for awhile.
So, it's not unprecedented for pitchers to both ease up on the accelerator, and conversely, to push it to the floor, <b>at their discretion</b>.
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