11-19-2009, 07:04 PM
<!--quoteo(post=69639:date=Nov 19 2009, 03:58 PM:name=KBwsb)-->QUOTE (KBwsb @ Nov 19 2009, 03:58 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=69581:date=Nov 19 2009, 12:56 PM:name=BT)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BT @ Nov 19 2009, 12:56 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=69580:date=Nov 19 2009, 12:39 PM:name=KBwsb)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (KBwsb @ Nov 19 2009, 12:39 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Scarey, there tend to be scouts who like "athletes," and there tend to be scouts who like guys who aren't as specifically "athletic," but have skills that are unique to the game of baseball.
When guys like Hendry and Gary Hughes were making their bones, there were some stars like the great Dave Winfield who were just plain "athletes;" he was drafted by the NBA and could have easily starred in basketball, he was courted by the NFL, he could do anything. He chose baseball, and kicked ass. So did Bo Jackson, and guys like that did things on a ball field that were seen as simply outlandish, freakish almost (like Jackson throwing out a runner on a line-drive throw from the wall). Teams suddenly wanted them.
Also in that era, speed was greatly coveted, and you didn't have to be a great hitter to help out your team if you could steal bases, chase down previously uncatchable fly balls, etc.
Many scouts since then have had the idea of "Draft the good athletes, and we'll MAKE 'em into ballplayers." Many of us on the site think that Hendry and Hughes fall into that camp.
Indeed, our 1st-round pick THIS year is yet another perfect example of that way of thinking.
I personally tend to disagree with it, simply because the game of baseball demands such a unique skill set, that even some of the world's most magnificent athletes (think Michael Jordan, Jim Thorpe, Deion Sanders) can't master these unique skills, while a lot of non-athletic-type guys (John Kruk, Yogi Berra) become great stars.
You can make a case for both sides, I suppose. But there sure are a lot of truly magnificent "athletes" (Corey Patterson, Felix Pie) who never truly learned to play baseball correctly, in recent Cub history.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
See, I agree with most of this. That's why arguing with you is so frustrating.
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BT, I don't disagree with you on most things. My main problem is that I don't take the time to perhaps properly explain myself.
My above post took a long time to compose, and indeed, my mind tends to "think" in Big Picture terms. However, I found out a long time ago, that on chatrooms like this one, people are often bored by long posts, and prefer quick, snappy posts, a kind of "shorthand." Guys like tom have even <i>specificall</i>y said, "Well whatever, but I'm not even gonna read that long post."
So I usually just write the absolute minimum; the only problem with that is I think I come across as much more clipped (and even sarcastic) than I really mean to be.
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way too long.
When guys like Hendry and Gary Hughes were making their bones, there were some stars like the great Dave Winfield who were just plain "athletes;" he was drafted by the NBA and could have easily starred in basketball, he was courted by the NFL, he could do anything. He chose baseball, and kicked ass. So did Bo Jackson, and guys like that did things on a ball field that were seen as simply outlandish, freakish almost (like Jackson throwing out a runner on a line-drive throw from the wall). Teams suddenly wanted them.
Also in that era, speed was greatly coveted, and you didn't have to be a great hitter to help out your team if you could steal bases, chase down previously uncatchable fly balls, etc.
Many scouts since then have had the idea of "Draft the good athletes, and we'll MAKE 'em into ballplayers." Many of us on the site think that Hendry and Hughes fall into that camp.
Indeed, our 1st-round pick THIS year is yet another perfect example of that way of thinking.
I personally tend to disagree with it, simply because the game of baseball demands such a unique skill set, that even some of the world's most magnificent athletes (think Michael Jordan, Jim Thorpe, Deion Sanders) can't master these unique skills, while a lot of non-athletic-type guys (John Kruk, Yogi Berra) become great stars.
You can make a case for both sides, I suppose. But there sure are a lot of truly magnificent "athletes" (Corey Patterson, Felix Pie) who never truly learned to play baseball correctly, in recent Cub history.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
See, I agree with most of this. That's why arguing with you is so frustrating.
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
BT, I don't disagree with you on most things. My main problem is that I don't take the time to perhaps properly explain myself.
My above post took a long time to compose, and indeed, my mind tends to "think" in Big Picture terms. However, I found out a long time ago, that on chatrooms like this one, people are often bored by long posts, and prefer quick, snappy posts, a kind of "shorthand." Guys like tom have even <i>specificall</i>y said, "Well whatever, but I'm not even gonna read that long post."
So I usually just write the absolute minimum; the only problem with that is I think I come across as much more clipped (and even sarcastic) than I really mean to be.
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
way too long.
Wang.