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I know this probably isn't the case and is completely out of left field...
But is it possible that Harden either decided or was told to sort of take it a little easier during the first half and then start to ramp up for the second half playoff run/postseason?
I remember when we first got him from the A's, he was pretty much unhittable. Then he got hurt and seemed out of gas at the end of September/October.
Again, I know this is crazy...but what if...WHAT IF...we get the "old" Rich Harden back just in time for the playoffs and postseason (if we get there)?
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I think it's Friday and bored at work.
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I think there may be something to your post but I don't think the cubs management had anything to do with it. I think Harden may have been mentally telling himself to tone it down in order to keep him healthy for the playoff chase.
I would love to see a sub 3.00 era and a bunch of wins from him this year.
I think tonight is a critical game for him. He has had 3 good starts in a row, if he throws well again tonight, I think we can expect the Harden we saw last August.
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Harden should be motivated to turn in a stellar second half. He is a FA at the end of the season.
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Oh, and I hope the cubs pull off a squeeze play with Fontenot at the plate while you are at the game in Florida! That would make my weekend. [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif[/img]
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I think you might be on to something. I never bought into the stupid night/day/vampire splits that the media was so obsessed with. Another thing that might have been the case early on in the season as it was late last season, is that Harden didn't seem to know how to pitch with even the slightest discomfort. Maybe he's learning how to adjust and is becoming more of a "pitcher" and not a "thrower" after a prolonged period of poor results, the first time in his career. Sometimes pitchers grow up when they go through hard times and are forced to adapt.
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I can't imagine with the start the cubs got off to, that anyone told anyone to take it easy.
I wish that I believed in Fate. I wish I didn't sleep so late. I used to be carried in the arms of cheerleaders.
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Possibly...I think its a stretch though.
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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>.
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
