Ampontan

I'd prefer that we save the bullpen as much as possible for the times we really need them.

An initial caveat --- my information might be out of date. I would rather not reveal the name of the player who said this, but I will say that he pitched for an American League team. I met him in the context of a business function, and he was with two other players, both position players. One in the American League, one in both leagues. All three are now out of the game (unless they're coaching somewhere.) I got the chance to ask them some baseball questions, which they were discussing amongst themselves anyway. One had to do about leaving college to turn pro in the third year. The pitcher did. I asked him about giving up the chance to get a degree, etc. He snorted. As close as I can remember, he said, "My freshman year, I actually wanted to study and tried, but the coaching staff actively discouraged it. Since it was possible to get passing grades without studying or attending many classes, I figured why bother." This was at a large university that everyone knows. Perhaps it is different nowadays there and everywhere else, perhaps not. Really dedicated students can probably overcome that, but how many of those are there in major college athletic programs? Another story they told me that I probably shouldn't tell, but I was reminded of last year with the business in Boston about the beer and the chicken in the clubhouse. One position player said he was told when he was with a particular team that a former perennial All-Star who played for that team (before his time) ended his career as a DH. The guy evidently would sit in the clubhouse drinking a six-pack every game, and only come out when it was his turn to hit. Evidently it did not affect his performance to an extent that caused the team to worry. Please, no PMs, because it is hearsay. Though it is definitely from a Major League source. None of the players involved in this story were Orioles related. We were talking about the use of other-than-traditional statistics to measure performance, and one of them said that "Manto told him once" that RBIs should be counted, but only if the player subtracted his home run totals. That was the only time an Oriole came up in the conversation, and I think Manto was no longer an Oriole then.