Guillen on playing with "fire" (the intangible stuff)

[MemorialStadKid]

SOURCE: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090918&content_id=7034772&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

Guillen is hit or miss for me personally, but I do like what he has to say about playing with a certain attitude...

But what truly bothered Guillen about Thursday's setback was the idea that his team basically gave up after Seattle tied the game.

It was noticeable in the White Sox dugout, according to Guillen, noticeable enough that he made a comment about the players quitting in the clubhouse after the defeat.

"By myself, by my coaching staff, by everyone, it was a care-less kind of game, like, 'What time does the plane leave? Hurry up guys, we were supposed to land at 12, and now we're going to land at 3,'" Guillen said. "That's the thing, I know, I know, I know that's what we were thinking.

"Those 2 1/2 hours, they gave up. If they said I was wrong, look at yourself in the mirror, because I asked my coaching staff if they were feeling the same way I felt and everyone except one said the same stuff: They sit there, they play catch every inning, hopefully we come out of the inning.

I am wondering if he is deliberately overhyping their lack of performance or if he might be onto something?

"A lot of people talk about the chemistry and the leaders. Any ballclub doesn't have chemistry when you are in last place. When you are losing, you hate your own friend. Right now, when you ask me how many guys I like, I don't like anyone."

Wow, this guy sure is intense. But I do understand and agree with the idea that you need to play hard all the time in order to make it to playoff contention. I am not saying this to knock the Orioles, I am just saying that it is true that your mental and emotional approach to the game does make some kind of difference in the outcome of an athletic contest.

Guillen might be a bit high strung, but I am guessing he desperately wants to make the playoffs and cement his status as a winning coach. There are all kinds of leadership styles out there; everyone from Jim Leyland to Francona to Torre to Pinella, but I am wondering what is their motivational tactic to get the players to WANT to win?

Some would argue that just being a talented player is enough and others say that pushing oneself can turn an average player into a great player if the heart is into it. Then there is the argument that everyone playing wants to win but I am not 100% certain of that. If you're playing on the Royals or the Pirates, how do you approach the game when you know that the staff surrounding you is not playoff caliber? Just a rhetorical question...

As I have stated before, I am on the fence about DT, I am not criticizing him at all, I am just not sure if his style will fully motivate this particular team of players. If indeed "fire" does exist, how do you recognize it? What does it look like? How can you really tell that someone is hustling or if they just can't run fast at all?

I remember people saying Tejada would give up 1/4th of the way to 1st base if it looked like he would be out and I used to ask whether or not Tejada was that fast at all?

Obviously, IMHO, there is a difference between a player that cares and one who just wants to collect a check, however how can you properly motivate someone to perform beyond the threshold of their capabilities? i.e. Pete Rose.

MSK

[Mad Mark]

It's a six-month plus, 162-game season. I don't think anybody on the field is going max-effort all the time. I don't think it's possible. Not in baseball. In football, with that 16-game season? Oh, yeah. But not in baseball.

[incubus]

It's a six-month plus, 162-game season. I don't think anybody on the field is going max-effort all the time. I don't think it's possible. Not in baseball. In football, with that 16-game season? Oh, yeah. But not in baseball.

Totally agree Mark, that is what pisses me off about Football (non-baseball) fans, when they say "oh baseball isn't a sport, those guys just stand around most of the time and wait for someone to hit the ball." My response is always: "if baseball players aren't athletes of the same caliber, then why do they play 10 times as many games as football players?"

Football is like a 40yd dash, where baseball is like a marathon. In a 40yd you give it your all for a very short ammount of time. Marathon runners, on the other hand, have to be selective about when and how (much) they exert themselves. If they run 100% for as long as they can, they won't make it to the finish line.