Jump to content

The Surest Sign of Spring!


beervendor

Recommended Posts

When a finely tuned professional athlete like Sidney Ponson arrives at camp in peak physical condition, can Opening Day be far away?

Hard to believe this disciplined, conscientious workaholic never lived up to his promise. Surprisingly, ESPN's Jerry Crasnick named Ponson the Least Valuable Pitcher of the 2000's. And some of you complain about the lack of national recognition around here...

He's on Facebook, ladies!

Ponson.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The fat isn't what knocked him out of pro ball (just ask David Wells); the arm injuries did. I understand being disappointed in Sir Sidney--I certainly am--but the piling on that goes on around here with him is old and unnecessary.

Actually it was his attitude. He didn't care about baseball as much as he did drinking and partying.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Neither did Wells: it's simply that he was born with a rubber arm and Ponson wasn't.
Not true about Wells. He cared about baseball as least as much as he did about drinking and partying. It meant a lot to him to be pitching for the Yankees, and he was an avid fan of the Babe, had a lot of memorabilia etc.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The fat isn't what knocked him out of pro ball (just ask David Wells); the arm injuries did. I understand being disappointed in Sir Sidney--I certainly am--but the piling on that goes on around here with him is old and unnecessary.

C'mon, you don't find that photo even mildly amusing? Even Sid, with his stilted English and dumba$$ smirk would chuckle at himself there.

But since you bring it up, there is piling on that goes on at OH but I think Sidney may be farther down on that list than he deserves. I'd argue that *among players with off-field issues (real or perceived) that led to on-field failures*, he may have done the most damage to this team over the past decade/plus.

Other candidates: Matt Riley, Jay Gibbons, Scott Erickson, David Segui... ???

Honorable Mention, Best Off-Field Incident: Marty Cordova

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Actually it was his attitude. He didn't care about baseball as much as he did drinking and partying.

You have to remember that athletes are people just like you and I. Some of them dont really care or like the sport they play but they play it because they are naturally gifted.

I know from first hand experience of a professional athlete who absolutely hates playing the sport he plays but does it because he gets paid handsomely. He would much rather play video games, go out, pick up chicks, drink and do anything but play or practice the sport they play. This person is in their 30s also so its not like they are some kid who just got drafted.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You have to remember that athletes are people just like you and I. Some of them dont really care or like the sport they play but they play it because they are naturally gifted.

I know from first hand experience of a professional athlete who absolutely hates playing the sport he plays but does it because he gets paid handsomely. He would much rather play video games, go out, pick up chicks, drink and do anything but play or practice the sport they play. This person is in their 30s also so its not like they are some kid who just got drafted.

I'd bet the majority of pro athletes would rather get drunk and nail lingerie models than ply their trade on the field. It is only a job, after all. But as with any professional, you're expected to show an appropriate level of respect to your sport, yourself, your teammates, your employer, and your customers (fans).

That's the last half naked photo of a guy I post! (This week)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Posts

    • When he first came up, his slider was very mediocre and only really used as a get me over change of pace. Now it seems like a weapon. I wonder if he went to school with Professor Bradish for that.
    • Yeah, kinda why I asked the question. That seems real lofty for a comparison.
    • After a really disappointing April that saw his ERA balloon to 7.78, Alex Pham has found his bearings in May, allowing 3 ER in 14.1 IP, allowing 8 hits and 4 walks while striking out 17.   Yesterday Pham allowed a run on 2 hits and a walk in 4.2 innings, striking out 7.   53 of 72 pitches were strikes.  The sole run charged to Pham scored when reliever Kyle Virbitsky allowed a 2-out double to the first batter he faced after relieving Pham in the fifth.    Due to the poor start, Pham’s ERA still rests at an unimpressive 5.29, but he’s definitely been headed in the right direction.  Also, he’s struck out 40 batters in 34 innings.     
    • I can’t emphasize enough how stupid that rain delay was.  No rain at all for 45 minutes, then two hours of light mist, the kind that teams play through all the time.  I was standing near the kids play area during most of the delay and believe me, that rain didn’t deter any kids from using the playground equipment for two hours. Then, 15 minutes before the game is going to start, the grounds crew is watering the infield.  What? The game itself was not worth the wait, needless to say.   But what annoys me most is the complete lack of communication during these delays.  How about letting the fans who are there know what the thinking is about how long the delay will be?  How about an update every 30 minutes or so.   Nope, nothing.   Just a generic message on the scoreboard saying that the start of the game will be delayed to to the “threat” of inclement weather.   My phone was showing .05” of rain expected in the next six hours.  Some threat! On the bright side, the team did announce that ticket holders would be given vouchers that could be used for a Monday - Thursday game.  That was the least they could do.       
    • 19,286 for that rain-delayed mess of a game.  I’d say about 2/3 of those stuck through the 3 hour delay and were in their seats at game time.  
    • And paid Scherzer, and Zimmerman, and Corbin, and Werth.   They didn’t all work out, but nobody could say the Nats didn’t spend to put a winning team on the field during their run.  The run basically ended because Stras II and Corbin blew up in their face.   But there’s always 2019.   
    • I can’t believe that 8 hours after Grayson stepped off the mound, I’m the first person to update his thread.   After a 19-day IL stint and without a rehab stint, Grayson threw 6 innings of one-hit shutout ball last night.  The one hit was an infield squibber hit 59.5 mph off the bat.  His command was a tad shaky at times, as he walked three and hit a batter, but he still breezed through 6 innings on 82 pitches, 50 for strikes.  If it hadn’t been his first outing in three weeks, he certainly could have pitched the 7th inning.  Unfortunately, the bullpen blew it for him. Fastball topped out at 98.4 and he was still hitting 97 in his final inning.  
  • Popular Contributors

×
×
  • Create New...