Consistently Wrong
What is the big fucking deal with consecutive game streaks? For 100 years, there were only a few guys so narrow minded as to pursue them, and outside of Lou Gehrig and Everett Scott’s family, nobody much gave a crap. Then comes Cal Ripken and decides that this is an important accomplishment and gives rise to this kind of idiocy all over again.
Is playing in 2600 straight games difficult? Of course. But so is plate spinning. So is shooting yourself in the foot and running a marathon. It is a feat for the sake of itself. You do not help the team win by playing every day. On the contrary, you hurt the team by grinding yourself down over the course of each long season, to the point where you don’t contribute the way you should, and would, if you had ample rest.
It’s also a matter of luck. Hideki Matsui played in hundreds of consecutive games in Japan and then with the Yankees before a freak injury landed him on the DL, upsetting his cherished streak. Ditto for Miguel Tejada. It wasn’t for lack of conditioning that these players got hurt. Sometimes, you just get hurt. Does anyone doubt that Lou Gehrig would have played in a million straight games if he hadn’t gotten hurt?
So what is the big deal about playing all 162? Juan Pierre seems to take it as a point of pride, since one of the criteria for such a streak is that you be good enough to crack the starting lineup every day. But here’s the thing: HE’S NOT THAT GOOD! The Dodgers have at least two outfielders who should be starting ahead of Pierre in Ethier and Kemp, and perhaps third, if we ever get to se what Delwyn Young is made of. One might even argue that with the Dodgers’ punchless lineup, Luis Gonzalez gives the offense a better chance to score runs.
So why is Pierre in there every day instead of platooning with Luis (and Kemp shuttling between left and center)? Because of his stupid consecutive games streak. He’s played in 600-some straight games, and if he plays for 15 more years, he’ll catch Cal Ripken some time in 2022. And then, he’ll be recognized as the greatest rag-arm centerfielder with an on-base-percentage of .301! Hooray! Not!
If Pierre is going to insist on being on the field every day (And, more importantly, if Sling Blade is going to indulge this stupid little league fantasy), can he at least pay lip service to the streak. Gehrig routinely played just one or two innings when hurt to keep his streak alive; Grady Sizemore pinch-ran yesterday to maintain his moronic quest to play in all 162 games for three straight years.
Come to think of it, pinch-runner is an excellent role for Pierre. It’s one he’d better get used to, because he’s not good enough to be an every day player any longer. Come 2008, he could be sitting for 162 straight games.
Is playing in 2600 straight games difficult? Of course. But so is plate spinning. So is shooting yourself in the foot and running a marathon. It is a feat for the sake of itself. You do not help the team win by playing every day. On the contrary, you hurt the team by grinding yourself down over the course of each long season, to the point where you don’t contribute the way you should, and would, if you had ample rest.
It’s also a matter of luck. Hideki Matsui played in hundreds of consecutive games in Japan and then with the Yankees before a freak injury landed him on the DL, upsetting his cherished streak. Ditto for Miguel Tejada. It wasn’t for lack of conditioning that these players got hurt. Sometimes, you just get hurt. Does anyone doubt that Lou Gehrig would have played in a million straight games if he hadn’t gotten hurt?
So what is the big deal about playing all 162? Juan Pierre seems to take it as a point of pride, since one of the criteria for such a streak is that you be good enough to crack the starting lineup every day. But here’s the thing: HE’S NOT THAT GOOD! The Dodgers have at least two outfielders who should be starting ahead of Pierre in Ethier and Kemp, and perhaps third, if we ever get to se what Delwyn Young is made of. One might even argue that with the Dodgers’ punchless lineup, Luis Gonzalez gives the offense a better chance to score runs.
So why is Pierre in there every day instead of platooning with Luis (and Kemp shuttling between left and center)? Because of his stupid consecutive games streak. He’s played in 600-some straight games, and if he plays for 15 more years, he’ll catch Cal Ripken some time in 2022. And then, he’ll be recognized as the greatest rag-arm centerfielder with an on-base-percentage of .301! Hooray! Not!
If Pierre is going to insist on being on the field every day (And, more importantly, if Sling Blade is going to indulge this stupid little league fantasy), can he at least pay lip service to the streak. Gehrig routinely played just one or two innings when hurt to keep his streak alive; Grady Sizemore pinch-ran yesterday to maintain his moronic quest to play in all 162 games for three straight years.
Come to think of it, pinch-runner is an excellent role for Pierre. It’s one he’d better get used to, because he’s not good enough to be an every day player any longer. Come 2008, he could be sitting for 162 straight games.
posted by John Rosenthal @ 9:10 AM
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