imgreat95
03-01-2002, 02:40 PM
This is from Jim Baker, a new columnist for ESPN.com
By Jim Baker
Special to ESPN.com
One thing is for certain: nobody likes being lied to. However, there are times when the truth is best left unsaid and I say to you one of those times, nay -- the most important time to put the truth on hold -- is during spring training.
So, with this in mind as a full schedule of games gets under way Thursday, I come before you to make a plea to our collective irrational side. Let us let the happy thoughts flow in the month leading up to Opening Day. Let us keep our urge to pursue the truth at bay for now so that we can all bask in the collective sunshine of spring's good feelings. Isn't life filled with enough dark shadows? Can't we have a window open to the joyousness of the season without invoking the bringdown mechanism in our rational minds?
For instance, if everybody around the Mets batting cage genuinely thinks Rey Ordonez is going to be a much better hitter this year because he reconfigured his body with a training regimen in the offseason, then by all means, let them have their say and leave it at that. Let's not editorialize on it to the contrary. The young man (let me rephrase that: the not-as-young man) worked hard and he looks good. Will this have any impact on his productivity? We'll know the very obvious answer for certain once the season starts.
In the meantime, revel in his desire to turn over a new leaf. Glory in his new physique. Is what he has done to himself not the essence of spring? The rebirth? The makeover? The new beginning? If we dismiss Ordonez at this early turn, are we not, by extension, saying to every person out there wanting to start a diet and exercise regimen that it is all futile?
We must all stay positive when pondering such questions as these:
Can Barry Bonds repeat his 2001 season?
Why not? Babe Ruth basically repeated his 1920 season -- the standard by which Bonds' 2001 was judged -- in 1921. In fact, don't even ask the question. It's spring training! Just assume that his 2001 season reflects a new standard for him.
Can the Mariners win 116 games again?
If they did it once, why can't they do it one more time? They have most of the same personnel returning, so why shouldn't we expect them to rise to that level or even surpass it? Spring training is not the time to bring history into the argument. All that precedent about uberteams and their penchant for large drops -- that just doesn't jibe with our collective image of swaying palm trees and leisurely workouts and goodwill games pitting major-league clubs against local colleges, does it?
Can Mo Vaughn come back? Can Edgardo Alfonzo make the transition to third base? Is Rick Ankiel over his control problems? Will the Diamondbacks find a suitable fill-in for Matt Williams?
Yes, yes, yes and yes -- of course! It's spring, so why should we assume otherwise? Look at that blue sky! Listen to those seagulls circling overhead. The grass is green and lush. It's eleven o'clock in the morning on a Tuesday and grown men are playing baseball -- and you want to throw a "no" answer into this mix? Come on!
Can the Twins win the division?
Absolutely, as can any team in the AL Central or, for that matter, any other division.
We must allow hope to have its day. If not for ourselves, then what about the children? (Anytime you can bring the phrase "what about the children?" into a baseball discussion, do so. Shut-ins are also always a plus.) Can you look in the eyes of that little 10 year-old boy clutching his Royals pennant at Baseball City and say to him, "Timmy, your favorite team doesn't stand a chance this year because they have very little money to work with and what little they do have is squandered away on mediocre players." No, that wouldn't be in the spirit of spring training. While we might know it's the truth, can't we delay that sort of talk until the second day of the season? (Opening Day should also be exempt from negative waves.) No, what you should say to that little boy is this: "I'll see you at the World Series in Kauffman Stadium, Timmy."
Spring should be reserved for positive phrases like, "...is throwing well ... looked good in an inning of work ... took a lot of positives away from his three at bats against invitees ... feels no pain in the (fill in previously afflicted body part here) ... wants to show the fans of (insert city or region here) that he is ready to play ... is getting along much better with his teammates since his lobotomy ... "
Pessimism, cynicism, gloomicism -- I'm all for those sorts of things the other eleven months of the year. My cup is half empty, I always hit the red lights and I invariably get in the slowest lane at the drive-thru bank just like everybody else. Come the regular season, I'll ask the hard questions and want the nasty answers, but, for now, let there be joy in the land.
So, go ahead, lie to me.
By Jim Baker
Special to ESPN.com
One thing is for certain: nobody likes being lied to. However, there are times when the truth is best left unsaid and I say to you one of those times, nay -- the most important time to put the truth on hold -- is during spring training.
So, with this in mind as a full schedule of games gets under way Thursday, I come before you to make a plea to our collective irrational side. Let us let the happy thoughts flow in the month leading up to Opening Day. Let us keep our urge to pursue the truth at bay for now so that we can all bask in the collective sunshine of spring's good feelings. Isn't life filled with enough dark shadows? Can't we have a window open to the joyousness of the season without invoking the bringdown mechanism in our rational minds?
For instance, if everybody around the Mets batting cage genuinely thinks Rey Ordonez is going to be a much better hitter this year because he reconfigured his body with a training regimen in the offseason, then by all means, let them have their say and leave it at that. Let's not editorialize on it to the contrary. The young man (let me rephrase that: the not-as-young man) worked hard and he looks good. Will this have any impact on his productivity? We'll know the very obvious answer for certain once the season starts.
In the meantime, revel in his desire to turn over a new leaf. Glory in his new physique. Is what he has done to himself not the essence of spring? The rebirth? The makeover? The new beginning? If we dismiss Ordonez at this early turn, are we not, by extension, saying to every person out there wanting to start a diet and exercise regimen that it is all futile?
We must all stay positive when pondering such questions as these:
Can Barry Bonds repeat his 2001 season?
Why not? Babe Ruth basically repeated his 1920 season -- the standard by which Bonds' 2001 was judged -- in 1921. In fact, don't even ask the question. It's spring training! Just assume that his 2001 season reflects a new standard for him.
Can the Mariners win 116 games again?
If they did it once, why can't they do it one more time? They have most of the same personnel returning, so why shouldn't we expect them to rise to that level or even surpass it? Spring training is not the time to bring history into the argument. All that precedent about uberteams and their penchant for large drops -- that just doesn't jibe with our collective image of swaying palm trees and leisurely workouts and goodwill games pitting major-league clubs against local colleges, does it?
Can Mo Vaughn come back? Can Edgardo Alfonzo make the transition to third base? Is Rick Ankiel over his control problems? Will the Diamondbacks find a suitable fill-in for Matt Williams?
Yes, yes, yes and yes -- of course! It's spring, so why should we assume otherwise? Look at that blue sky! Listen to those seagulls circling overhead. The grass is green and lush. It's eleven o'clock in the morning on a Tuesday and grown men are playing baseball -- and you want to throw a "no" answer into this mix? Come on!
Can the Twins win the division?
Absolutely, as can any team in the AL Central or, for that matter, any other division.
We must allow hope to have its day. If not for ourselves, then what about the children? (Anytime you can bring the phrase "what about the children?" into a baseball discussion, do so. Shut-ins are also always a plus.) Can you look in the eyes of that little 10 year-old boy clutching his Royals pennant at Baseball City and say to him, "Timmy, your favorite team doesn't stand a chance this year because they have very little money to work with and what little they do have is squandered away on mediocre players." No, that wouldn't be in the spirit of spring training. While we might know it's the truth, can't we delay that sort of talk until the second day of the season? (Opening Day should also be exempt from negative waves.) No, what you should say to that little boy is this: "I'll see you at the World Series in Kauffman Stadium, Timmy."
Spring should be reserved for positive phrases like, "...is throwing well ... looked good in an inning of work ... took a lot of positives away from his three at bats against invitees ... feels no pain in the (fill in previously afflicted body part here) ... wants to show the fans of (insert city or region here) that he is ready to play ... is getting along much better with his teammates since his lobotomy ... "
Pessimism, cynicism, gloomicism -- I'm all for those sorts of things the other eleven months of the year. My cup is half empty, I always hit the red lights and I invariably get in the slowest lane at the drive-thru bank just like everybody else. Come the regular season, I'll ask the hard questions and want the nasty answers, but, for now, let there be joy in the land.
So, go ahead, lie to me.