Holding out, or something.....
So, there is all this press about Matt Leinhart, who finally signed with the Arizona Cardinals after holding out, and every year, every sport, there is some guy who will hold out.
That got me thinking.......
When I was a younger man, actually boy, I was an excellent baseball player. I played from the time I was 3 or 4, almost every day. I played organized baseball one year, and in that year, I managed to lead the team in homers, doubles, triples, runs and stolen bases. I would contest the results of the batting average figures, but "officially", another pretty good player got the team lead in that. I dont mean to toot my own horn, but I was a regular 5 tool player. I played first base, pretty much because I was the best leaper, and best with the glove, but I could play any position, but pitcher, and maybe catcher. I sucked at pitching, but I was the default third man in the rotation, because nobody else could even throw the ball remotely close to over the plate. I batted right handed every at bat of the season, but I feel Im a decent left handed hitter, and actually prefer swinging from that side of the plate. I did launch a few during practices.
I ended up getting offensive player of the year, and then I gave up baseball. Maybe if I would have stuck with it, I could have went pro. My dad tried to talk me into playing baseball for my high school, but I wanted to play football, which was my first love, and refused to play baseball, if I couldnt play football. Of course, my mom was like many mothers, and didnt want me hurt playing football, so thats where it ended. A temper tantrum might have changed the complete outcome of my life. Every time I look at that trophy in my cupboard, and my two game balls proudly displayed next to it, I think just a second at would could have been........
Anyway, I dont have a complaint about where my life has gone, and truthfully, if my health ended up going the same way it did, I wouldnt have possibly been able to play a 162 game season, Id be lucky to manage maybe half the games, and theyd have to be night games, or in domes. Also, I probably would have never met my wife, I may have not gotten my college degree either.....who knows.
The point I suppose, as good as I was, or whatever level I may have gotten to, I think, at the end of the day, I would have given my molars to play in just one professional game. These guys, like Leinhart, holding out for another extra MILLION or so (thats six zeros).....I cant help to think, that they lost the love of the game a long time ago. I understand that an athlete needs to get paid as much as he possibly can, as soon as possible, since career ending injury is always around the corner, and I also understand that the owner of that team, is making infinatley more by the presence of that player, then that player is being compensated. If he wasnt, the NFL would have a problem. Thats simple Capitalism 101.
So, in principle, I cant argue with trying to milk "the man", but on the other hand, youre playing a GAME for a living, a game that half the guys in this country would volunteer just to warm the bench to be playing. You are now a hero to thousands of them. Just play the game. Leave the "Diva" act to Jennifer Lopez.
That got me thinking.......
When I was a younger man, actually boy, I was an excellent baseball player. I played from the time I was 3 or 4, almost every day. I played organized baseball one year, and in that year, I managed to lead the team in homers, doubles, triples, runs and stolen bases. I would contest the results of the batting average figures, but "officially", another pretty good player got the team lead in that. I dont mean to toot my own horn, but I was a regular 5 tool player. I played first base, pretty much because I was the best leaper, and best with the glove, but I could play any position, but pitcher, and maybe catcher. I sucked at pitching, but I was the default third man in the rotation, because nobody else could even throw the ball remotely close to over the plate. I batted right handed every at bat of the season, but I feel Im a decent left handed hitter, and actually prefer swinging from that side of the plate. I did launch a few during practices.
I ended up getting offensive player of the year, and then I gave up baseball. Maybe if I would have stuck with it, I could have went pro. My dad tried to talk me into playing baseball for my high school, but I wanted to play football, which was my first love, and refused to play baseball, if I couldnt play football. Of course, my mom was like many mothers, and didnt want me hurt playing football, so thats where it ended. A temper tantrum might have changed the complete outcome of my life. Every time I look at that trophy in my cupboard, and my two game balls proudly displayed next to it, I think just a second at would could have been........
Anyway, I dont have a complaint about where my life has gone, and truthfully, if my health ended up going the same way it did, I wouldnt have possibly been able to play a 162 game season, Id be lucky to manage maybe half the games, and theyd have to be night games, or in domes. Also, I probably would have never met my wife, I may have not gotten my college degree either.....who knows.
The point I suppose, as good as I was, or whatever level I may have gotten to, I think, at the end of the day, I would have given my molars to play in just one professional game. These guys, like Leinhart, holding out for another extra MILLION or so (thats six zeros).....I cant help to think, that they lost the love of the game a long time ago. I understand that an athlete needs to get paid as much as he possibly can, as soon as possible, since career ending injury is always around the corner, and I also understand that the owner of that team, is making infinatley more by the presence of that player, then that player is being compensated. If he wasnt, the NFL would have a problem. Thats simple Capitalism 101.
So, in principle, I cant argue with trying to milk "the man", but on the other hand, youre playing a GAME for a living, a game that half the guys in this country would volunteer just to warm the bench to be playing. You are now a hero to thousands of them. Just play the game. Leave the "Diva" act to Jennifer Lopez.
posted by Lethal_Poison at 10:29 AM
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