Dirk Hayhurst's Blog

Words and thoughts still trying to make it to the big leagues...

MAY

2013

Melky’s MRI VS Jim Negrych’s Future.

They say part of being a professional player means you don’t wish ill on your fellow teammates. I think that’s a load of BS. This game is as much about luck and opportunity as it is good play. Hell, I’d even venture to say it’s more luck and opportunity than good play. Case in point, if you’re Jim Negrych, you’re praying that Melky Cabrera’s MRI shows something. Nothing career ending, just a little something that warrants shutting the Melk Man down for a week or two (or 60 days), enough to...

MAY

2013

How To Kill An All-Star

How To Kill an All-Star. Last year I said Ricky Romero should not have been in the big leagues to finish the year. He should have been sent down to recover from whatever mental issues were ailing him. The process should have started then, in 2012, when time was on his side. If you look back at his numbers, without the benefit of eyes on his individual performances last year, you may be inclined to build the sterile narrative that it was a lack of run support that really broke him. But the...

MAY

2013

Dirty, Rotten, Cheaters…

If Clay Buchholz was caught applying a foreign substance to his hands tonight, he could (and should) be ejected on the spot — according to the rules of baseball under 8.02. But it’s highly unlikely he’ll be caught. “Because he’s not doing anything wrong!” screams his legion of faithful supporters. Yeah, sure he isn’t. More likely it’s because all the rules on ball doctoring are subject to the umpire’s interpretation and discretion, which, in turn, is subject to the present atmosphere...

APR

2013

Let Gibbons Keep His Head

Why is it so hard to just accept the fact that the Jays are playing bad baseball? Why does it have to be Gibby’s fault? Is it impossible that ultra hyped players can’t play up to par? Does the manager, a guy all the players like, really have some super power to hamstring all of them at the same time, without their notice? I was there for every game in spring training. At the start of it, everyone one knew the stakes felt the intenisty of the expectation. They all wanted to win....

APR

2013

JPA VS Base Clogging

Gregg Zaun and I like to argue, and that’s a good thing. It makes for bold television, better informed viewers, and, best of all, I’m always right. We were talking about JP Arenciba’s approach to the plate. Zaun was of the mind that JPA, who is presently worst among all qualified major league catchers in strike out percentage at 35.9%, can strikeout as much as he wants because he’s going to hit 30 homers this year. Also, so sayeth the Zaun, JPA’s free swinging mentality keeps him fro...

APR

2013

How Not to Break Your Collarbone

Carlos Quentin said the reason he charged Zack Greinke after getting plunked in Thursday’s Dodgers/Padres game is because the pair had history. Bad history. Quentin said it goes back to an alleged bean ball he received from Greinke in 2009, one that, apparently, left a wound onQuentin much deeper than a mere bruise. However, said Quentin, he would have let it all go—past and present—if Greinke didn’t say something provocative immediately after hitting him Thursday night. Yeah,...

APR

2013

Baseball Central Topics for April 12th, 2013

Hastily assembled, error filled, pre-show notes. Padres/Dodgers Fight! *Carlos Quinten is the most plunked hitter in baseball. You know he has some regressed hitter rage just waiting to get out. *CQ says that this was because of some history he had with Zack Greinke from 2009. What? That was 4 years ago- if you’ve been waiting around that long get even, try counseling. *This was not a mound charge situation; full count, one run game… it’s not intentional, it’s...