Allow me to steal a page from Moshe’s book and start a discussion.
Last night, during the top of the first inning, Al Lieter was saying what everyone always says about the Twins: They play good defense. Their pitchers throw strikes. And, of course, they have players that play the game the right way. In all my years of playing, watching, and following baseball, I still have no idea what this means.
This term is always used to describe players or teams who are okay-or-good-but-not-quite-great. Maybe they do one or two “little” things properly, but they’re not all around great players. So, I ask you, what’s playing the game the right way? The commentators will say that the team does a lot of bunting, or running, or employs a lot of hit-and-runs. One of those things–bunting–generally has a negative effect on a team (unless playing for exactly one run) so why is that right? Stealing can be good, but if it’s overused, it hurts the team as well. Hit and runs are rarely used as it is, and I don’t think there’s much value it in. Why is that right?
How come a guy like Alex Rodriguez–a complete player in every sense of the term–is never described as a guy who plays the game the right way? He hits for a good average, he works the count and takes walks, he obviously hits for power, he’s a fair defender with a strong arm, he’s a good base runner…so how come the commentators during games never say A-Rod’s a guy who plays the game the right way?
The Yankees, as a team, are also quite complete. They have good starters who generally strike guys out, they have a patient and powerful lineup (patience and power are most heavily correlated with run scoring), and they play decent defense. Yet, because they have a lot of stars who make a lot of money, they’ll never be praised for playing the game the “right way”. I can’t think of any other way a team should play.
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12 Responses to Discussion: The "Right Way" to Play the Game
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Because AROD doesn’t play it the “right’ way.he’s ridiculously talented, though the Steroids obviously helped from HS on but no, he doesn’t play it the right way.
If an opposite field single is needed to win the game with men on base, he often swings for the fences and pops up when the pitcher won’t give in,.Jeter though not as talented does play the game the right way.He’ll give himself up, bunt move a runner over, do what he has to do to win.Mickey MAntle used to bunt in a close game to get on base sometimes becuase he knew he wasn’t seeing a pitch to hit out and knew Yankees needed a baserunner.
ALex in his time as a Yankee has made a million blunders on the basepaths and in the field.
Is he a great statisical player? Obviously.Am I glad we have him? Yes, though he’s probalby way too expensive for what he gives but in either event, he hasn’t always played the game the way it’s suppoosed to be played.
He plays well through imense talent, not smarts or baseball acumen.
How many times has he turned triples into doubles (I’ve even seen him thrown out at 2nd) when he stands and admires shots that don’t go out.That’s not playing it the way it’s supposed to be played.
This is simply false. I can’t tgink of one time Alex admired a shot snd didn’t run. Not one. He always runs hard, always gives it his all. Quite frankly, I have no idea what you are talking about
Maybe because he hasn’t hit very many homers this year for you to remember. Hehe.
But seriously, he does admire his shots – but only when they are no-doubters (which is most of the time).
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2010_05_14_minmlb_nyamlb_1&mode=wrap
This is so incoherent I don’t even know where to start with it.
Wow. The sad thing is I am sure many people feel the same way you do. That doesn’t make your rant any less nonsensical. I find it funny that bunting and moving a runner over is one of the most cited and praised aspects of playing the game the right way, yet it is almost always a dumb play from a run expectation standpoint (especially for a hitter as good as Jeter).
Playing the game the right way = doing everything you can to win
bunting a runner over = playing the game the right way
bunting a runner over makes winning less likely
You are right Matt, it doesn’t seem to make sense, but I’m sure leftylarry or John Kruk can set us straight.
I know I’m late to the game here, but the Mickey Mantle example is entirely nonsensical. Why would he bunt to get on base if he wasn’t going to get a pitch to hit? Couldn’t he just take a walk and get on base that way? Wouldn’t laying down a bunt actually reduce his chances of getting on base if he was being pitched around, considering it brings “making an out” into the equation?
Matt, ask Jim Leyland how to play the game “the right way.”
Lot’s of cursing and smoking?
;)
“Playing the game the right way” means to me doing the small things right – good baserunning, fundamental defense, situational hitting. Stuff that tends to be taken for granted or, in the case of some star players (Manny) overlooked completely. It means playing to win every day, not giving up on bad days, not resting on your laurels.
To me, ARod and Jeter and most of the Yanks do this, but so many of their other stats are so gaudy, it can be overlooked. OTOH, guys like Swisher, much as a love him, have frequent on field brain farts.
I agree totally. In the absence of other attributes/stats/skills, someone who does the small things well will be seen as a player who does things the “right way.” In that case, if he were unable to do the small things well, he wouldn’t be a major leaguer, since he can’t do the “big” things well. I feel as though just about every player has to more or less play the game the “right way” otherwise he’d be out of a job, unless he has some otherworldly skill. When Vlad was playing RF everyday, he would routinely miss the cutoff man in attempt to gun down whichever runner was trying to pick up an extra base. While he technically wasn’t playing the game the right way, he was able to use his lack of discipline (for lack of a better phrase) to throw out a good number of runners. Since people knew he was capable of doing that, they lived with him screwing up a few (or more) times. In essence, I think the more top-tier skill you have, the more likely you’ll be pardoned for not doing things “the right way,” — as you pointed out, Manny is a perfect example of this — and I think that’s how pretty much everything works in every facet of life. Those without said skills will HAVE to walk the straight-and-narrow simply to survive.
I think of “playing the game the right way” as being less about raw skills and more about execution and the mental aspects of the game. Its stuff that doesn’t show up in the stat sheets but helps win games. e.g. Advancing baserunners by hitting the ball on the ground to the right side, hitting the cutoff man, being in the proper position to back up an errant throw and prevent a base runner from taking the extra base, taking the extra base when a ball is bobbled, running hard on every at bat, not getting doubled off, getting bunts down when called on, making contact in hit and run situations, taking the sure out or no out rather than attempting the impossible play, staying in a rundown long enough for the lead runner to score (if there are two outs) or the trailing runner to take an extra base, driving a run in from 3rd with less than 2 outs, and keeping a runner’s lead to a minimum.
You’re right that bunting, stealing, and the hit and run can be poor strategy. The strategy is the manager’s call though and its the player’s job to execute that strategy. Even if its the wrong call to sacrifice, its important that the execution is done well. How frustrating is it to watch a poor hitter fail to get the bunt down, end up in a pitcher’s count, and either weakly pop the ball up or strike out and not even advance the runner?
I do think A-Rod mostly plays the game right. He’s not going to have that mentioned much as long as he hits with power, drives runners in at a high clip, and makes throws from 3B that most other players couldn’t. Let’s hope that the little stuff remains the little stuff for A-Rod.
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