Re: Mat Latos needs to get his head on straight.
I think its fair o criticize Latos a bit... It's a situation where giving up a few runs could have been manageable, but giving up 6 was a death sentence. Big game pitchers find a way to minimize the damage there. Latos is 23, has great stuff, and wasn't one bit afraid to take the ball in game one or today in game five. I think he has the goods to someday be the big game stopper... He just isn't quite there yet obviously.
I do think Latos has a few immaturity issues to get past, but as a pitcher I gained a ton if respect for him down the stretch this year and in game one of the series. I'm glad he's a Red.
Re: Mat Latos needs to get his head on straight.
Mat himself took the blame for the game today and said it's on him to improve his mental toughness for next season. That doesn't sound like a guy who needs to get his head on straight. It sounds like a guy who's a stand up person that makes no excuses, knows exactly who he is, and that he hopes to make things better next season. I'm proud that he's a Red and I hope to meet him at Redsfest so I can thank him for all the good things he brought to the team this year.
Re: Mat Latos needs to get his head on straight.
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Originally Posted by
HeatherC1212
Mat himself took the blame for the game today and said it's on him to improve his mental toughness for next season. That doesn't sound like a guy who needs to get his head on straight. It sounds like a guy who's a stand up person that makes no excuses, knows exactly who he is, and that he hopes to make things better next season. I'm proud that he's a Red and I hope to meet him at Redsfest so I can thank him for all the good things he brought to the team this year.
I'm glad he knows it but that's just half the battle. Easier said than done.
Make no mistake I think Mat is probably our best pitcher and will step up 95% of the season as who he is right now. But he needs that extra 5 percent to keep his cool in critical situations.
Re: Mat Latos needs to get his head on straight.
It was bad...but he's a young guy. He'll learn from this, I hope, and that's the most important thing. Like I said in the game thread, those pitches that he lost his cool about weren't totally egregious miscalls. They were borderline at best. That's my biggest problem with the whole thing. Losing your cool is one thing...but losing your cool when it's not really even justified to the point where the whole inning becomes a trainwreck is something else. But this could make him a better pitcher in the long run...if he can learn to harness that raw emotion it can be a very powerful tool. He's got Cy Young talent. Now he just needs a Cy Young head.
But man, it really sucks right now. I hate that we're having this conversation.
Re: Mat Latos needs to get his head on straight.
Latos needs to go to his happy place when things like that happen.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-orG-okYjcI...iyd9o1_500.png
Re: Mat Latos needs to get his head on straight.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
wolfboy
Thoughts?
Grow up.
Awesome response. :rolleyes:
Re: Mat Latos needs to get his head on straight.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
HeatherC1212
Mat himself took the blame for the game today and said it's on him to improve his mental toughness for next season. That doesn't sound like a guy who needs to get his head on straight. It sounds like a guy who's a stand up person that makes no excuses, knows exactly who he is, and that he hopes to make things better next season. I'm proud that he's a Red and I hope to meet him at Redsfest so I can thank him for all the good things he brought to the team this year.
Latos has been known to be a very self confident ego driven guy. The self awareness he is presenting here is admirable. A little too late for this season but my hope next year he will come as hardened as they come and dominate. He does need a happy place. If he can't demonstrate self control when the game isn't going his way, he will be a wasted talent. Look at Matt Cain. You can't tell if the guy is have a good day or not.
Re: Mat Latos needs to get his head on straight.
I am glad Mat Latos pitches for the Reds. This will only make him stronger, more determined. How many playoff series did the Big Red Machine blow before getting the job done? Several.
Go Reds!
Re: Mat Latos needs to get his head on straight.
The thing we gotta remember is that Latos is still only 24 years old. We know from watching Homer Bailey over the last so many years that Mat may still be a year or two away from putting it all together.
As long as they can stay healthy, the Reds have probably the best rotation (besides the the Nats) in the NL, and will for the next couple years.
Re: Mat Latos needs to get his head on straight.
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Originally Posted by
smith288
Awesome response. :rolleyes:
This is your idea of a quality and mature post?
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Mat Latos needs to get his head on straight.
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Otherwise he will never be a big game pitcher as long he continues to completely and humiliatingly meltdown every time calls don't go in his way.
Thoughts?
Re: Mat Latos needs to get his head on straight.
24 and coachable. My guess is he'll learn from it and be fine.
Re: Mat Latos needs to get his head on straight.
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Originally Posted by
OldXOhio
24 and coachable. My guess is he'll learn from it and be fine.
I agree.
Re: Mat Latos needs to get his head on straight.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Blitz Dorsey
I think misspelling "choking" is a clear example of choking.
:p
I do not know if i will be able to recover from this. I blame the computer for not giving me the red underline and warn me of my potential CHOKE.
Re: Mat Latos needs to get his head on straight.
His head looks to be on very straight here:
http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=...ng&w=350&h=254
Here it is at an odd angle:
http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/181u...g/original.jpg
Consistency of head alignment is something he can work on dureing the off season. Yoga perhaps?
Re: Mat Latos needs to get his head on straight.
Cueto would lose his cool when things went bad his rookie season, and then he gradually worked through those things. Whatever Johnny did, Latos needs to listen. Or maybe sign up for some Tai Chi classes.