Rosales Wins Award

[Highlifeman21]

I have been in the middle of this thing from almost the beginning and at no time have I ever suggested that Adam Rosales is an everyday player, or that hustle trumps talent. The thing that I have suggested is that hustle is a wonderful thing when it is combined with talent. It is also a wonderful thing when a player that might not have superstar ability. hustles and plays the game the right way. Good things are more apt to happen. I have never said that "sprinting to your position is the "end all be all of hustle." I don't condone walking on and off the field. It isn't goofy. It is sluggish, to say the least, and it does project an attitude that is what I would consider "un-healthy" for a baseball team. I don't know that I am a part of the "hustle" crowd as Ltabner calls it. I am part of the crowd that likes to see baseball played correctly, regardless of a person's talent. There are some things that should never come into question and hustle is one of them. Anyone can do it. It is not just a "goofy" hold-over from Little League days. That might be a misconception of those who didn't play past that level. High school and college coaches, for the most part, demand it. As far as the working on fielding drills, throwing to the right cut-off guy and how to steal a base? I'm glad you are at all the afternoon pre-game workouts, Ltabner, to know that they aren't working on all these things. Do I think teams should take infield/outfield before games? Absolutely. Repetition, repetition, repetition.............

So if a player doesn't sprint to and from his position and the beginning and end of each 1/2 inning, they are sluggish, playing the game unhealthy and the wrong way?

[RollyInRaleigh]

I've stated my position on this, over and over. The answer to your question is at the end of the second post on page 3.

[Patrick Bateman]

I don't see what guys find so objectionable about Randy's post.

He's made it very clear that talent is the most important factor in being successful.

Why is it so taboo to want players to try to make the most of their abilities. Obviously there is a lot behind the scenes that would go unnoticed if you simply looked at hustling to first as the end all be all to work ethic.

But that's not what Randy is saying. You guys are mostly making strawman arguments here. He isn't saying that Dunn isn't a hustler because he doesn't run to his position, or because Griffey and his broken legs don't allow him to run hard that he does not have strong work ethic.

The suggestion here is that there is no reason that players can't be running out their groundballs, pop flys, sliding to break up DP's and giving their 100% on the field all the time. Rosales does standout for those reasons, that on the field, it's hard to suggest that he's not going to get the most of the skills he does bring to the table. None of these particular tasks are difficult to do, so why don't more players do them? In the end, everyone, even Randy agress that these are at best secondary attributes to look for in a player.

But at the same time, there is no good excuse not to try your hardest at all times, no matter how insignificant it may seem.

[Big Klu]

I don't have a horse in this race, but as an outside observer this is what I see:

11Larkin11 started a thread to congratulate Rosales for winning an award. That he won this award is an incontrovertible FACT.

The comments deriding Rosales, and belittling the award began almost immediately. It was even compared to the Little League award given to the worst player (so that he is given some kind of trophy). This is in spite of the fact that the award is given by the MLB Alumni Association, and other award-winners from last year included Albert Pujols, Chase Utley, Adrian Gonzalez, David Wright, Derek Jeter, Ichiro Suzuki, Grady Sizemore, Curtis Granderson, Torii Hunter, and Nick Markakis. (They must be a bunch of losers, too.) The awards committee evidently feels that Rosales is the Red who best embodies the ideals of the award. So if you must take umbrage with someone, the MLBAA is your huckleberry.

[Big Klu]

I don't see what guys find so objectionable about Randy's post.

He's made it very clear that talent is the most important factor in being successful.

Why is it so taboo to want players to try to make the most of their abilities. Obviously there is a lot behind the scenes that would go unnoticed if you simply looked at hustling to first as the end all be all to work ethic.

But that's not what Randy is saying. You guys are mostly making strawman arguments here. He isn't saying that Dunn isn't a hustler because he doesn't run to his position, or because Griffey and his broken legs don't allow him to run hard that he does not have strong work ethic.

The suggestion here is that there is no reason that players can't be running out their groundballs, pop flys, sliding to break up DP's and giving their 100% on the field all the time. Rosales does standout for those reasons, that on the field, it's hard to suggest that he's not going to get the most of the skills he does bring to the table. None of these particular tasks are difficult to do, so why don't more players do them? In the end, everyone, even Randy agress that these are at best secondary attributes to look for in a player.

But at the same time, there is no good excuse not to try your hardest at all times, no matter how insignificant it may seem.

Adam Dunn won this award three years ago.

[Highlifeman21]

I don't have a horse in this race, but as an outside observer this is what I see:

11Larkin11 started a thread to congratulate Rosales for winning an award. That he won this award is an incontrovertible FACT.

The comments deriding Rosales, and belittling the award began almost immediately. It was even compared to the Little League award given to the worst player (so that he is given some kind of trophy). This is in spite of the fact that the award is given by the MLB Alumni Association, and other award-winners from last year included Albert Pujols, Chase Utley, Adrian Gonzalez, David Wright, Derek Jeter, Ichiro Suzuki, Grady Sizemore, Curtis Granderson, Torii Hunter, and Nick Markakis. (They must be a bunch of losers, too.) The awards committee evidently feels that Rosales is the Red who best embodies the ideals of the award. So if you must take umbrage with someone, the MLBAA is your huckleberry.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21Rf0URZfLQ

You tell the MLBAA that I'm comin', and Hell's comin' with me!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynKoZD-sFi4

[Ron Madden]

I believe that Everyone in this thread agrees that Talent trumps Hustle.

Some folks are so busy arguing they just can't see that.