Freel Leaves Game After 2 Innings

[reds44]

Made a catch crashing into the the wall in the 2nd, and apparently was favoring one of his legs. Finished off the innings, but didn't come out for the 3rd. Hopefully it's nothing serious.

FYI

[dougdirt]

Freel is an idiot.

First time in his life he is handed a starting job and he dives headfirst into a wall in spring training....

[Falls City Beer]

Freel is an idiot.

First time in his life he is handed a starting job and he dives headfirst into a wall in spring training....

Then give me 24 more idiots on the roster.

[dougdirt]

Then give me 24 more idiots on the roster.

By May you would have 8 left.

[reds44]

It's Spring Training. You have to have the brains to know when to let off the gas pedal.

[reds44]

It wasn't a leg injury.

Left the game with back spasms.

Going back to Sarasota as we speak.

[Dunner44]

All this on top of getting his left hand knocked off yesterday by the crappy BoSox pitcher.

[jimbo]

It's Spring Training. You have to have the brains to know when to let off the gas pedal.

Unfortunately, I don't think he is capable of doing the smart thing. As much as I love his approach to the game, he doesn't always play the smartest game. I don't see how he can ever be considered an everyday player with the way that he plays. He'll never stay healthy enough playing in the outfield on an everyday basis.

[Bob Borkowski]

All this on top of getting his left hand knocked off yesterday by the crappy BoSox pitcher.


Not that bad.

A couple of lines from Tuesday's Cincy Enquirer: "Freel was hit on the hand--a scary thing a week from Opening Day. 'It just grazed me on the middle finger, Freel said. You've got to sell it' ".

[Cedric]

Unfortunately, I don't think he is capable of doing the smart thing. As much as I love his approach to the game, he doesn't always play the smartest game. I don't see how he can ever be considered an everyday player with the way that he plays. He'll never stay healthy enough playing in the outfield on an everyday basis.

Ryan Freel wouldn't have made it to the majors without that approach. It made him. Why should he go back now?

[kbrake]

I'm with dougdirt, Freel is an idiot. Seriously thats not smart, I dont care what people say about playing hard. Its spring training and less than a week before Opening Day we have our CF dive head first into the wall. I know its nice to see hustle but sometimes its just not a good idea to play all out.

[Always Red]

Ryan Freel wouldn't have made it to the majors without that approach. It made him. Why should he go back now?

That's a very good point. The minute he stops playing all out, his career is probably over.

I'm not a huge fan of Freel's, but I don't dislike him either. I think he does really dumb things on the basepaths, and I'd much rather see him in the supersub role, I think that's where his value as a major league ballplayer lies. I'd rather see Denorfia or even Hamilton out there in CF.

But that's a great point, Cedric. :thumbup:

[jimbo]

Ryan Freel wouldn't have made it to the majors without that approach. It made him. Why should he go back now?

I'm not suggesting he go back, but I think he's played the game long enough to know how to protect himself. There are times to crash into a wall, and there are times not to. Freel has earned his spot in the lineup and on the roster, he has nothing to prove in ST at this time. He has a responsiblity to the team and crashing into a wall during a meaningless game is not holding up to that responsibility, IMO.

[jimbo]

That's a very good point. The minute he stops playing all out, his career is probably over.


His career would not be over if he decides to hold up on crashing into a wall during a spring training game. He's already earned his spot.

[captainmorgan07]

i have no problem with him busting his but on everyplay it's how he got himself here

[dougdirt]

Like others have said, No one wants Freel to not play all out..... in the regular season. But no one should want him diving into walls in spring training. Its just stupid. If this were done during the season, you know, when games matter it is one thing. He did it though in a spring training game, with absolutely nothing on the line.

[TOBTTReds]

A spring game for someone like him (has a starting job) is like a pick up game of basketball for NBA players and diving all over the court for loose balls. POINTLESS.

I blame this all on Farney. He obviously doesn't know when to slow it down.

[rotnoid]

The thing about this is that when you get in the all-out mindset, you have to practice the way you play. The only way to be proficient in game situations is to practice game situations. Let's say he does pull up on that ball tonight... No harm, no foul it's ST. Right? BUT, in a Cardinals series in late summer if he pulls up because he's conditioned himself in practice that way, we're all ripping the guy. I'm by no means a Freel fan, but I do understand practicing just as hard as you play.

[jimbo]

Freel has played the game long enough to where playing it safe during spring training is not going to change his mindset. If he dives into that wall tonight during a meaningless game and comes out with a season-ending injury, would we all be ok with that? I know I certainly wouldn't be.

[Nugget]

Narron also said the same thing yesterday about Freel running out grounders in ST. Freel is an accident waiting to happen. Just be happy he only took out the wall and not Dunn or Junior.

[Dracodave]

Narron also said the same thing yesterday about Freel running out grounders in ST. Freel is an accident waiting to happen. Just be happy he only took out the wall and not Dunn or Junior.

Juniors reason for wanting a "better centerfielder" make sense now don't they? Not like they always didn't but it takes Freel smacking into a wall during ST to make people realize Freel will hurt someone one day.


Everytime I see freel go to drive and someone is around I keep thinking of the Beltran/Cameron colusion. Scarey thought.:eek: :eek:

[rotnoid]

Narron also said the same thing yesterday about Freel running out grounders in ST. Freel is an accident waiting to happen. Just be happy he only took out the wall and not Dunn or Junior.

I'm not apologizing for Freel, anything but. I'm simply trying to say that he's not likely to back off. I agree that he's reckless. This is the main reason he'll never be an effective every day guy, IMHO.

[boognish]

I'm not apologizing for Freel, anything but. I'm simply trying to say that he's not likely to back off. I agree that he's reckless. This is the main reason he'll never be an effective every day guy, IMHO.

Some guys are just wired that way...as Cedric pointed out, Freel wouldn't be here if he hadn't adopted that attitude early on in his career. He isn't the only one...I saw Aaron Rowand take a nose dive making a diving catch just short of the wall in an exhibition game against Florida State before ST even started this season.

[919191]

I bet Junior was nearby yelling "Go, Ryan, run! Faster!" in hopes of Freel getting hurt so he could reclaim the CF job. :D

[reds44]

Freel OK: Against the Phillies on Tuesday, center fielder Ryan Freel made another one of his trademark,death-defying catches and paid for it in the form of back spasms.

On Aaron Rowand's first-inning drive to the left-center field wall, Freel made a spectacular head-first diving catch across the warning track as he collided into the fence. He spent several moments on the ground as left fielder Adam Dunn and right fielder Ken Griffey Jr. came over concerned. Freel was looked over by the trainer and Narron but finished the inning.

Josh Hamilton took over in center field for Cincinnati in the bottom of the second. The Reds said that Freel returned early to the team complex in Sarasota but was fine.

"It shows you how crazy he is," said starting pitcher Kyle Lohse, who was on the mound at the time of the play. "He's a gamer. You don't see too many guys go head-first into the wall in Spring Training, jeez. It shows you he's out there and he doesn't take any plays off, no matter what. That's impressive."

http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070327&content_id=1862901&vkey=spt2007news&fext=.jsp&c_id=cin

[pedro]

Freel is who he is. I just don't think you can turn that type of aggressiveness on and off, even if it may well lead to his eventual downfall.

[MartyFan]

Deno and Hamilton will play more games in CF for the Reds this year than Freel.

I love his hustle but he is a one man wrecking crew and it scares me to have him out there...he has crashed into other players when playing the IF...I can't bare to see him build up to full steam running in on a ball and taking out Phillips or Gonzalez or Ross on a casual pop up behind the plate!

[sonny]

This is Dunn and Griffey's new job in the OF: Yell "WALL!"

[Strikes Out Looking]

Freel should not play in anymore spring training games this year--keep him out until Monday--that way, hopefully, he'll live to play Wednesday!

[gonelong]

Freel, at his core, is very likely **SCARED** to take the field with anything but everything he has ... and I don't blame him.

You either accept that or you don't, but you can't ask they guy to dial it back IMO.

How many of you have skipped a day of your diet or working out and the next thing you know its six months and 15 lbs later? Freel cannot coast in a game for the same reason you can't skip a day of dieting/working out. Its the beginning of the end if you do so.

GL

[EddieMilner]

A few things:
1. For those that say, thats just him, and he can't take plays off; I completely disagree. Look at any of the great LBs that ever played football. In practice they didn't kill their own QBs or RBs, yet they were still able to play at a high intensity on Sunday and rip arms off.

2. Freel should never play every day. I love his all out way, but I think that if Narron has him in the lineup every day and Freel kills himself, he should be held criminally responsible. Kind of like a bartender allowing a drunk to go drive himself home.

[Always Red]

Is there any video out there of this catch last night? I haven't been able to find any.

If anyone finds it, please post a link; thanks!

[rotnoid]

A few things:
1. For those that say, thats just him, and he can't take plays off; I completely disagree. Look at any of the great LBs that ever played football. In practice they didn't kill their own QBs or RBs, yet they were still able to play at a high intensity on Sunday and rip arms off.

As a contrast, look at a guy like Sam Adams. He didn't participate in practice last summer and paid the price when the "bullets started flying." To think you can just amp it up when it counts is arrogant, IMHO.

[gonelong]

A few things:
1. For those that say, thats just him, and he can't take plays off; I completely disagree. Look at any of the great LBs that ever played football. In practice they didn't kill their own QBs or RBs, yet they were still able to play at a high intensity on Sunday and rip arms off.

No doubt the vast majority of players can coast a bit from time-to-time. I completely disagree that a guy like Freel or Eckstein are in that category. They have been told their entire lives that they can't make it. They have overcome obstacles at every level to make the BIGS, and they didn't do it by coasting. They have conditioned themselves to play hard at all times. Its not really a choice for them anymore, its who they are.


2. Freel should never play every day. I love his all out way, but I think that if Narron has him in the lineup every day and Freel kills himself, he should be held criminally responsible. Kind of like a bartender allowing a drunk to go drive himself home.

I'd not play Freel everyday either, but I'd play him for 110 games or so.

GL

[EddieMilner]

As a contrast, look at a guy like Sam Adams. He didn't participate in practice last summer and paid the price when the "bullets started flying." To think you can just amp it up when it counts is arrogant, IMHO.

I am not suggesting that Freel stops practicing. I am saying that he needs to know when to go all out, and when to hold back so he doesn't end up killing himself, denting a wall, or hurting a more valuable commodity (such as our left and right fielders). I would love to have the little guy with a little fuel left in his tank during September if we are in a divisional race. His OBP in September and October was .311. We need more from a lead off during a chance to go to the post season. And I am not ignoring that the whole team went into hibernation about a month early last year and I am not blaming the downfall on Freel.

[bucksfan2]

As said earlier its a damn good thing that wall wasn't Jr. or Dunn. If you are Jr. or Dunn how confortable do you feel in an outfield when Freel is going to play like that? Also is this a reason that Jr. held out moving to RF for as long as possible?

Freel can't play like this every day. He is not like Eckstein because Freel plays OF as opposed to SS. To be honest if a guy has a chance to catch the ball diving into a wall I would rather have them play it off the wall and save their body. While I dont feel that Freel is a difference maker on this club but what does a team lose when someone bangs into the wall and is out for days or even put on the DL. Is it worth preventing a hit to be out for 2 weeks? Freel needs to tone it down everywhere. Pick his spots and realize the situation. That catch meant absolutly nothing and it wont mean anything.

[BRM]

From C. Trent's blog:



Just got done talking to Ryan Freel. After the head-first catch into the wall Tuesday at Clearwater, he's feeling sore, mostly in his left ribcage and around his right scapula area in his shoulder. He said he could play today if he was needed. He can swing and run just fine. But not surprisingly, he's not in the lineup today.

I asked him how hard he hit the wall.

"I hit it pretty hard," Freel said. "I didn't slide on the gravel to slow myself down. As soon as I caught it, my shoulder hit the wall and I went up underneath. It wasn’t like I slid a little bit and hit the wall. It was more of a catch, bang, hit."

And lest you think Freel is not crazy, he gave us this little gem too: "It was fun to me. I had a great time doing it."

He also said he was going to get an X-ray on his ribcage, and he had two wicked strawberries on both his forearms.

We asked him about trying to tone it down - Narron said previously he asked Freel to play at 80 percent - but that doesn't seem likely to happen. He just can't not go all-out. It's dangerous as hell, but it's also what makes him exciting as hell too. It's also probably why he'll probably never play 150 games in a season.

[BRM]

FREEL UPDATE (11:50 a.m.): Just talked to him again. Said he had an X-ray on his left rib. Said it came back negative.


http://frontier.cincinnati.com/blogs/spring/

[smith288]

This is Dunn and Griffey's new job in the OF: Yell "WALL!"
Bad idea... Then Freel would run harder towards it.

[KronoRed]

Bad idea... Then Freel would run harder towards it.

Maybe not, if they yell "OLD LADY IN THE FRONT ROW" he definitely would run faster