Is baseball fun if you just continue to walk? This is the million dollar question. I'm a Cubs fan, but I also like Harper. I used to be a hater, I won't deny that. However, Bryce and I have mended our relationship and are now on good terms. He likes to have fun playing baseball and I like watching baseball. You see that? We just found common ground.
As a Harper fan, I'm glad to see that I don't have to hate him because he hurt my team, but it's a two-edged sword. He didn't hurt the Cubs because they didn't allow him to. The Cubs basically said "you're not going to beat us, so take your base." This brings up the big question: Is this an okay way to handle baseball? What can be done from it?
The hot take that came to me is that they're turning Bryce into DeAndre Jordan. Basketball fans everywhere cringe when "hack a DeAndre" starts up. Strategically, it's brilliant. Your team doesn't have to exert energy on defense and you're eliminating the other team's possessions. This translates to baseball as well. You're taking the best player in the game out of the game. It neutralizes the opponent's best weapon. The glowing difference between the two is that DeAndre is being punished for sucking at free throws, something he can fix. Bryce, on the other hand, is being punished for being too good at his trade. Without question, people will turn on it and complain that it is "ruining the game" and wonder what Bryce can do to offset it.
It's mental warfare out there in the sports world and this is the ultimate edge. I always believed that teams were stupid to pitch to Barry Bonds back when he had more juice than an under-10 boys soccer team. Anytime that a pitcher would face him and not intentionally bean him, an angel would lose its wings. This is how things have turned with Bryce. He can hurt you. Pitching to him with Ryan Zimmerman sitting behind him and boasting a peasant's .236 average is borderline bonkers. Until Dusty Baker (who knew he was still alive?) adjusts his lineup or Zimmerman learns how to hit, you don't throw anything remotely close to the strike zone for Bryce.
If I'm Bryce, I try to be the biggest jerk I can possibly be out of this. If he doesn't call a pitcher a chicken to a reporter, is he really a man? You have to prod the opposing pitcher and get in his head. I'm a bit bummed out that Bryce hasn't already done this, but I'm holding out hope that in the future, that he will mix in a swing or two during an intentional walk. I'm not picky. It can even be when a ball is going through the other batter's box. It's a war out there and you're running the pitch count up. It's a bit selfish, honestly, that he hasn't done this yet. I would make the argument that he's a bad teammate for not working the count and helping out his fellow man. How funny would it be if he just takes a couple of casual chops while the pitcher is trying to walk him? If Bryce is a man of his word and truly wants to make baseball fun again, he has three options to prove himself. He can either: mock opposing pitchers in his post-game interviews, start stealing all of the bases, or take a couple of hacks at intentional walks. The ball is in your court Bryce.
All my love,
@corbeech
No comments:
Post a Comment