South Side Sox: An SB Nation Community

Navigation: Jump to content areas:

Kenny: non-grinders not welcome in the clubhouse

Acmilan_tiny by The Wizard on in News

Kenny doesn't want any Garlands:

Williams hasn't heard any complaints from players about the energy Swisher brings to the clubhouse every day, but just in case he ever does, he offered a warning.

''It's a grinder-type attitude, energetic attitude, confident-type attitude, and if it grinds on some people, then I need to know who those people are so we can move them on,'' Williams said. ''We want hard-nosed. We want Nick Swisher times 25.''

and Coop on Danks:

"The big difference? Strikes,'' pitching coach Don Cooper said. "The amount of strikes, quality strikes. He didn't command nearly as well and wasn't nearly as efficient. He's got to stand taller and stay on his pitches longer. It was a disappointing outing. We expect more and he does, too.''

0 recs | Comment 149 comments

Read Related

Story-email Email | Print |

Comments

Display:

Nick Swisher...

times 25 would score a lot of runs, but the pitching would be atrocious.

by The Jerry Royster Experience on Apr 11, 2008 1:19 PM CDT   0 recs

this

is exactly why one shouldn't take everything from KW at face value.

somewhere in arizona, jerry owens silently weeps.

by larry on Apr 11, 2008 1:26 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

tho I wouldn't be surprised if Cowley screwed up the quote.

Skanberg, if I wanted to hear your opinion, I would have brainwashed you by now-
Don Guillote

by Chiburb on Apr 11, 2008 1:27 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

The funny thing is...

you probably really think that's exactly what Kenny meant.

Out-underacheiving the other guy.

by defensive indifference on Apr 11, 2008 1:57 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Good god.

How stupid do you think I am?

by The Jerry Royster Experience on Apr 11, 2008 1:58 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

stupid enough to like chubby girls?

somewhere in arizona, jerry owens silently weeps.

by larry on Apr 11, 2008 2:00 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Hey! Maybe JRE is Liz's fiancee?

Let them eat cake!

Skanberg, if I wanted to hear your opinion, I would have brainwashed you by now-
Don Guillote

by Chiburb on Apr 11, 2008 2:16 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

A girl at the park last year.

Her picture almost fit on the Jumbotron.

Skanberg, if I wanted to hear your opinion, I would have brainwashed you by now-
Don Guillote

by Chiburb on Apr 11, 2008 2:27 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

your wife

jesus christ, jerry. the woman who sleeps in your bed? the one who was sick a couple weeks ago? ring a bell?

somewhere in arizona, jerry owens silently weeps.

by larry on Apr 11, 2008 2:29 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

To be frank...

I don't find this conversation very funny. I don't feel comfortable making jokes about other people's appearance.

Maybe you guys all look like George Clooney, but I don't, and I don't think it's cool to make fun of others based on how they look.

YMMV, as always.

by The Jerry Royster Experience on Apr 11, 2008 2:31 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

you asked the question

you knew where this was going, jer. and you still went down the path.

somewhere in arizona, jerry owens silently weeps.

by larry on Apr 11, 2008 2:33 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

but not the aisle

Skanberg, if I wanted to hear your opinion, I would have brainwashed you by now-
Don Guillote

by Chiburb on Apr 11, 2008 2:33 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

I gotta imagine Liz is married by now

Fat chicks can't have long engagements. Gotta get down that aisle quick, before he comes to his senses. She's not gettin any smaller, you know

AIM: SouthSideCheat

by The Cheat on Apr 11, 2008 2:21 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Wonder if on the wedding night

he had to roll her in flour and look for the wet spot.

Skanberg, if I wanted to hear your opinion, I would have brainwashed you by now-
Don Guillote

by Chiburb on Apr 11, 2008 2:24 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Be vigilant!

Report any suspected non-grinderosity to Kenny.

by hitlesswonder on Apr 11, 2008 1:23 PM CDT   0 recs

ha

You know they've got a snitch down in the locker room too, reporting on any unnatural non-grinding activities. My candidate for weasel is Toby Hall, he doesn't serve any other useful function on the team.

by ChicagoPete on Apr 11, 2008 2:46 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Perfect!

Somebody get to Owens, tell him that Kenny isn't too happy with Swisher and that he (Owens) needs to be more vocal about starting in CF.
A guy can dream, can't he?

Skanberg, if I wanted to hear your opinion, I would have brainwashed you by now-
Don Guillote

by Chiburb on Apr 11, 2008 1:27 PM CDT   0 recs

What happens when a grinder grinds on a non-grinder?

"You might be impressed with your analysis, but I am not. Stop wasting my time." - Chris De Luca

by BoKnows on Apr 11, 2008 1:29 PM CDT   0 recs

results in masset

somewhere in arizona, jerry owens silently weeps.

by larry on Apr 11, 2008 1:31 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Or is the non-grinder now grinding since they are being ground upon?

"You might be impressed with your analysis, but I am not. Stop wasting my time." - Chris De Luca

by BoKnows on Apr 11, 2008 1:32 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Were Ozzie, Joey Cora and Harold grinder types?

I think Harold yes (played every day, produced, etc). Ozzie rarely walked and Joey just sucked. Wait, maybe they were grinders in the Uribe and Owens mold.

Show mercy. I get to watch the Rangers.

by Tim from Texas on Apr 11, 2008 1:31 PM CDT   0 recs

harold was too good a baseball player to be a true grinder. so is swisher.

Just because you are a character doesn't mean you have character.

by Toonderstrook on Apr 11, 2008 1:32 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

you just said harold was energetic.

like a sloth.

somewhere in arizona, jerry owens silently weeps.

by larry on Apr 11, 2008 1:32 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

conserving energy...work smarter, not harder, right?

Just because you are a character doesn't mean you have character.

by Toonderstrook on Apr 11, 2008 1:34 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

that's totally not grinder

somewhere in arizona, jerry owens silently weeps.

by larry on Apr 11, 2008 1:37 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Pete Rose = grinder.

Wasting effort by sprinting to first = grinder.

Betting on games = grinder.

What better way to be totally focussed on a game than to have money riding on it?

by The Jerry Royster Experience on Apr 11, 2008 1:38 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

be five foot nothing, one hundred and nothing?

somewhere in arizona, jerry owens silently weeps.

by larry on Apr 11, 2008 1:40 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Harold is still given crap for how quiet he is

in the clubhouse. Grinders speak UP! Grinders generally grind on everyone's nerves after awhile. Strong, silent types are not in my typical definition of "grinders".

I took the "under".

by winningugly on Apr 11, 2008 2:47 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Hey Now!

Don't go picking on Joey! He may not have been Roberto Alomar but he most definitely did not suck. First, he lasted 11 seasons and over 1100 games in the majors. You'd be hard pressed to find many really sucky ball-players who had that long a career.

Second, he was a decent hitter. During his prime, he OBA was consistently over .350. He was a pretty good baserunner and, later in his career, he even developed some respectable doubles-type power. He was a legit All-Star in 1997 and in his best two seasons, he posted OPS+ of 97 and 110. We'd take that kind of production from second base in a heartbeat. Now, granted, he wasn't anything special with the glove. At his best he was a league average glove and there were times he didn't even make that standard.

Joey was not a great player, but he was always serviceable and sometimes he was damn good. He was certainly good enough to be a starter on a championship team, which is why he made the play-offs four different times. Great? No. Sucky? Absolutely not? Grindy? Oh, yeah.

by Landfill on Apr 11, 2008 1:49 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Then a true grinder

must be a slap hitter, gets dirty, and preferably speaks Spanish. A-Rod only really speaks spanish. Couldn't use him on our team.

Show mercy. I get to watch the Rangers.

by Tim from Texas on Apr 11, 2008 1:35 PM CDT   0 recs

Actually

I'm pretty sure that to be a grinder you have to be white or Japanese. Everyone knows that Latin and black players just coast on their talent. It's the athletically overmatched white and asian guys that really grind...

by madvillian on Apr 11, 2008 1:52 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Lunch pail and blue-collar = white

Show mercy. I get to watch the Rangers.

by Tim from Texas on Apr 11, 2008 2:50 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

heady = white

And heady is almost always paired with the desirable "scrappy" attribute.

by ChicagoPete on Apr 11, 2008 2:58 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Weren't you going to share with us

your real estate deal yesterday? How'd it come out?

I took the "under".

by winningugly on Apr 11, 2008 2:59 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

I'm still waiting for someone him to blink

I threw him a small bone on the counteroffer, but I'm not bluffing. It involves someone from something near and dear to your heart, that's about all I can say.

by ChicagoPete on Apr 11, 2008 3:02 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

you're selling property to ernest & julio gallo?

Just because you are a character doesn't mean you have character.

by Toonderstrook on Apr 11, 2008 3:03 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Bottle of wine, fruit of the vine
When you gonna let me get sober
Leave me along, let me go home
I wann'a go back and start over

Skanberg, if I wanted to hear your opinion, I would have brainwashed you by now-
Don Guillote

by Chiburb on Apr 11, 2008 3:05 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

I could use a drop of the grape right about now

This guy is really trying my patience, he's as stubborn as I am,

by ChicagoPete on Apr 11, 2008 3:08 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

A-hole

;)

Speaking of the vineyard, my wife is pushing hard to come out to your neck o' the woods this year to do the tour of the vineyards (I know, rent a car and stay off the beaten path). Have you done the obligatory Sonoma tours? Whaddya think?

I took the "under".

by winningugly on Apr 11, 2008 3:21 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

sure, but we just do it out of season.

for people who enjoy wine i can't imagine you wouldn't have a great time. there are also plenty of microbreweries in sonoma if you're so inclined. if it's your first time, i'd say you should do at least a long day in napa. otherwise, sonoma is far chiller.

Just because you are a character doesn't mean you have character.

by Toonderstrook on Apr 11, 2008 3:23 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Have never been to wine country

and SF only twice in my life (never with the wife). As DeNiro says, "I hear good things".

I took the "under".

by winningugly on Apr 11, 2008 3:37 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

WU go if you can

Napa and Yountville are amazing. If you like wine at all, it is impossible not to have a good time

by BustedFlush on Apr 11, 2008 4:16 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

keep me posted, brother.

Just because you are a character doesn't mean you have character.

by Toonderstrook on Apr 11, 2008 4:17 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

And where's the Marquette Kid to tell of his interview?

Skanberg, if I wanted to hear your opinion, I would have brainwashed you by now-
Don Guillote

by Chiburb on Apr 11, 2008 3:03 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Swinging from piano wire

They didn't like that his nails were manicured.

I took the "under".

by winningugly on Apr 11, 2008 3:22 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Let me guess

Your fingernails are perpetually dirty from working on your Camaro

by ChicagoPete on Apr 11, 2008 3:30 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

and mine from my geo metro.

Just because you are a character doesn't mean you have character.

by Toonderstrook on Apr 11, 2008 3:30 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Pete, you have to be a BMW guy

who tailgates me even thjough I am doing 80. Flashing the lights and all.

I took the "under".

by winningugly on Apr 11, 2008 3:36 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

I had a Camaro in 1985

but have never changed my own oil. My Dad's the mechanic. So you are one generation off. Which fits.

I took the "under".

by winningugly on Apr 11, 2008 3:39 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

My second car was a Firebird

I always had more class than you.

by ChicagoPete on Apr 11, 2008 3:39 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Yeah, I'm envious of you

You get to live in the thriving heart of Indy in 2008, and I lived there in 1980. Poor, poor me.

I took the "under".

by winningugly on Apr 11, 2008 3:41 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

I said I am going 80, bro.

Again, my Dad is the other guy you describe. Again, one generation off. Which still fits.

I took the "under".

by winningugly on Apr 11, 2008 3:39 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

that IS clogging the passing lane.

Skanberg, if I wanted to hear your opinion, I would have brainwashed you by now-
Don Guillote

by Chiburb on Apr 11, 2008 3:40 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Get out of the way!

The passing lane is for passing. You'd last 10 minutes on the autobahn before they boot you off.

by ChicagoPete on Apr 11, 2008 3:40 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

or the left lane of I-55

Skanberg, if I wanted to hear your opinion, I would have brainwashed you by now-
Don Guillote

by Chiburb on Apr 11, 2008 3:41 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

oh. boy, the i drive faster than you do in my more luxurious car

pissing contest. fun.

Just because you are a character doesn't mean you have character.

by Toonderstrook on Apr 11, 2008 3:43 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

camaro.

but it's probably up on blocks in the yard.

Just because you are a character doesn't mean you have character.

by Toonderstrook on Apr 11, 2008 3:45 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

I'm in old-age hell here.

55 is usually the speed limit. There's a reason we in O-town have been voted the "least friendly" drivers in America. Everyone's from somewhere else, 1/2 don't know which side of the road to drive on, 1/4 are over 90 years old, and the other 1/4 have a theme park map in their laps.

Good thing we now are getting a law passed to be able to cary handguns into our place of employment. That will take the pressure off.

I took the "under".

by winningugly on Apr 11, 2008 3:44 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Florida is insane

I lived in Broward. On I-95 half the cars were mummies doing 55 in the left lane, the other half were cowboys coked up to the gills weaving through traffic doing 100.

by ChicagoPete on Apr 11, 2008 3:46 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

LOL!

That about covers it. You forgot the immigrants, though.

I took the "under".

by winningugly on Apr 11, 2008 3:47 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Grinders 2.0

I am all for guys like Swisher, who are talented and hustle and play tough. Those guys are good. I am totally against the Grinder 1.0 version which had guys who hustled and were tough, I guess, but had no talent.

If a Grinder is someone like Swisher, sure.

If a Grinder is someone in the Andy Gonzales, Erstad, Pods mode. Then no

by southsideirish71 on Apr 11, 2008 1:54 PM CDT   0 recs

Neither do I

But this grinder thing is a bit overstated by Kenny and Company.

When they announced they were looking for a Grinder type ball player. I was thrilled. For me, grinder was a line drive tough out type guy, that would augment our power hitting lineup. A guy who played hard all the time, was a tough out, and played great fundamental baseball. Minny for years, has taken some talented, and less than talented players and have had them play up and above their capabilities. This was due to a single purpose minor league system that had a repeatable message and taught fundamentals. This is what I thought we were getting. However somewhere between Minny and Chicago we had a change. Our first version Grinders, V1.0. Were less than talented guys, for the most part, who struck out a ton, and were medicore. They didnt have solid fundamentals and didnt provide anything but an easy out in the lineup.

by southsideirish71 on Apr 11, 2008 2:01 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

I tend to focus on the "tough out" part...

not the "grinder" part.

I appreciate a good attitude, but that has nothing to do with winning baseball games.

by The Jerry Royster Experience on Apr 11, 2008 2:10 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

sure it does

somewhere in arizona, jerry owens silently weeps.

by larry on Apr 11, 2008 2:12 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Totally agree JRE

winning makes people appear more grindy too.

Show mercy. I get to watch the Rangers.

by Tim from Texas on Apr 11, 2008 2:52 PM CDT