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Let's Get Into Some FanGraphs Pot-Stirring!
Link
fangraphs.com
Frequently, you’ll hear a fan say of an athlete — as I recently heard a co-worker say of Randy Moss — "If he just tried harder, imagine how good he’d be." Perhaps that’s true, but consider how less often we hear people say of David Eckstein, "If he were just bigger and stronger and faster and better, imagine how good he’d be." Because we view all those things as involuntary, it never occurs to us that Eckstein is expressly lacking those traits. Furthermore, it’s possible that Randy Moss is great because of his approach to the game. Likewise, Hanley Ramirez: perhaps the same impulse that led him to jog after the ball in left field — whatever quality that is — is also something that’s aided his excellence in some other way.
You might see how quickly this could become a racial issue for some — and it’s a concern raised both by Rob Iracane of Walkoff Walk and Junior of Fire Joe Morgan, whose respective thoughts on the matter I endorse.
Discuss. (I can't help it.)
