Some spring Training Thoughts II

by jeffman4426 on Mar 20, 2007 4:09 PM CDT Comment 37 comments

For some reason it wouldnt let me respond to all of your ridicularity defending BA as if he were some sort of a baseball god. I played at Grand Canyon University against Brian Anderson and I can truly tell you that I was not that impressed. But, I never pitched against him. They didnt exactly like to give me much "Playing time" (Picture Chris Farley with finger quotes).

BA walks to the plate like he knows what he is doing. Maybe he should watch how Mike Hampton walks up to the plate since Hampton has a higher career batting average with more at bats.

SouthSideSox is a community driven site. As such, users are able to express their thoughts and opinions in a FanPost, such as this one, which represents the views of this particular fan, but not necessarily the entire community or SouthSideSox editors.

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It's nice SB Nation has

all this user functionality so past athletic glories can be relived. I doubt I need to point out the absurdity of comparing a pitcher's batting average to an outfielder's, but why don't we look at career OPS+?

Hampton 66
Brian Nikola Anderson 64

Now that's futility!

by Trade Darin Erstad on Mar 20, 2007 5:16 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Impressions

Well, it would have been helpful if you'd have mentioned GCU played against Anderson two times in the two years he was there. Two baseball games isn't a whole hell of a lot. Clearly, he impressed some people that second year (and has the numbers to back it up). If I would have realized that earlier, I would have known immediately to chalk up your opinions to sour grapes.

It takes two to lie; one to lie and one to listen.

by Toonderstrook on Mar 20, 2007 5:58 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Baseball god?

Anderson was pathetic last year, especially in the first half. He seems to have little concept of the corners of the plate. He rarely made outstanding contact when he did put the bat on the ball. His work ethic, or coachability, is suspect.

These are all valid criticisms. From what we've seen during regular-season play, he is a bad ballplayer.

But repeatedly criticizing the way one walks to the plate, when you can't even describe what's wrong with it, is straight out of the dankest corners of Mike North's brain.

Once again, all I'm asking is, specifically, and without resorting to clichés, how does he walk to the plate in an offensive fashion? Does he take too long? Does he have a dip in his hip? Does he bob his head? Does he moonwalk? Does he do a flapper routine?

Sox Machine

by Sox Machine on Mar 20, 2007 6:07 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

The argument isn't about Anderson being good

It's about whether or not he'll be better than a semi-platoon of Erstad and Terrero. Those are two completely different things. Anderson isn't a good ballplayer. But Erstad has performed worse so far in spring training and been promised 500 at-bats. That's what people are complaining about. And seriously, what's with complaining about how he walks to the plate?

by hitlesswonder on Mar 20, 2007 7:35 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

wait, don't tell me

walking like he knew what he was doing, brian brought his "average" self into town; had an "average" 3 for 4 day at the plate against one of your boys who actually got "playing time"; and then gave your girlfriend the most "average" fuck she'd ever had in her life. after that, she broke up with you because you didn't even act like you knew what you were doing, let alone actually know what you were doing.

there's gotta be a really great story behind why you'd go after BA for, of all things, how he walks to the plate. please, do tell.

by larry on Mar 20, 2007 8:53 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

it really just seems like an excuse

to yack about having stepped on the same dirt as Brian Anderson.

by Trade Darin Erstad on Mar 20, 2007 9:14 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

pretty long set-up for that, don't ya think?

he was ragging on him before he mentioned his kevin bacon-like connection.

by larry on Mar 20, 2007 10:33 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm new

I guess I missed that. Please don't bother linking to it.

by Trade Darin Erstad on Mar 21, 2007 12:29 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

CC memories are a blast!!

I get a kick out of these, well I played against him in XX league and I got 3 hits off of him so that must mean I am better or he sucks.

I played baseball at the illustrious Moron Valley CC. I got a chance to play against Ron Mahay, LOOGY for the Texas Rangers when he was at SSC and Shepard and when he played for Crestwood travelling league, and I hit pretty well against him. Now I can sit back and have these fantasies that he isnt that good, or I was this great thing, however the reality sets in the minute I have to get up every single day and go to work. Meanwhile Ron is going to a ballpark to play a game for money. Ron is better than I every could be. He is a major leaguer and he is not the same kid I played against earlier in his life. Just like Brian Anderson is not the CC player you ran into. Now as witty as you think you are spouting off as a in the know guy. He is in the majors, and you are not. Brian Anderson > You. He could be the worst major leaguer in baseball and he is still better than the rest of us at baseball.

by southsideirish71 on Mar 20, 2007 9:23 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

So I shouldn't blab

about my brush with Kelly Dransfeldt?

by Trade Darin Erstad on Mar 21, 2007 12:32 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Oh please. Give me a freakin break

Why would I brag about playing against Brian Anderson? If you look in the original blog I wrote about it I didn't even mention it until somebody commented. If you look through my stats you will see that I was a failed, injury-stricken college pitcher. I have nothing to brag about!

As for my opinion of BA, it is still my opinion of BA. Have your own, I dont give a damn. He is a below average hitter who walks around like he is a movie star when he is on the field. Definately not someone who I would brag about playing against. If I wanted to brag on something (Now THIS is me bragging), I would say that I pitched against Jose Canseco in a mens league tournament and he DIDNT take me deep. Now THAT is something to brag about my friends.

-- Jeffman "We'll see you all again, sleep tight"

by jeffman4426 on Mar 21, 2007 10:33 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

"Did I mention I used to play baseball?"

by Trade Darin Erstad on Mar 21, 2007 10:45 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

BA

I dont know about movie star but he is confident in his abilities. If he turns into a decent or better than decent ball player (he certainy has time) the Chicago media will bombard us with stories about how he never stop believing... blah blah blah. My point is its utterly ridiculous to say he walks around like his shit dont stank. He may end up sucking forever but I dont have a problem with a player "thinking" he will do well. Every great ball player does.

by Tdogg on Mar 21, 2007 1:23 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Movie star...

Are we talking Vinnie Chase from Entourage movie star? Because if so, Vinnie Chase walks pretty pimpin', so I don't think you can knock Anderson for that.

Or are we talking Dallas from The Outsiders, that more 'badass' style walking. Because I don't prefer that style, but it works for some people.

by CWSKeith on Mar 21, 2007 1:30 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Who are you quoting?

And why the hatred towards Darin Erstad? He played at Nebraska so you know he will be good. The man is a god. He can walk to the plate however he wants. He could ride in on rollerblades surrounded by supermodels for all I care.

-- Jeffman "We'll see you all again, sleep tight"

by jeffman4426 on Mar 21, 2007 12:02 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

he played at nebraska?

i hadn't heard that. next you'll be telling me he played football there, too.

by larry on Mar 21, 2007 12:14 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

You should have seen

how he walked onto the field to punt the ball.

Stoic. Humble. Dedicated.

No one will ever wear the 1-bar helmet quite like him.

by chrome on Mar 21, 2007 1:01 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

He was billed as the next Roger Maris

"Ballplayers have never been one of North Dakota's chief exports. Gunslingers, O.K. Painted-canyon postcards, sure. But no one would call the state a field of dreams -- at least not until Darin Erstad sprang from the plains to remind folks of another natural long-ball hitter from those parts, a fellow who did away with Babe Ruth's season home run record."

And even better:

"He won the job of punter and long-range field goal kicker on the Cornhuskers' football team last season after he and his baseball buddies made an audition tape of him kicking and punting and sent it to coach Tom Osborne. He finished 14th in the nation in punting with a 42.6-yard average, and converted three of eight field goal attempts. Moreover, he is the proud owner of a national championship ring."

"Growing up, Erstad was a four-sport virtuoso, starring in football, baseball, hockey and track. He played so many sports mostly because there was little else to do. "I wasn't exactly going to nightclubs," Erstad says. "

Entire 1995 SI profile here:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/si_online/news/2003/05/21/erstad1/

It should be called Bill Veeck Park!

by Chiburb on Mar 21, 2007 1:27 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

how about this?

"The consensus among pro scouts is that Erstad can hit for power and average as well as run, field, throw and, quips Sanders, "hang around in a phone booth with an S on his chest.""

Go Badgers!

by shaftr on Mar 21, 2007 1:40 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Oh my...

Some of those nuggets are golden, Chiburb. He played hockey?!?! You can bet your non-grinding ass that he was the captain of that team and that he NEVER lost a fight.

3-of-8 in field goal attempts, though? Without seeing any other context, that's awful.

by CWSKeith on Mar 21, 2007 1:32 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

here's all the context you need

the weather was too good. we all know grinders perform best in inclement weather.

by larry on Mar 21, 2007 1:43 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm sure the 3 makes

were clutch too.

by Trade Darin Erstad on Mar 21, 2007 1:47 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

more stuff you didn't know about erstad

state champ in the 110m and 300m hurdles. track doesn't usually populate itself with grinders - obvious advantage to peter pan - but i think hurdling could potentially be a grinder-worthy endeavor. i bet he just ran right through the hurdles.

by larry on Mar 21, 2007 1:53 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

With the "S" on his chest.

It should be called Bill Veeck Park!

by Chiburb on Mar 21, 2007 2:05 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hmmm, let's see....

He played on the Tom Osborne NE teams of the mid 90's, renowned for taking scrawny 6'2" 200lb high school seniors and turning them into 6'2" 300lb pimply-backed behemoths by their sophomore seasons. "Oh, well of course - we've got the best weight training facilities in the country".

And Superman's career year sticking out like a major anomaly, a huge outlier from the rest of his career. And his power numbers going right into the toilet after he got his big contract.

Just coincidence I'm sure. But if not, I wish he'd visit that NE trainer again before this season starts. His dink & dunk hitting that I've seen in ST ain't gonna cut it. What's even more disturbing is that besides hitting just like Pods, he THROWS just like him too - he's got that same exact goofy sling it sidearm from shoulder height motion. And he throws just as hard, and he throws lefty....Yechhh

by ChicagoPete on Mar 21, 2007 6:11 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Oh yes

I am sure that there is a giant steroid ring in Lincoln. Did anyone also tell you that Erstad and Osborn were on the grassy knoll the day Kennedy was shot? Get a life you conspiracy theorist. NCAA actually tests for steroids moron.

-- Jeffman "We'll see you all again, sleep tight"

by jeffman4426 on Mar 22, 2007 11:41 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

not very well, they don't

you and i have both been in the ncaa system. and you and i both know how easy it is to game it, if one chooses to do so. i have no knowledge about nebraska or erstad specifically, but the ncaa testing regime is a joke - and when erstad was in college it was even more of a joke.

by larry on Mar 22, 2007 11:51 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ignore him, Larry...

Everyone knows that if Erstad ("S" on chest) had been on the grassy knoll that fateful day, HE would've taken the bullet for JFK, AND humbly refused all interviews and honors.

That's the kind of guy he is.

It should be called Bill Veeck Park!

by Chiburb on Mar 22, 2007 12:41 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

The NE Cornholers

Obviously there's no roids in Lincoln, because they test for that stuff - stupid me. My apologies. Superman's SLG inexplicably went in the tank just as he was entering his prime power years because he stopped taking his multivitamins.

by ChicagoPete on Mar 22, 2007 12:51 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Super 'Stad...

...sure does miss those chewable Flintstones.

It takes two to lie; one to lie and one to listen.

by Toonderstrook on Mar 22, 2007 12:54 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

more power to him

Morally I give a shit if he did steroids or not. If someone told me I could take a shot of something and then I'd get paid $7mm/yr for 5 years I'd be first in line - no questions asked.

What concerns me is that the Sox might think they're getting a player who has a vague chance of matching his numbers from pre-2000 (I know I'm guilty of it). And they're going to give him valuable AB's at the top of the batting order to find out if he can do it again. It's total wishful thinking. He's done nothing this spring to indicate he can put up those pre-2000 power numbers. In fact, his spring numbers look identical to what he's done post-2000. This guy has less power than Pods.

by ChicagoPete on Mar 22, 2007 1:53 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

pretty sure ozzie isn't expecting power

he wants small ball, remember?

by larry on Mar 22, 2007 1:56 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Not at GCU

I can't say that GCU does a good job of testing because they dont have the money to test. I figure that is the way it goes for most D2 schools. I don't know how the testing went in Erstads hayday but most of my D1 buddies tell me it is pretty strict.

But, to say Erstad did roids is a joke because the man has no legs. He has these two tiny sticks for legs that struggle to uphold his big arms. Erstad and Nebraska Football are in no way associated to steroids. We have had some players, namely Lawrence Phillips, that were screwups but the coaches and staff at Nebraska have always held themselves to the highest of standards. You can point to Miami if you want to talk about steroids in the NCAA but Nebraska should never be considered in that conversation.

-- Jeffman "We'll see you all again, sleep tight"

by jeffman4426 on Mar 23, 2007 4:24 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

That must explain...

why the Husker program had "Big Red Confidential" written about it.

Nothing in that book about steroids, is there? I also remember quite a bit coming out later about Fryar, Rozier, and others. And Solich is now under fire for certain "issues" at Ohio and Nebraska.

Cleanest program EVER.

It takes two to lie; one to lie and one to listen.

by Toonderstrook on Mar 23, 2007 4:31 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

cough Christian Peter cough

And a lot of steroid users have no legs. Hell, a lot of weightlifters have no legs, because they'd rather invest time into the upper body.

Plus, it might not be a great idea for a punter to bulk up the legs, considering range of motion is crucial.

Sox Machine

by Sox Machine on Mar 23, 2007 8:50 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Besides the whole punting angle,

Erstad probably wanted run fast. You can't grind if you can't run fast. Plus his shrunken testicles would look even smaller between bulky trunks. The sucky part of all this steroid speculation is the high probability that Erstad is currently clean.

by Paxson Jackson on Mar 24, 2007 10:34 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs