Let's Pick Apart Buster Olney's AL Capsules, Shall We?

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I think everyone is being way too skeptical about Carlos Guillen, for example.

― The Obligatory Sourpuss (Begs2Differ), Tuesday, 15 February 2005 16:08 (twenty years ago)

oh yeah: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=olney_buster&id=1991386

― The Obligatory Sourpuss (Begs2Differ), Tuesday, 15 February 2005 16:08 (twenty years ago)

These statement prompted much eyebrow-raising:

Clubhouse culture was a great unseen weapon for the O'Neill-Martinez Yankees of 1996-2001, and similarly, this could be crucial for Boston as it tries to repeat.

???

Jason Giambi will be under more scrutiny this season than any player since Jackie Robinson in 1947 (and for reasons, obviously, that cannot be compared).

More than Mac-Sosa 1998? More than Bonds the last five years?
Perhaps, even more than Schilling 2004, or Pedro 2005?

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Tuesday, 15 February 2005 16:59 (twenty years ago)

yeah that last piece reads like a whole lot of bushwheat

― The Obligatory Sourpuss (Begs2Differ), Tuesday, 15 February 2005 17:15 (twenty years ago)

"Clubhouse culture was a great unseen weapon for the O'Neill-Martinez Yankees of 1996-2001..."

But seen by Buster!

Comparable scrutiny of Jackie/Giambi for reasons, obviously, that cannot be compared because he is hallucinating.

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 15 February 2005 17:58 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, I was comparing Giambi to Mac-Sosa-Bonds-etc., but certainly wasn't trying to compare any of *them* to Jackie. There is obviously no comparison there.

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Tuesday, 15 February 2005 18:12 (twenty years ago)

"Jason Giambi will be under more scrutiny this season than any player since Jackie Robinson in 1947 (and for reasons, obviously, that cannot be compared)"

This is possibly the worst sentence ever.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Tuesday, 15 February 2005 18:47 (twenty years ago)

U&K question (before I go click on that & pop a blood vessel) - is Buster smiling yet? I'd think, just by his attempt to even COMPARE JR breaking the color barrier (and the social fabric of the time, Buster!) and Giambi's steriod-related hoo-hah, he'd at least be grinning like Jack Nicholson's Shining understudy. Though it's a sign of the times where some asshat can even consider this as a valid comparison, and point to the ridiculous amount of coverage Giambi's trials & tribulations have rec'd as evidence.

Also - does he make any note of Willie Randolph being the first non-white manager of a New York major league baseball team, or does he skim over this factoid? (& am I wrong re: this observation?)

― David R. (popshots75`), Tuesday, 15 February 2005 18:48 (twenty years ago)

Of course, this being an AMERICAN LEAGUE capsule, David R. should realize that Willie's new job ain't gonna get mentioned yet.

― David R. (popshots75`), Tuesday, 15 February 2005 18:52 (twenty years ago)

"Willie Randolph is under more pressure than any manager ever has ever been under ever. If fact the only comparison for pressure I can come up with is that Willie Randolph is under as much pressure as a naval orange about to be juiced is (of course, this isn't a valid comparison for obvious reasons. . . excuse me while I kill myself.)"

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Tuesday, 15 February 2005 19:07 (twenty years ago)

Cleary it'd take a sports journalist of exceptional talent and restraint to address such a topic w/out subcumming to hyperbole. Someone like B!11 5!mm0n5.

― David R. (popshots75`), Tuesday, 15 February 2005 19:24 (twenty years ago)

(OK, that's a sign I need to unclench re: BS.)

― David R. (popshots75`), Tuesday, 15 February 2005 19:36 (twenty years ago)

Sexiest baseball player alive:
http://espn-att.starwave.com/media/mlb/2005/0215/photo/g_johnson_ft.jpg

― Big Baby Bingo (Chris V), Tuesday, 15 February 2005 20:35 (twenty years ago)

If that's a pic of Randy Johnson, Bingo, I'm driving up to MA and shoving a bottle of Manischewitz up your bum.

― David R. (popshots75`), Tuesday, 15 February 2005 20:44 (twenty years ago)

Bend over, you bastard!

― David R. (popshots75`), Tuesday, 15 February 2005 20:45 (twenty years ago)

to play devil's advocate, who would you say HAS been under the most scrutiny since jackie robinson?

― otto midnight (otto midnight), Thursday, 17 February 2005 04:39 (twenty years ago)

pete rose but that's for off the field antics.

― gygax! (gygax!), Thursday, 17 February 2005 04:43 (twenty years ago)

yes, but i think we can safely infer that olney meant on-field scrutiny.

― otto midnight (otto midnight), Thursday, 17 February 2005 04:58 (twenty years ago)

Rey Sanchez, for a brief period last year.

― mattbot (mattbot), Thursday, 17 February 2005 05:18 (twenty years ago)

Hank Aaron was under a fair amount of scrutiny (death threats.) Maris, perhaps (guy only lost all his hair.)

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Thursday, 17 February 2005 05:20 (twenty years ago)

This isn't on the field scrutiny, but I think the whole "next Ted Williams" hype along with being on a team full of lunatics in the biggest media town during the cacacacocaine 80s didn't help Daryl Strawberry. I'd say the pressure of all that got to him pretty good, not to say he would not have flaked out in San Diego or Seattle, but it might have played out a bit different.

Pedro Martinez definitely had to deal with some on the field scrutiny when he first came up with the Expos and was the most wild, headhunting pitcher in baseball. There was a stretch where it seemed like everytime he threw, the benches cleared or came close to clearing.

― Earl Nash (earlnash), Thursday, 17 February 2005 05:46 (twenty years ago)

You know, that Bonds dude, w/ the big skull and the single season HR record and record-breaking walk total & OPS & OPB & stuff? HE GETS SOME ATTENTION TOO, MR. OLNEY! And if Buster actually thinks that the squeeze Giambi will get this year even comes close to what Bonds has gone through & will continue to go through until he pees in public and gets tested in public and has his test results validated IN PUBLIC, then that sad sack look in his ESPN photo is probably a sign of a) his begrudging capitulation to the media clout of the NYC market & the "center of the world" mentality, or b) brain damage.

― David R. (popshots75`), Thursday, 17 February 2005 14:12 (twenty years ago)

(Man, if I'm this worked up now, imagine what'll happen if I actually read the article!)

― David R. (popshots75`), Thursday, 17 February 2005 14:13 (twenty years ago)

yeah well he's phoning it in on the NL now: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=olney_buster&id=1992665

― The Obligatory Sourpuss (Begs2Differ), Thursday, 17 February 2005 16:06 (twenty years ago)

OK, I just got one paragraph - nay, one sentence - into the AL article, and COME ON BUSTER!

"What must go right: For the first time since 1995, the Angels' closer will be somebody other than Troy Percival."

As if that's a bad thing! Dude wanted multi-million dollars over many years to squint and throw decellerating heat at bigger, stronger MLB hitters while also collecting his Social Security check. The fuck? Things end, Buster - plants die, milk spoils, and hard throwers lose something off their fastball. Given a choice between the AARP spokesperson and the hot-shit flamethrower (that, IIRC, did just fine when Percy was on the DL nursing his colostomy bag), I - and most people w/ stuff between their ears - will side with the mother-loving youth movement. QUOTE ONE STAT!

I'm probably going to have to move my bitchery over to blogdom, as, if I continue at the pace I think I will keep, this thread will turn into Nas / Jay-Z: The Bitchening.

― David R. (popshots75`), Thursday, 17 February 2005 16:48 (twenty years ago)

nine years pass...

Well, @Ronzio, that's about as likely to happen as Vermont challenging Maine in lobster production.

Well, @TheGinzu, I didn't pick them last year, either.

In other words, @DerpyMets, you can't come up with another example of a team suffering this many injuries in spring. Which is the point.

Just to be clear, @tonyque1121, I tweeted about how great the Tampa airport is and you translated that as Yankee bias?

Well, @ronfauss, his first MLB steal was against Molina.

Actually, @DupontCircleDC, it's apples to apples, because Cubs have played under exact same rules as Rays the last 16 seasons, haven't they?

Well, @gnovince, it could be that hitting and running work he's been doing.

Well, @PBRudisel, are you suggesting there is no medical data seen by teams before deals are made?

― Andy K, Monday, 31 March 2014 13:48 (eleven years ago)

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