The folks at Dinged Corners Inc. are probably zonked out in an exhausted heap after reading, compiling and summarizing all those blog bat-around posts. A fine job, by the way.
So I'm not going to interrupt their well-deserved slumber to inform them that they ask the best questions. The blog bat-around question was just one example. They're forever coming up with questions that I'm just dying to answer. I don't know how they do it but they would make fantastic prosecutors. One question would make any hostile witness spill his guts. In fact, put Greg Anderson, Barry Bonds' best zipped-lip bud, in front of DC. I think we'd get the who, what, where, when, how and why pretty quickly.
I bring this up because of a question they recently asked the other day. They wanted to know if they were any players that I didn't actively collect that I was happy to get anyway. I was surprised that more didn't answer this question. But I decided to repeat my answer here.
After looking at the players I came up with, I realized two things. First, with only one exception, each compete for teams that like, or at least I can tolerate. You don't see any members of the Yankees or Giants here. Secondly, all 10 of these players are reasonably well-established. For me to admire a player, they have to prove to me that they're worth something for a few years. I rarely jump on the rookie train. Show me something first, rook. And I mean more than one or two years of decent play.
What it comes down to is, I wish these 10 players were Dodgers. I'd be happy to have any of them on my favorite team.
So here we go with the list. It's in no particular order. I picked the players off the top of my head in the comment on Dinged Corners, so I'll stick with the same order.
1. Jim Thome. Thome falls under the category of players who seem like they were put on this planet for one reason: to play baseball. I've mentioned this a few times. Chipper Jones is the king of this category, and there aren't a lot of others that fit this rather subjective list. Cal Ripken's on the list, maybe a few others. Thome is definitely on the list. He can mash, and everything that I've heard and read says he's a great guy. That's good enough for me.
2. Chase Utley. Even before the Phillies won the World Series last year I was a fan of this guy. He seems like he simply wants to play ball. He doesn't care about anything else. I like the fact that he always seems hesitant to talk to the media, in an awe-shucks sort of way. He doesn't seem very aware in that area (anyone who saw his remarks -- or one remark in particular -- during the Phillies' victory parade knows that). But that's OK. You don't need to be polished and PC to be on my team.
3. Josh Beckett. Here's another guy who just wants the damn ball. He's competitive as hell, confident, and seems a little ornery, but not in an obnoxious way. Starting pitchers who dominate are my absolute favorite kind of baseball player. I like them better than lights-out closers, awe-inspiring thumpers, flashy fielders or super speedsters. Give me a starter who can make a hitter look like a fool. I'll watch that all day long.
4. Rick Ankiel. Yeah, I know. He got caught. But to me that doesn't completely diminish what he accomplished. Converting from pitcher to outfielder after his career was pretty much dead, and flat-out succeeding in the transformation still impresses me. And I love the fact that I have cards of him both hitting and pitching.
5. Jimmy Rollins. He ticks off Mets fans, but he's all right with me. Nothing wrong with speaking your mind or being confident. Rollins likes to talk, but he doesn't say anything that I think is unnecessary or controversial. He's entertaining and I like that. He's a fine player, too. Should he have received the MVP award in 2007? I don't know. I don't get into stats a lot. (And I don't have to. I don't have a vote). I just know he had a fine season. Rollins always seems to get a lot of great-looking baseball cards, too. I love this one.
6. Ken Griffey Jr. I was never a huge Griffey follower. When everyone was going ga-ga over him during the 1990s, I didn't care. I've never been one to like the latest and greatest. But now that Griffey's been around awhile and suffered his share of adversity, I like him more. I should have appreciated him when he was younger. Now I'm looking forward to his Hall of Fame induction.
7. Chipper Jones. The only guy here who plays for a team I don't like. But that means I'm awfully impressed by what he can do and how he plays the game. Try to think of what Chipper Jones would do for a living if he wasn't a baseball player. I can't think of one single thing.
8. Paul Konerko. I didn't like it when the Dodgers traded Konerko to the Reds. By the time he came to the White Sox, he was far enough removed from L.A., that his success didn't throw me into a rage. I openly rooted for him during the 2005 postseason. The only thing that bothers me is how often Ken Harrelson calls him "Paulie." Konerko, please tell the Hawk to stop it.
9. Pedro Martinez. Another guy the Dodgers let get away. A lot of fans don't like him. I think he's great. He speaks his mind. He's usually right. He has fun. He loves the game. And when he is healthy he will outsmart you 40 different ways. People bitch because he pitches inside. Pedro is a throw-back to the 1960s. Nobody bitched when Bob Gibson pitched like that. Get back in the box and hit.
10. Josh Hamilton. I think this one is pretty obvious, don't you? I hope he continues what he's doing for years to come.
I'm sure there are other non-Dodgers that I appreciate. But those were the 10 that popped into my head.
Next week I'm going to review the 10 that I can't STAND pulling from packs. That ought to be fun, shouldn't it?
So I'm not going to interrupt their well-deserved slumber to inform them that they ask the best questions. The blog bat-around question was just one example. They're forever coming up with questions that I'm just dying to answer. I don't know how they do it but they would make fantastic prosecutors. One question would make any hostile witness spill his guts. In fact, put Greg Anderson, Barry Bonds' best zipped-lip bud, in front of DC. I think we'd get the who, what, where, when, how and why pretty quickly.
I bring this up because of a question they recently asked the other day. They wanted to know if they were any players that I didn't actively collect that I was happy to get anyway. I was surprised that more didn't answer this question. But I decided to repeat my answer here.
After looking at the players I came up with, I realized two things. First, with only one exception, each compete for teams that like, or at least I can tolerate. You don't see any members of the Yankees or Giants here. Secondly, all 10 of these players are reasonably well-established. For me to admire a player, they have to prove to me that they're worth something for a few years. I rarely jump on the rookie train. Show me something first, rook. And I mean more than one or two years of decent play.
What it comes down to is, I wish these 10 players were Dodgers. I'd be happy to have any of them on my favorite team.
So here we go with the list. It's in no particular order. I picked the players off the top of my head in the comment on Dinged Corners, so I'll stick with the same order.
1. Jim Thome. Thome falls under the category of players who seem like they were put on this planet for one reason: to play baseball. I've mentioned this a few times. Chipper Jones is the king of this category, and there aren't a lot of others that fit this rather subjective list. Cal Ripken's on the list, maybe a few others. Thome is definitely on the list. He can mash, and everything that I've heard and read says he's a great guy. That's good enough for me.
2. Chase Utley. Even before the Phillies won the World Series last year I was a fan of this guy. He seems like he simply wants to play ball. He doesn't care about anything else. I like the fact that he always seems hesitant to talk to the media, in an awe-shucks sort of way. He doesn't seem very aware in that area (anyone who saw his remarks -- or one remark in particular -- during the Phillies' victory parade knows that). But that's OK. You don't need to be polished and PC to be on my team.
3. Josh Beckett. Here's another guy who just wants the damn ball. He's competitive as hell, confident, and seems a little ornery, but not in an obnoxious way. Starting pitchers who dominate are my absolute favorite kind of baseball player. I like them better than lights-out closers, awe-inspiring thumpers, flashy fielders or super speedsters. Give me a starter who can make a hitter look like a fool. I'll watch that all day long.
4. Rick Ankiel. Yeah, I know. He got caught. But to me that doesn't completely diminish what he accomplished. Converting from pitcher to outfielder after his career was pretty much dead, and flat-out succeeding in the transformation still impresses me. And I love the fact that I have cards of him both hitting and pitching.
5. Jimmy Rollins. He ticks off Mets fans, but he's all right with me. Nothing wrong with speaking your mind or being confident. Rollins likes to talk, but he doesn't say anything that I think is unnecessary or controversial. He's entertaining and I like that. He's a fine player, too. Should he have received the MVP award in 2007? I don't know. I don't get into stats a lot. (And I don't have to. I don't have a vote). I just know he had a fine season. Rollins always seems to get a lot of great-looking baseball cards, too. I love this one.
6. Ken Griffey Jr. I was never a huge Griffey follower. When everyone was going ga-ga over him during the 1990s, I didn't care. I've never been one to like the latest and greatest. But now that Griffey's been around awhile and suffered his share of adversity, I like him more. I should have appreciated him when he was younger. Now I'm looking forward to his Hall of Fame induction.
7. Chipper Jones. The only guy here who plays for a team I don't like. But that means I'm awfully impressed by what he can do and how he plays the game. Try to think of what Chipper Jones would do for a living if he wasn't a baseball player. I can't think of one single thing.
8. Paul Konerko. I didn't like it when the Dodgers traded Konerko to the Reds. By the time he came to the White Sox, he was far enough removed from L.A., that his success didn't throw me into a rage. I openly rooted for him during the 2005 postseason. The only thing that bothers me is how often Ken Harrelson calls him "Paulie." Konerko, please tell the Hawk to stop it.
9. Pedro Martinez. Another guy the Dodgers let get away. A lot of fans don't like him. I think he's great. He speaks his mind. He's usually right. He has fun. He loves the game. And when he is healthy he will outsmart you 40 different ways. People bitch because he pitches inside. Pedro is a throw-back to the 1960s. Nobody bitched when Bob Gibson pitched like that. Get back in the box and hit.
10. Josh Hamilton. I think this one is pretty obvious, don't you? I hope he continues what he's doing for years to come.I'm sure there are other non-Dodgers that I appreciate. But those were the 10 that popped into my head.
Next week I'm going to review the 10 that I can't STAND pulling from packs. That ought to be fun, shouldn't it?
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