2012 Toronto Blue Jays Thread
- Thread starter Darryl
- Start date
Heroic Shrimp
New member
Nik? said:
Oh, heavens, I don't honestly believe that you're capable of being put in your place by anybody about anything. You can take that as a compliment if you view it as one.
I don't really know what to say. You repeatedly harp on this issue in ways that make it seem like you're desperately inviting an argument from whomever. It's virtually impossible to search your posting history because of name changes, but since the game that Grabovski took off to attend his child's birth, I recall you making sarcastic reference to that particular occasion, or to the general principle of players missing a game to attend a birth, at least three times now. That's not including responses to responses.
As I'm sure you must know, players missing games to attend their child's birth is not exclusive to the Leafs, nor to Toronto as a city, nor to hockey and baseball, nor even to team sports. I know you have your reasons to feel the way you do and as strongly as you do, which you took the time to explain to me in detail privately. I said and honestly meant that I would reply, but as it happens life with children (yeah, yeah...) limits my time to do so in any fair detail.
Let me say this: Your arguments as to why players shouldn't miss games to attend a child's birth are perfectly logical. Spock would be proud, if Vulcans (or even half-Vulcans) feel pride. Unfortunately, like it or not, this is an issue of almost pure emotion, and as you may know, emotion doesn't give a **** about logic. When I say that you won't know or understand, yes, it's condescending, but there is literally no way a non-parent can remotely fully appreciate the enormous emotional baggage, both good and bad, that goes along with parenthood. Not any more than I might appreciate and understand the stresses and challenges of being, say, an NHL goaltender.
It would be fantastic if sports players had emotions that were entirely directed towards their sport, but that is virtually never the case. You can pay a person enormous amounts of money, but you can't really buy their heart, at least not for long.
As always, I really don't have the time to write more fully and elaborate why I disagree with you, and I'm stuck with bullet points at this stage, but here are a few points to chew on:
- As far as I know, virtually all teams everywhere allow their players to attend the birth of a child if the player so requests. You can debate the merit of that policy, but that's the way it is. Given that, 1) it would create poor morale if, say, the Leafs were the only team that didn't allow players that privilege, and 2) to deny the attendance at childbirth contributes to an image of management that makes a team less desirable for free agent players to sign with.
- A player who plays while unfocussed and emotionally distracted by a childbirth elsewhere may be a greater detriment to his team than a substitute player.
- Not all births go well, and rarely they end tragically. But for some very urgent medical intervention, my eldest son was within a minute or two of dying in utero during labour. It happens. If you can recognize that a player's morale might be affected by not being able to attend the birth of their child, imagine how their morale might be permanently shattered by not being present at their child's death.
- The wife/girlfriend is part of the player package. Seriously. It's the player who's got his name on the contract, but life at home can and will have an enormous effect on the player's mental state. And let me tell you, the wife/girlfriend wants the player there. You can buy all the friends/nannies/support you want, but she wants him there. If he's not there at the birth, as he's often not there when on the road, it's just one more stress in the home life. Letting a player attend the birth is as much, if not more, for the woman and her reciprocal effect on the man than it is for him. The statement, "Honey, I know I missed the birth, but I loved the videotape of it, and we also won the game" is the first small step toward divorce.
You can logic this issue as much as you want. It's not a logical issue, that's all there is to it. Unless you're on the planet Vulcan, in which case I agree with you.
Heroic Shrimp
New member
Solid outing by Drabek again today. Winning 8-2, top of 8th.
Corn Flake
New member
TML fan said:
I usually fall asleep by the 2nd pitch.. aka: 15 minutes gone by.
Chev-boyar-sky
New member
L K said:
That was talked about in Moneyball no?
His difference between his offspeed stuff and his fastball is so huge that the 78MPH fastball looks like it's 95MPH.
bustaheims
Active member
L K said:
Location, location, location. That's always been Moyer's bread and butter. Keep the ball in the strikezone but out of good hitting areas.