Body Language

I did not get to see much of the Dodgers 10-2 win last night over the Giants (I only got to see the seventh inning). What I did see, I did not particularly like. I hate to admit it but the ESPN announcing crew brought it to my attention. They were picking on Yasiel Puig and pointing out every shortcoming that he has. Puig seems to be every announcers favorite target when it comes to the Dodgers. Puig had a meltdown a few games ago and his ability has not caught up to his bad attitude yet.

Puig swung and missed at a pitch and he acted like someone had just punched his mother. The Dodgers had a 10-1 lead at the time. Then there are times when Puig will make a catch or hit a homerun and he makes you think "Wow! Where is that player on a consistent basis?" Then there are times when he forgets how many outs there are, loafs in the outfield and to first, or acts like he would rather be anywhere else other than roaming the outfield for the Dodgers.and you think "When is Mattingly going to bench his ass?"

Puig wasn't the only one with bad body language. Alex Guerrero hit a fly ball and was already halfway back to the dugout in a slow trot when the ball was caught. Joc Pederson fouled out to third base and he slowly walked back to the dugout. Left handed relief pitcher Daniel Coulombe issued a four pitch walk in the top of the seventh to left handed batter Brandon Crawford and did not come close to throwing a strike. All he has to do with a 10-1 lead is throw strikes. He ended up giving up a run in the top of the eighth. No wonder his ERA is 8.53. If you cn't trust him with a nine run lead why should you trust him with a one run lead?

Reggie Jackson is an example of a player's ability far outweighing his bad attitude. His battles with the Oakland A's, Baltimore Orioles, and especially the New York Yankees, were legendary. His attitude was just as bad with the California Angels but they were never in the spotlight of the World Series so it wasn't as blatant at the end of his career. His antics on the field, arguments in the dugout, and comments off the field could all be tolerated because he produced when it counted. Jackson was also the king of self promotion. He was "the straw that stirred the Yankee drink" and "Mr. October." He did not give himself that nickname but he did take it and run with it.

Yasiel Puig Versus Baseball Tradition

Yasiel Puig showed off his youthful exuberance for the game of baseball last night when he hit a triple off the top of the right field wall last night by flipping his bat while he was still at the plate (because he probably thought he had hit it out) but he still had the speed to make it to third base. He played up to a home crowd when he reached third base as well. Cardinals outfielder Carlos Beltran was very outspoken about Puig's actions after the game. Puig had been 0 for 11 with 7 strikeouts before he hit the triple. Is it because Puig is a Rookie and hasn't earned the respect of the veteran's in baseball? When Adrian Gonzalez hit the double down the right field line to give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning, he showed some emotion after he slid into second base. No one has said a word about that. I remember back in the late '70's when Reggie Jackson "earned" the moniker "Mr. October", he thrived on controversy. He showboated, he demanded to be the center of attention, and he thrived in the spotlight whether it was good or bad. I remember the World Series in which Reggie hit the three homeruns and on the last homerun it took him about an hour to round the bases. The play in which he stuck his hip out and deflected the ball when he was caught in the rundown was more controversy. Reggie was revered by the fans and the press alike. It's a good thing ESPN wasn't around back then. Jackson was a 10 year veteran by this time and I think his actions were much worse than Puig's show of enthusiasm. I guess that is the difference between a 10 year veteran and a Rookie.