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In which Lynn Henning of The Detroit News is far more eloquent than I about why Pudge sucks so bad.
Pudge doesn't sound happy
Tigers catcher isn't pleased with losing, taking walks or trades his team has made.
By Lynn Henning / The Detroit News
Whatever is eating at Pudge Rodriguez these days is destined to keep chewing unless Rodriguez realizes at least a couple of significant facts of baseball life in Detroit.
1. He was delighted to sign on with Detroit 19 months ago when the Tigers filled a free-agent market void with their $40 million, four-year plan to rescue both themselves and an offer-starved Rodriguez.
2. He joined a team that had lost 119 games the previous season. If Pudge thought this team was about to embark on the greatest ashes-to-palace transformation in baseball history he was not cozying up to the word "reality."
3. Pudge ought to remind himself, as well, that everyone in Detroit's clubhouse is in this thing together. Everyone is a cause or effect of past and present woes, and everyone on the payroll is a potential means for eliminating 12 consecutive losing baseball seasons in Detroit.
Rather than acknowledge his own role in the Tigers' mournful 2005 baseball story, Pudge sat in front of his locker Saturday afternoon conducting a news conference that might as well have been sponsored by Carnival Cruises. It was a "get me out of here" plea if ever one was issued.
"I hate losing, I'm tired of losing," Pudge said, broadcasting his first news bulletin. "I'm not used to playing like this. I don't like to play like this. I've been here two years and I don't see any changes. It's hard to be on a ballclub like that, because I'm not used to that."
Compassion for Pudge seems to be selling at discounted prices in the Tigers clubhouse. One possible reason: 24 other teammates, not to mention a manager and a coaching staff -- and, possibly an owner and front office -- also want to win.
But with Pudge there is always a higher elevation. Just ask him.
"I love to win," he repeated. "I love to be in the playoffs. I would love to see my teammates the same way, but I don't know. I don't have their minds. I can talk to you from my heart. I'm not a loser."
Nor is he the sharpest of baserunners of late. Pudge's wanderlust these days seems to have spilled over to Comerica Park's infield. He got called out Friday night when he strolled off the bag at second base. He had been called safe, but Pudge thought he was out. Now, there was a disagreement with an umpire.
He was part of an ugly case of baserunning gridlock at Cleveland the other day (Magglio Ordonez was most at fault) that squelched a potential rally for the Tigers, and he got nailed a week ago after making too big of a turn at third base.
Amend any of those moments and Pudge might not have been speaking about the frustration of a nine-game losing streak, as was the case ahead of Saturday night's game against the Royals, which Detroit won, 4-3.
This has been a rugged year for the Tigers and for their catcher. He came to camp looking as if he had spent four months on a treadmill. The weight loss has possibly helped his defense and stamina, but his offense hasn't been what it was, no matter how you measure his performance in 2005.
He had 43 walks and a .383 on-base percentage in 2004 (when he also hit .334). He has seven walks and a .298 on-base percentage in 2004, with a .289 batting average.
"I hate walks," Rodriguez said Saturday, to which most Tigers fans would respond: "No kidding."
"I'm aggressive," he continued. "I've been in baseball 15 years and I'm going to continue being aggressive. I'm going to walk (when?), but for me to get a walk, that's a hard thing to do because I'm a very aggressive hitter. I hit the ball hard pretty much all the time because I'm aggressive. If I go over there to just take walks, I might not produce the way I can produce."
Pudge might want to peek at his 2005 numbers. But denial can be a tough thing to overcome, as was evident again Saturday when Rodriguez wanted, again, to blame the Kyle Farnsworth trade for Detroit's second-half tumble.
Pudge even blamed the Tigers Saturday for trading Ugueth Urbina to the Phillies, all while praising Placido Polanco, Detroit's acquisition in the deal, as a "great player."
"I think those trades pulled this thing apart completely," he said. "That was the key. I don't know why they did that. We were doing so well when those guys were here. They knew Percival was hurt. They (the Tigers front office) should've thought a little bit better."
Pudge could also have thought better, lots of times this season, including that week last month when he jetted off to Colombia for a few days of R&R as his teammates toiled in Toronto. When he was AWOL for a Friday night game at Kansas City later in the week it spoke eloquently to where Pudge's priorities are these days.
We asked him again Saturday if he wanted to stay in Detroit.
"I'm just gonna play 23 more games, and then I need a vacation," Pudge said, artfully. "I need to go back to the ocean. I need to go back to my boat."
If the Tigers have anything to say about it after these recent antics and words, Pudge may have help loading that boat. They might even wish him bon voyage.
One thing he doesn't mention is that Pudge has certainly done a one-eighty on the Ugie trade. Time was he was all about trading Ugie. And the timing of that trade, while a bit dicey (I do remember going, "WTF, Percy's been back for five seconds, how can they be sure he won't fall apart again?") was necessitated by the Big Mysterious Plane Brawl of DOOM, which Pudge should know, so shut it already.
Maaaan, I wish the title of Princess hadn't long since been claimed by that other Rodriguez (who, by the way, I am finding lovable in comparison to Mr I Am A Winner), because it would fit this one so well.
Edited because![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
offspeed has pointed out to me that Lynn Henning is actually a man. Ha ha oops. Stupid names that change gender associations in the space of a couple generations, thus confusing us young'uns.
Pudge doesn't sound happy
Tigers catcher isn't pleased with losing, taking walks or trades his team has made.
By Lynn Henning / The Detroit News
Whatever is eating at Pudge Rodriguez these days is destined to keep chewing unless Rodriguez realizes at least a couple of significant facts of baseball life in Detroit.
1. He was delighted to sign on with Detroit 19 months ago when the Tigers filled a free-agent market void with their $40 million, four-year plan to rescue both themselves and an offer-starved Rodriguez.
2. He joined a team that had lost 119 games the previous season. If Pudge thought this team was about to embark on the greatest ashes-to-palace transformation in baseball history he was not cozying up to the word "reality."
3. Pudge ought to remind himself, as well, that everyone in Detroit's clubhouse is in this thing together. Everyone is a cause or effect of past and present woes, and everyone on the payroll is a potential means for eliminating 12 consecutive losing baseball seasons in Detroit.
Rather than acknowledge his own role in the Tigers' mournful 2005 baseball story, Pudge sat in front of his locker Saturday afternoon conducting a news conference that might as well have been sponsored by Carnival Cruises. It was a "get me out of here" plea if ever one was issued.
"I hate losing, I'm tired of losing," Pudge said, broadcasting his first news bulletin. "I'm not used to playing like this. I don't like to play like this. I've been here two years and I don't see any changes. It's hard to be on a ballclub like that, because I'm not used to that."
Compassion for Pudge seems to be selling at discounted prices in the Tigers clubhouse. One possible reason: 24 other teammates, not to mention a manager and a coaching staff -- and, possibly an owner and front office -- also want to win.
But with Pudge there is always a higher elevation. Just ask him.
"I love to win," he repeated. "I love to be in the playoffs. I would love to see my teammates the same way, but I don't know. I don't have their minds. I can talk to you from my heart. I'm not a loser."
Nor is he the sharpest of baserunners of late. Pudge's wanderlust these days seems to have spilled over to Comerica Park's infield. He got called out Friday night when he strolled off the bag at second base. He had been called safe, but Pudge thought he was out. Now, there was a disagreement with an umpire.
He was part of an ugly case of baserunning gridlock at Cleveland the other day (Magglio Ordonez was most at fault) that squelched a potential rally for the Tigers, and he got nailed a week ago after making too big of a turn at third base.
Amend any of those moments and Pudge might not have been speaking about the frustration of a nine-game losing streak, as was the case ahead of Saturday night's game against the Royals, which Detroit won, 4-3.
This has been a rugged year for the Tigers and for their catcher. He came to camp looking as if he had spent four months on a treadmill. The weight loss has possibly helped his defense and stamina, but his offense hasn't been what it was, no matter how you measure his performance in 2005.
He had 43 walks and a .383 on-base percentage in 2004 (when he also hit .334). He has seven walks and a .298 on-base percentage in 2004, with a .289 batting average.
"I hate walks," Rodriguez said Saturday, to which most Tigers fans would respond: "No kidding."
"I'm aggressive," he continued. "I've been in baseball 15 years and I'm going to continue being aggressive. I'm going to walk (when?), but for me to get a walk, that's a hard thing to do because I'm a very aggressive hitter. I hit the ball hard pretty much all the time because I'm aggressive. If I go over there to just take walks, I might not produce the way I can produce."
Pudge might want to peek at his 2005 numbers. But denial can be a tough thing to overcome, as was evident again Saturday when Rodriguez wanted, again, to blame the Kyle Farnsworth trade for Detroit's second-half tumble.
Pudge even blamed the Tigers Saturday for trading Ugueth Urbina to the Phillies, all while praising Placido Polanco, Detroit's acquisition in the deal, as a "great player."
"I think those trades pulled this thing apart completely," he said. "That was the key. I don't know why they did that. We were doing so well when those guys were here. They knew Percival was hurt. They (the Tigers front office) should've thought a little bit better."
Pudge could also have thought better, lots of times this season, including that week last month when he jetted off to Colombia for a few days of R&R as his teammates toiled in Toronto. When he was AWOL for a Friday night game at Kansas City later in the week it spoke eloquently to where Pudge's priorities are these days.
We asked him again Saturday if he wanted to stay in Detroit.
"I'm just gonna play 23 more games, and then I need a vacation," Pudge said, artfully. "I need to go back to the ocean. I need to go back to my boat."
If the Tigers have anything to say about it after these recent antics and words, Pudge may have help loading that boat. They might even wish him bon voyage.
One thing he doesn't mention is that Pudge has certainly done a one-eighty on the Ugie trade. Time was he was all about trading Ugie. And the timing of that trade, while a bit dicey (I do remember going, "WTF, Percy's been back for five seconds, how can they be sure he won't fall apart again?") was necessitated by the Big Mysterious Plane Brawl of DOOM, which Pudge should know, so shut it already.
Maaaan, I wish the title of Princess hadn't long since been claimed by that other Rodriguez (who, by the way, I am finding lovable in comparison to Mr I Am A Winner), because it would fit this one so well.
Edited because
offspeed has pointed out to me that Lynn Henning is actually a man. Ha ha oops. Stupid names that change gender associations in the space of a couple generations, thus confusing us young'uns.
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