What Did Derek Jeter Mean?
Do Major Leaguers Ever Have the Luxury of Taking a Game Off?
What does "taking a game off" mean? Does it refer to not trying one hundred percent? Does it refer to not being up mentally for the game? Does it mean playing injured?
It's going to be a challenge for us," Jeter said. "We have to take it one day at a time. I know I always say the same thing, but that's the bottom line. We have to take each game like it's the biggest game of the season. We don't have the luxury of taking any games off."
What Did Derek Jeter Mean?
Exactly what does the last sentence mean? Do major league teams ever have the luxury of taking a game off? Do some (all) players take a game off? What does "taking a game off?" mean? Does it refer to not trying one hundred percent? Does it refer to not being up mentally for the game? Does it mean playing despite injuries? Does it mean not playing due to a minor injury?
We Would Hustle
It should be inconceivable that a baseball player would ever take a game off, but it's not. There is no question that playing from the middle of February up to or into October is a grind, but think back to when we were kids. We would play "hardball" or stick ball or similar games from March until September -- after school until summer vacation, and then from early morning to late evening until school started again. Of course there were times when we were tired, but a kid who hit a slow ground ball to third and had a chance to beat it out for a hit forgot that he was tired and ran as fast as he could to first base. Ninety nine percent of us knew that we would never be good enough to become major leaguers, but one hundred percent of us believed in miracles that would never happen. Nothing was or is better than playing baseball. To get paid for it was amazing to us. It is a rare gift to have the ability to be a major leaguer, but with that ability goes the responsibility to try as hard as possible all of the time.
Some of the Best Don't Run to First
In today's game, hustling is praised because so many players don't hustle. The player who is going to hit more career home runs than the greatest home run hitter in baseball history is infamous for the many times he remained at home plate to admire his home runs, instead of immediately running to first base. On defense, there have been numerous times that he has not pursued balls hit to left field as hard as he might have. Another highly regarded player was taken out of the lineup by his manager for not running to first base -- in two consecutive at bats. In the sixth inning, Mets' all-star shortstop Jose Reyes didn't run hard to first base on a routine grounder to shortstop. In the eighth inning, Reyes simply didn't run. He hit a dribbler down the third base line that Astros' third baseman Mike Lamb grabbed before it rolled foul. Lamb slowly jogged toward first base before throwing for the out as Reyes watched. Willie Randolph pulled Reyes. "Yeah, that was pretty obvious," Randolph said. "If you can't get out of the box and run down the line or whatever, you're gonna sit down. That's all. It's unacceptable."
I Owe Him My Best
There is the famous anecdote about Joe DiMaggio. Late one season, DiMaggio was asked by a writer why he always tried so hard. "There is always some kid who may be seeing me for the first or last time. I owe him my best." Another time, Joe put things into perspective as only he could. "They call a man graceful because he hits a little ball with a certain swing. My father hammered piles on a railroad out of Martinez for 10 cents an hour to support a family. That was grace."
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References
Feinsand, Mark. "American Way: Hoping Yanks Are Done; Fearing They're Not." New York Daily News. 10 July 2007.
Morrissey, Michael. "Run Jose, Run." The New York Post. 7 July 2007.
