Miguel Cabrera

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by SAllen2556

Well, I live here and I went to my first Tiger game since 2018. Attendance is ticking up, but it's been 4 years of awful baseball and there's just not much attention being paid to the team until just recently, and the attention is mostly about the prospects coming up like Mize, Skubal, Torkelson, and Greene. And, of course the pandemic and the short season really took a toll on what little attention would have been paid.

And Miggy has been, overall, really bad. He has occasional moments, but he's a shell of what he was. I guess for 30 million a year I'd be playing too, but it must be tough on him. And the thing about Miggy is, unlike Verlander, he's never really opened up to the fans much. His english is still lousy and he doesn't do too many interviews. I guess for what he's paid there's no reason for him to worry about marketing himself, but it's a shame really how he's not revered here like Al Kaline was or Steve Yzerman is, because he should be. He's the best baseball player I've ever seen. There was a time when you'd watch him bat and it was like he was playing slo-pitch softball while everyone else was playing fast pitch. He could hit the ball anywhere he wanted, whenever he wanted. He would swing and miss on purpose just to mess with a pitcher.

He's a good example, I think, of why baseball is not as popular as it used to be. Players who do as little as possible when it comes to interacting with the fans or the media. Players who don't live year-around in the cities they play in. Players with language barriers. Norm Cash used to work in Detroit in the off-season as a sales rep, lived in the area all year round, and he went to the same bars after the game as the fans did. Imagine such a thing today.

I hope this doesn't come off as politically incorrect, but I think something inevitably is lost when the player isn't really fluent in the language. And there is a fair amount of that with such a high percentage of Latinx (did I use that right?) players in this era.

PS It's never comfortable to see great players hang on where they aren't even good any more. Without looking to start a steroid discussion, as a Red Sox fan, I was glad to see Ortiz exit while still very productive.

[todeen]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

I hope this doesn't come off as politically incorrect, but I think something inevitably is lost when the player isn't really fluent in the language. And there is a fair amount of that with such a high percentage of Latinx (did I use that right?) players in this era.

PS It's never comfortable to see great players hang on where they aren't even good any more. Without looking to start a steroid discussion, as a Red Sox fan, I was glad to see Ortiz exit while still very productive.

You and Stephen A Smith. I'll take it at face value though and not rake you through the coals. I certainly thought Tony La Russa said worse earlier this year about his player swinging on 3-0. My dad taught me to "kick em when their down" during competition. But that's also because we were Seahawks fans, and they always found ways to lose in the 1990s.

But I think there is certainly smoke and fire about the statement. Although, Ichiro comes to mind as a player that everyone loves even though he had built a wall. He is still adored in Seattle. His autograph is working its way up to the top of my buy list.

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[Snapolit1]

Derek Jerer speaks perfect English, is idolized by millions, and never said anything remotely interesting in his entire career. Go figure.

Originally Posted by todeen

You and Stephen A Smith. I'll take it at face value


though and not rake you through the coals. I certainly thought Tony La Russa said worse earlier this year about his player swinging on 3-0. My dad taught me to "kick em when their down" during competition. But that's also because we were Seahawks fans, and they always found ways to lose in the 1990s.

But I think there is certainly smoke and fire about the statement. Although, Ichiro comes to mind as a player that everyone loves even though he had built a wall. He is still adored in Seattle. His autograph is working its way up to the top of my buy list.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[todeen]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

Derek Jerer speaks perfect English, is idolized by millions, and never said anything remotely interesting in his entire career. Go figure.

Yeah, dudes boring. Not boring, Yasiel Puig & Joey Votto

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[Snapolit1]

It’s bizarre that this issue comes up time and again with Hispanic players where there were scores of guys who became iconic in all of the major sports who really had zero or minimal presence with the press. No one ever said “gee Ted Williams and Larry Bird really sabotaged their careers by not engaging more with the media”.

[packs]

I don’t think speaking English has anything to do with perception. When it comes to baseball, I can’t think of anyone who says anything interesting to the press. Personalities develop from play on the field. Jeter wasn’t popular because he spoke English. He was popular for the way he played. You wouldn’t even have to hear Paul O’Neill speak to know what kind of guy he was. All you had to do was watch him play. He’s not called The Warrior for what he said in postgame. The same is true for Votto, who frequently interacts with fans during games. These players don’t have to say anything. Adrien Beltre was hugely popular and I’ve never seen an interview with him. I know him as the guy who didn’t want you to touch his head.

Not to mention how prevalent Spanish is in this country.

[Snapolit1]

I agree. Cespedes was electric and owned NY for a while. Don’t recall him speaking.
If I was an agent I’d really encourage my young guys to learn English. Certainly makes them more marketable to more groups. But to say that someone is not a national phenomena because they don’t speak English seems like a real stretch. Combination of where they played, how they played, what big moments they had on a National stage.