It seems that the Steve Berthiaume dustup has reinvigorated a worn-out refrain in these parts: we get no respect. That particular gripe about the national media always makes me scratch my head for several reasons. First, is there any fan base in the world that actually feels respected by national networks? Seems to me everywhere I go the fans of whichever team feel slighted. (Perhaps that is proof of unbiased coverage?) Second, who cares? Do we really need the respect of national media personalities?
Either way, the Rays’ All Star selections had me thinking back to the days when the [Devil] Rays actually got no respect from anyone. (editor’s note, please do not understand that statement as an argument that they deserved respect).
Does anyone remember the Lance Carter rule?
Lance Carter was the [Devil] Rays’ “closer” in 2003. At the All-Star break, he had worked 46.1 innings, allowed 6 home runs, and pitched to a 4.05 ERA with 15 saves for a team that was 32-60. Someone had to make the All Star team and Lance took the bullet for the rest of that ragged bunch. Radio host Jim Rome used Lance as an example of all that is wrong with the Mid-Summer Classic and vowed never to watch again if Carter pitched. Thus, the Lance Carter rule was born.
Lance was a really nice guy, and raised a ton of money for the Boys & Girls’ club during his cup of coffee in the big leagues. But Rome was absolutely right about Carter. He was not an All Star, a point I think Carter himself might concede. The “representation” rule is ridiculous and only put the D-Rays problems on a national stage.
Remember the Fred McGriff charity return to Atlanta in 2000? What about Greg Vaughn in 2001 who was taken primarily because he was injured and therefore could be replaced on the roster with an actual all star? Both rightfully called embarrassments by the national press and made the fledgling D-Ray fan base just wish the entire experience would end.
Well, at long last our local nightmare is over. Despite all the “disrespect” we seem to think we get from the national media, at least they all agree that we have a lot of very good players on our team. No more debate about which player would get forced into the All Star game. Rather, a discussion of who was unjustifiably left off to make room for other representatives. I feel bad that Ben Zobrist has to pay for the sins of Lance Carter, but turnabout is fair play.
Maybe we’ll return to an era of forced representation, but in the meantime, I am going to revel in the Justice that came for Joyce, and enjoy watching Price and Shields act like big kids during All Star Saturday night.
I’m not sure why you include McGriff in 2000 as a charity case. I don’t know who else was vying for a spot, so it is certainly possible Fred was not deserving by comparison, but he was having a pretty good year and was particularly hot in June when his OPS was .919. That followed an outstanding season in 1999 which often influences all-star picks.
And he was not done as a superior player, finishing the season with 27 home runs and going on to two more productive seasons. For anyone who thinks selection to the game should include at least some consideration of the players’ overall history, McGriff would qualify as a worthy candidate, especially as he continued to produce above average performance.
Honestly, I mostly included Freddy as a charity case based on my memory. Freddy was good in 1999 but, he was not an All Star in 2000. Without the player requirement, I don’t think he makes that team. But, I did not remember him having a .919 June OPS. So perhaps I am wrong. Either way, the thing I remember most about that part of the Freddy era was that every play seemed to be calculated to determining whether he was getting closer to 500 HRs. It was almost like he was thinking “I could dive for that ball but, does diving get me closer to 500?”
what would Tom Emanski think of that effort?
Quick Freddy story I love re-telling. I was once in the clubhouse after BP when the Tom Emanski commercial came on the TVs. Freddy was sitting at his locker. You could hear a pin drop. Freddy didn’t really say anything to anybody so, the young guys weren’t sure if they could tease him about the commercial or not. Anyway, the commercial ended and there was this long silence. Freddy got up, walked out of the room, and then we all pretended nothing happened. It was the strangest thing I saw in that clubhouse.
I doubt he was an all-star caliber player in 2000, mostly because I am pretty sure there were more qualified candidates. My only point is that his selection was in no way similar to that of Carter. He had been a terrific player for many years whose previous season had been better than good. And in 2000, he remained an offensive force both before and after the all-star game. He had 18 home runs in the first half for example.
Nor was he through as an offensive force. In the next two years he hit 31 and 30 home runs and continued to get on base at a good clip. So while his selection probably was due to the rule, it was not outrageous that he should be honored – either by his first half performance or his overall career. It is possible that our memories are clouded by the fact that his 2000 performance was significantly less impressive than that of 1999, so perhaps we were experiencing a bit of disappointment that was unwarranted.