Rick Ankiel's Comeback

Trust me, they're not wrong. I'd like to see Rick make it. He was a good prospect as a pitcher. To make the turn as quickly as he has is proof that he's not a quitter. That's an asset.

 

I could see the resentment on Duncan. He's proven himself worthy, but how many guys get to stick around low-A three years to try and make it work.

 

People make assumptions all the time, sources included.

Reporters assume with questions like this: "It must have felt good to ..."

People take how they might feel in that situation and project it on someone else. And since they're NOT a professional athlete, they really have no clue what that guy's mindset might be, plus he's a different guy to start with.

My experience in clubhouses is that beyond a few guys who'll be big babies about anything, regardless of what profession they went into, most professional athletes are too wrapped up in what they're doing, what they're trying to do, to spend more than a millisecond worrying about some 28-year-old guy on a minor-league contract who used to be able to pitch.

If the guy in the clubhouse now is going his job and producing, he doesn't have to worry about Tony LaRussa Jr. getting special treatment, never mind Ankiel.

If he's not, then he might be looking for an easy excuse to say "they done me wrong" when in fact he did his ownself wrong, but needs a scapegoat.

You know what they say about assuming.

 

Hard to put a guy from 1913 in there for me.

 

Stop me if this sounds familiar: Boots is, as usual, completely full of shit.

Why would there be any resentment towards Ankiel? The Cardinals have given him special treatment? By allowing him to try and become an outfielder over the last three seasons, during which he's recorded exactly zero big league at-bats? Yeah, he sure acts like he wants special treatment: "Let me, at 26, go back to Single-A and try to salvage my career by becoming an outfielder."

And just who the fuck would give a guy shit for falling victim to Steve Blass Disease and then taking several years to come back to the majors as a HITTER? Fuck. And even if there was a dickhead or two in there who wanted to haze Ankiel...I believe he's really good friends with Jason Isringhausen, who is one of the leaders there. So I doubt anyone will try to cross up Izzy by giving Ankiel shit.

Stupid. Just fucking stupid.

In related news, the Ankiel story is one of the most fascinating I've ever seen. Scares off teams b/c of a checkered background (dad is doing hard time for drugs and he's got a half-brother who was arrested 28 times), shark representation (Boras) and a rep as a bit of a party animal (he was arrested twice as a kid). Has a great rookie season and then LaRussa fucks around and says Darryl Kile will start Game One of the 2000 NLDS when he actually plans to start Ankiel the whole time. Ankiel literally loses the strike zone overnight and is never the same. Then in 2002, his mentor, Darryl Kile, dies suddenly.

I still believe LaRussa deserves 1,000% of the blame for Ankiel's demise as a pitcher. For a 21-year-old kid with a lot on his mind, the last thing he needed was Mr. Smarty Pants using him to try and outwit everyone else. I fully believe the kid was fucked up wondering why LaRussa thought so little of him he announced someone else as the Game One starter.

I hope the guy or gal lands the real Rick Ankiel story writes the hell out of it.

 

I know for a fact that stoob is one hundred percent full of shit here.

Resentment toward Ankiel? For what?

Laughable.

 

Seriously, BYH, if Ankiel was so fragile that La Russa's stupid mind-game caused him to implode completely and totally blow his career, then he was never cut out to be a big-time pitcher.
Your argument there is as stupid as anything you've ever accused Boots of posting.

 

I was a kid, but I remember Steve Blass going through what Ankiel did. Amazing if he can make it as a hitter. Has a bit of a Roy Hobbs kind of feel to it.

Best of luck to him.

 

It's already been written. It was in the NYT or NYT magazine a while back. I can't remember the headline, but I have it saved on my computer at home. It'll be about 5 hours before I get home, but I'll dig it up and post it if I can't find it online soon.

 

Sure, because he went back and found an excuse for his statement.
Says the Cards are keeping him in a shell first, but apparently out of options is a shell.

 

For this story to be real, it better have information on all the partying. And he's not alone in that regard. It was quite common in the Cardinals' minor-league team I covered. And that organization has indeed protected the hell out of him.

 

IIRC -- and I probably don't -- it's more about Ankiel's relationship with his father, and his introverted, introspective personality.