Will Leitch argues that fans hate J.D. Drew because he seems indifferent. Leitch (over)writes, "More than being money-hungry, more than being loud and obnoxious, more than being a felonious boor, the one athletic transgression we cannot forgive is indifference."
Actually, Boston fans hate J.D. Drew because he hasn't been very good. He's been average, for an unaverage salary of $70 million. An apparent attitude of indifference may be icing on the cake, but I promise, had he hit .323 and slugged .613--as he did in 2001--Boston fans would overlook his failure to slam his helmet and curse god whenever he makes an out.
His five-RBI game six notwithstanding, J.D. Drew has hit pretty damn lamely this year. That's why he'll always be "Nancy" to me--until he performs better.
More broadly, I'm sick of hearing about the supposed power of cosmic and karmic forces in baseball. The Red Sox "lack energy;" the Red Sox "have energy." The Indians had mountains of "momentum" after three straight wins--which somehow the Red Sox overcame. Probably because the Sox are so "confident" and have "been there before." Fox's broadcasters spent much of game five of the ALCS alternately delivering paeans to "postseason experience" and pining for not-even-rookie Jacoby Ellsbury to start game six in center field.
Attitude doesn't matter nearly as much as conventional wisdom thinks it does, and fans don't care nearly as much about it as conventional wisdom thinks they do. If attitude were the only thing discernible about baseball, it might warrant substantial discussion. But that is so far from the case. Baseball is fascinating game, rich in statistics that yield objective information about player talent. Attitude, I grant you, may be the only thing discernible about baseball to blowhards and idiots. The least they could do is shut up, or not be hired.
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Or, as one prominant website suggests, get fired.
Agreed, of course, on Drew. The thing that really galls me about the cosmic explanations in baseball is that they are always post-hoc. The Red Sox came back from 3 games down in 2004; thus, they are resiliant warriors, while the Yankees are gutless chokers. If Dave Roberts is a half step slower, it is the complete opposite, even though of course nothing has changed about the teams. What I would want to see from the karma boosters is a non-trivial prediction; say, somebody going to the Rockies clubhouse when they are 76-72 and saying "hey, this team now has momentum. They are going to run the table on the rest of the season!" But of course, that will never, ever happen.
I have no doubt that things like team chemistry exist, but I suspect they are more effects than causes, the results of successful play instead of the root. In this, as in so much else, the greatest manager in baseball history said it best:
"Momentum? Momentum is the next day's starting pitcher"
I don't know if this should worry the Sox or the Indians more. In any case, I can't wait for the game to start.
Me fucking neither. Bring on the shitty sinkerballer and the mentally dubious gyroballer! And then, please, Terry, bring in Josh Beckett!
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