Doug, I always enjoyed watching you play center field. I miss how center fielders positioned themselves was an extension of their personality. Dwayne Murphy of the A's played a shallow center field. He dared you to hit it over his head. Then he got hurt and Luis Polonia took over. He played very deep and we'd get angry whenever a blooper dropped in front of him. "Murph woulda had that," we'd say. Now you always play where the spray charts tell you to play. It's practical and boring.
I was also a shallow depth CF and loved going back on fly balls. Today that depth is now weighed with making sure that you get to balls that do the most damage even if it lets more of the minimal damage ones drop. Stop a triple and a double for two singles. So Polonia would be great for some of the metrics!
I liked always the philosophy, "if the ball lands over the outfielder's head, it's the pitchers fault; if the ball lands in front of the outfielder, it's the outfielder's fault."
To hear about Jimmy Piersallls fungo skills and I remember hearing jimmy reese was a master of the fungo. Totally get how foreign it feels to be on the other side of the diamond as you mentioned with jeter. Who do you think had the best CF arm? I know mark Kotsay had a good one. Griffey jrs was good. There is definitely and identity to each position. I also know you can’t teach a baseball first step. So many great athletes were miscast in cf and I believe it’s because they don’t have the reps and that special something developed over years and years of manning center. Thanks for a great article and any time I hear Gary Maddox name I think first of the 2/3 of earth line and second hearing Dave Parker talk about free agency and possibly joining the Phillies and him saying their outfield would feature “a pig in left, a greyhound in center, and Adonis in right “ referring of course to Bull Luzinski, Maddox, and himself!
I got to meet Frank Howard in Columbus at a clippers game back in 2005. I’m 6’1” and st the time weighed about 275 and he just dwarfed me. I was not at my best that day and he and I had a few cigarettes together and he kept putting his arm around me and calling me a “fine young champion”. I was 34 and a mess and it sure made me feel good. The Capital Punisher!
Doug, I love your posts, & this one is delightful. An additional reason why players today can't take possession of a single position as they used to, and as even you could in the 1990s (wonderfully, I might add), is the expansion of the pitching staff. The five-pitcher rotation has long been standard, complete games have disappeared, and relievers no longer go more than an inning or two. None of this reflects on their abilities or their character, only on the fact that most throw so hard that pitching takes more out of them than it ever has. As a result, teams carry 13 pitchers instead of the 9 they did when I was a kid. If you factor in 9-player lineups, instead of the 8-plus-pitcher of the pre-DH days, that gives you a bench of no more than 4 players, compared with the 8-player benches of my youth. If you only have 4 subs, and one has to be a catcher, then you don't have the luxury of having any of the other 3 dedicated to a single position (or to pinch-running, pinch-hitting, or defensive specialization). but instead they need to be utility players. The Yankees' bench for several years has generally had players who can play any infield position and the outfield, at the expense of their being reliable pinch-hitters.
Excellent point and I often wonder when they bring up these young players are they preparing them for a long career as a starter or a just in case we need you as a swing guy off the bench. The bat usually decides that. :)
One of the only pleasures of this season, as a Rockies fan, is watching Brenton Doyle. We’ve had some good ones. I really liked Juan Pierre. Dexter Fowler was awesome. And Charlie Blackmon managed to patrol gigantic Coors Field as well as he could.
Doyle is fantastic and his arm is a defender by itself. You have so much ground to cover at Coors. Endless territory. They probably need four outfielders!
Doug neglects to mention something that was probably one of the first things that Jimmy Piersall told him: centerfield is harder to play than corner outfield positions because when the ball is hit right at you it's more difficult to get a read on the ball's speed, altitude and arc -- where it's going to come down, and when.
And versatility is overrated: you end up with players who patrol positions well, sometimes very well, but virtually never SUPREMELY well, which is what a specialist gives you. And years into their careers, when their speed slows and skills erode, centerfielders inevitably are moved to the corners anyway.
AS for
"My main coach was Jimmy Piersall. Intense, dedicated, and completely unfiltered, he had been an exceptional defender himself, playing primarily for Boston, Cleveland, and the Angels. He took great pride in robbing hits from batters."
Did Jimmy take any time to teach you how to run the bases backwards after hitting a home run?
Great post. As I was reading it Doug, I thought, you were not just a CF or LF, or outfielder. You were a BASEBALL player. My guess is you pitched when you were younger and probably played shortstop. Your smarts combined with your athletic ability was why you were so good - and unlike almost all other humans! It has to be hard to think to not use that ability and play the 'percentages' and it might even be a little bit boring!
As corny as the song was at the time, this piece you have written tells me John understood how special THAT position was. He was being particular, which as you stated, is no longer the way the game is played for most positions.
With the specialization of pitchers and "de"specialization of fielders coming up, do you feel it is a detriment to the players when it comes to training? There are different skills stressed for outfielders versus infielder or even shortstop versus second base. As for pitchers would it not be beneficial to have them more stretched out and learn how to pitch to all batters as opposed to just lefty, right, power hitter, etc. Most players are not Ohtanic, where they can do anything at any moment.
Doug, I always enjoyed watching you play center field. I miss how center fielders positioned themselves was an extension of their personality. Dwayne Murphy of the A's played a shallow center field. He dared you to hit it over his head. Then he got hurt and Luis Polonia took over. He played very deep and we'd get angry whenever a blooper dropped in front of him. "Murph woulda had that," we'd say. Now you always play where the spray charts tell you to play. It's practical and boring.
I was also a shallow depth CF and loved going back on fly balls. Today that depth is now weighed with making sure that you get to balls that do the most damage even if it lets more of the minimal damage ones drop. Stop a triple and a double for two singles. So Polonia would be great for some of the metrics!
I liked always the philosophy, "if the ball lands over the outfielder's head, it's the pitchers fault; if the ball lands in front of the outfielder, it's the outfielder's fault."
Love this! Cool
To hear about Jimmy Piersallls fungo skills and I remember hearing jimmy reese was a master of the fungo. Totally get how foreign it feels to be on the other side of the diamond as you mentioned with jeter. Who do you think had the best CF arm? I know mark Kotsay had a good one. Griffey jrs was good. There is definitely and identity to each position. I also know you can’t teach a baseball first step. So many great athletes were miscast in cf and I believe it’s because they don’t have the reps and that special something developed over years and years of manning center. Thanks for a great article and any time I hear Gary Maddox name I think first of the 2/3 of earth line and second hearing Dave Parker talk about free agency and possibly joining the Phillies and him saying their outfield would feature “a pig in left, a greyhound in center, and Adonis in right “ referring of course to Bull Luzinski, Maddox, and himself!
Wasn't the best CF arm Doug Glanville? With 66 assists , his arm was as great as his ease tracking down the fly ball.
Jimmy could hit a mean fungo. Although the toughest was Frank Howard. Nonstop. One after the other and trash talking the entire time! :)
First step is key. Piersall emphasized it all of the time and he would call you out if you weren’t anticipating!!!!
I got to meet Frank Howard in Columbus at a clippers game back in 2005. I’m 6’1” and st the time weighed about 275 and he just dwarfed me. I was not at my best that day and he and I had a few cigarettes together and he kept putting his arm around me and calling me a “fine young champion”. I was 34 and a mess and it sure made me feel good. The Capital Punisher!
Frank was larger than life in many ways. Such an icon. Hondo!
Doug, I love your posts, & this one is delightful. An additional reason why players today can't take possession of a single position as they used to, and as even you could in the 1990s (wonderfully, I might add), is the expansion of the pitching staff. The five-pitcher rotation has long been standard, complete games have disappeared, and relievers no longer go more than an inning or two. None of this reflects on their abilities or their character, only on the fact that most throw so hard that pitching takes more out of them than it ever has. As a result, teams carry 13 pitchers instead of the 9 they did when I was a kid. If you factor in 9-player lineups, instead of the 8-plus-pitcher of the pre-DH days, that gives you a bench of no more than 4 players, compared with the 8-player benches of my youth. If you only have 4 subs, and one has to be a catcher, then you don't have the luxury of having any of the other 3 dedicated to a single position (or to pinch-running, pinch-hitting, or defensive specialization). but instead they need to be utility players. The Yankees' bench for several years has generally had players who can play any infield position and the outfield, at the expense of their being reliable pinch-hitters.
Excellent point and I often wonder when they bring up these young players are they preparing them for a long career as a starter or a just in case we need you as a swing guy off the bench. The bat usually decides that. :)
One of the only pleasures of this season, as a Rockies fan, is watching Brenton Doyle. We’ve had some good ones. I really liked Juan Pierre. Dexter Fowler was awesome. And Charlie Blackmon managed to patrol gigantic Coors Field as well as he could.
Doyle is fantastic and his arm is a defender by itself. You have so much ground to cover at Coors. Endless territory. They probably need four outfielders!
Doug neglects to mention something that was probably one of the first things that Jimmy Piersall told him: centerfield is harder to play than corner outfield positions because when the ball is hit right at you it's more difficult to get a read on the ball's speed, altitude and arc -- where it's going to come down, and when.
And versatility is overrated: you end up with players who patrol positions well, sometimes very well, but virtually never SUPREMELY well, which is what a specialist gives you. And years into their careers, when their speed slows and skills erode, centerfielders inevitably are moved to the corners anyway.
AS for
"My main coach was Jimmy Piersall. Intense, dedicated, and completely unfiltered, he had been an exceptional defender himself, playing primarily for Boston, Cleveland, and the Angels. He took great pride in robbing hits from batters."
Did Jimmy take any time to teach you how to run the bases backwards after hitting a home run?
Great post. As I was reading it Doug, I thought, you were not just a CF or LF, or outfielder. You were a BASEBALL player. My guess is you pitched when you were younger and probably played shortstop. Your smarts combined with your athletic ability was why you were so good - and unlike almost all other humans! It has to be hard to think to not use that ability and play the 'percentages' and it might even be a little bit boring!
Oh, put me in, coach
I'm ready to play today
Put me in, coach
I'm ready to play today
Look at me, I can be centerfield - John Fogerty
As corny as the song was at the time, this piece you have written tells me John understood how special THAT position was. He was being particular, which as you stated, is no longer the way the game is played for most positions.
With the specialization of pitchers and "de"specialization of fielders coming up, do you feel it is a detriment to the players when it comes to training? There are different skills stressed for outfielders versus infielder or even shortstop versus second base. As for pitchers would it not be beneficial to have them more stretched out and learn how to pitch to all batters as opposed to just lefty, right, power hitter, etc. Most players are not Ohtanic, where they can do anything at any moment.