I am not mad at you as some people are. I have to share some insight that I think gets overlooked.
Oliver Perez's "stuff" has never been questioned beyond the points between nasty and impossible. We have all seen him when he is on. I would compare it to a classical violinist. Every motion, every beat, every deliberate movement and change compile together to make up what is a pure work of art.
But there is a twist. There always is. Sometimes when you are hoping to see the classical violinist play, a drunken clown barely capable of a children's party shows up. An elaborate comparison I grant, but the difference between the two, as obvious. My sense is that a fragile ego is often what makes the violinist run and hide leaving the mean pseudo tough clown to pitch. (and do something else that rhymes with pitch)
I would love to catch each of the 2 Oliver Perezes for one inning. The first: Simply to see how amazing it must look from behind the plate with that water rapid slider. The fastball that hits both corners, depending on which side I want. Simply putting the variation of signals that spell the heater holding my catcher's mitt up and know that I can close my eyes and wait for the sound of the pop that will close the glove for me.
With the other guy I would not close my eyes to blink. Let alone any assumptions of the ball being anywhere near where I put my hand. I would do a few things that may teach him that having a 36million dollar for 3 years arm is not enough. (Brian Schneider, Ramon Castro, if this message somehow gets to you I hope it finds you well.) First we have to play the game. I am not nearly arrogant enough to think I can teach Ollie or anybody how to do that. He is a big league pitcher and I am... Well not.
I would like to tell him a few things about the game within the game. They apparently do not put a whole lot of prerequisites on this in the Scot Boras camp.
I live in New York that means that I have the opportunities to listen to the 2 big (and several not as big) sports radio stations. I have a choice of 30 newspapers to read about the Mets, and baseball, and on and on. Yet I hear and read very little about the game within the game.
Mr. Hyde and Go Perez does several things during the course of one of his A.D.H.D. outings that can be corrected. I am not in the clubhouse so for the sake of discussion lets assume nobody has told him about these shortcomings. (Please note that this is a mere constructive criticism. I have no quarrels with Oliver Perez the person. That is in fact what makes Major League baseball such a wonderful thing to be a part of in any capacity. None of them are real people. They are the manifestations of our percieved reality. Anger, frustration pride or joy towards a particular player for example. A rivalry between the fans of 2 different teams is an even better example of real life seeking healthy refuge in sport. To us they are only the people we see playing out the script we have set using a ball field as a stage. Like all stories there has to be a goat. This week it is Ollie because I am well aware of how good my own words could taste a week from now when and if he makes me eat them.)
1) Like it or not, the umpires have multiple duties during the game. Some of them in the rule book, others implied. The strike zone is what the umpire says it is. Life is not fair, you will pay taxes and the strike zone can change at any given moment during or between games. I remember a story I heard a few years ago about when Jose Lima was batting against John Smoltz during a Mets Braves game down at Turner. Upon taking a called third strike, Mr. Lima noted to the ump that when he was pitching that was not a strike. The ump responded what I don't think any pitcher would be happy to hear. "That's because You are not John Smoltz." Unfair? Absolutely. John Smoltz Strike Zone Restrictions written in official M.L.B. Rule book? Absolutely nowhere. Jose Lima had no further response (I guess until he told the story, assuming authenticity) He took the ball and pitched. Mr. Perez, Give that attitude a shot will ya? If I can see your hurt feelings from the center field camera, when your back is to me, every time you do not get a call you think you deserved how apparent must those same hurt feelings be to the ump? We do not need to take a long slow huff (one step) puff (the second) walk around the mound. No need to shake your head and give dirty looks. Trust me when I say that it is counter productive. In the 5 walks you issued on Thursday I can guarantee you that every time you snickered or pfff'd the strike zone got smaller or moved or even for a time disappeared completely. I have noticed in your better starts, in recent years, that your in game practice was different. You would snap off one brilliant pitch and could barely wait to get the ball back. Do the same thing when you do or don't get a call. The umpires have a speaking part in your game. Like it, or don't like it. Just deal with it and for Heaven's sake quit showing the umps up. One of the other unwritten jobs of the umps is to keep the game moving. If you show them up or slow them down they will make your night difficult.
2) You are not John Smoltz. That is to say that you have not earned the benefit of the doubt YET. Physically you have even more than he does. To get the benefit of the doubton those "border line strikes" you have to earn it. If you stopped being a little kid and accepted the umpire's opinion as the only one that counts you can be among the greats.
3) Speaking of the greats; There is a tall tan handsome guy in your locker room. His name is Johan. He has said in multiple interviews to multiple sources that he would be more than happy to take you under his wing. Get your left handed tail under that wing. This is a resource that 725 other big leaguers and millions of prospects at every level pray for. You have it. Use it.
4) You are not your stats. Why is it that every time your team falls behind, they try to scratch out runs to try to give the game back to you only, for you to give it back to them? You gave up four runs in the 3rd (on Thursday) and four runs in the 5th. At least in the part of the fifth that you were nice enough to stick around for. The final score of that game was 8-6. If the other eight guys that bat and play the field don't give up on you, don't give up on them. The attitude seems to be "Well I am not going to get a W out of this one maybe I should... Oh look there is a guy wearing a neck tie. Now why would anybody wear a neck tie to a ball game?..."Wake up, you just gave up 4 more runs and pissed off the umpire... Again. I refuse to quote a person who is more famous as a Yankee than a Met. So; The game of baseball you are Presently playing hasn't officially ended until it in the past. Get Me?
5) I make no secrets. I am a fan of your team. You also deserve to know that I am a big fan of yours'. I beg you. Make me regret publishing this. The follow up I would write would be the words of a man who is proud he was wrong. You can still be great. Be Great.
Via Con Dios,
The Backstop
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