A lot of talented players out there are having trouble finding the incentive to show up and play today. Alfonso Soriano comes to mind but he finally accepted his fate by moving to left field. Quoth the reluctant outfielder:
“I have 10 days to get ready for the season, and I want to play the best I can,” Soriano said. “I want to practice every day in left field and try to get comfortable.”
He would have had a lot more time to “get comfortable” (and if Soriano’s play at second is any indication, he’ll need it) if he’d heeded his manager’s direction in the first place.
On the other hand, there’s one MLB player who might want to consider that his playing days are behind him. From all reports I’ve seen, Jeff Bagwell’s shoulder is not in any condition for him to contribute to the team. Even die-hard Astros fans think so. Lisa Gray from The Dugout, says:
Jeff Bagwell had to remove himself from the game because of pain in his shoulder. Again. I’ve watched him “throw” – and to be honest, I throw a LOT better than he does right now. Heck, my KIDS throw a lot better than he does right now. He’s not hitting well or hitting for power and it looks to me like he’s barely following through with his right arm when he does swing. He hit a ball to the warning track the other day and it looked to me like the shock and pain went clear down to his feet.
The man gave it his best shot, but sometimes trying your best just don’t do the job. I gotta take my hat off to Drayton McLane for being man enough to give Baggy his last shot, in spite of the fact that it might could cost him with the insurance company. And now I wanna take my hat off to Baggy for being a man and thanking Drayton for giving him a chance and then going out on top.
I have nothing but respect for Bags. But maybe this is the time to move on.
Update: Bagwell is going to have surgery as a “last resort” before calling it quits.
Jeff Bagwell will announce Saturday that he’s going on the disabled list and will have surgery to remove bone spurs from his shoulder as “a last resort” to see if he can play again, his agent, Barry Axelrod, told ESPN.com Saturday morning.
Bagwell won’t use the word, “retire,” at his press conference Saturday afternoon. But if it turns out he can’t play anymore, he”s “OK with that,” Axelrod said.
The handwriting is on the wall. Jeff Bagwell had a tremendous career for the Houston Astros. Fitting he should go out with World Series at bats being the last time he was on the playing field.