But today, Mitch Williams (MLB.com) penned an article entitled "Sabean's comments were irresponsible" in which he reiterated all that's already been said (mostly the cliché drivel) supplemented with his own ignorant "analysis". It was so ridiculous, I just couldn't resist.
Here's a summary:
- Buster Posey is a good player.
- Buster Posey is a good example for kids.
- Scott Cousins is not as good as Buster Posey.
- The things Brian Sabean said the other day on a radio show were as offensive and irresponsible as anything I've ever heard come out of the mouth of a general manager in my almost 30 years around professional baseball.
- It's wrong to wish ill on a player.
- The catcher position is the most dangerous on the field. Catchers are involved in collisions.
- It's a shame that Posey was injured.
- Scott Cousins did not intend to injure Posey.
So, yeah. That's basically what we've heard along. Obvious stuff that everybody knows and understands, with the exception of the Sabean comment -- which was clearly hyperbolic. But none of this really added anything to the discussion. Yes, we all know that Posey's better than Cousins, that it was wrong for Sabean to wish ill on Cousins, that catchers are prone to collisions, etc.
It was your typical unoriginal boring Posey collision article (for the record, there are now thousands of articles on the incident, and its aftermath).
Ah, but here's the part I skipped over. The part that Mitch Williams added to the discussion (or, at least, the part I haven't seen anyone suggest):
This all comes down to money. The giants signed Posey to a $6.2 million dollar contract out of college. Scott Cousins signed for $407,500. That said, once those signing bonuses are paid, they are on the same field trying to earn a living. Buster Posey has proven he is one of the best young players in this game. Scott Cousins has not proven himself on that level yet, so that means he has to play the game as hard as he can to keep his job at the big league level. He has to do all the little things right, including being willing to sacrifice his body to win a game for his team.
The "Cousins hasn't proven himself" thing has already been stated hundreds of times. And I've never bought into that. I don't think that he was any more influenced to collide into Posey because his role with the team is not secure. I honestly think he was just trying to win a baseball game, and many baseball players will collide into the catcher if they feel that's the only way to score the run. Now, looking at the photos, it's pretty obvious that wasn't the only route he could have taken, but I digress...
Mitch Williams is the first and only person stupid enough to suggest that this whole incident "comes down to money." It's not about the safety of the catcher, or about the value Posey has to the Giants. It's about money.
So let me get this straight. When Buster Posey was on the ground writhing in pain, Brian Sabean was uttering to himself "Oh no, my $6MM investment"? Or...because Scott Cousins makes less money than Buster Posey, he decided to collide into him? Because colliding into a catcher would help him in his quest to make a living?
I just can't find any validity whatsoever in the statement "This all comes down to money."
What's more -- it took Mitch Williams two weeks to formulate this absurd opinion on the collision; and it's been nearly a week since Sabean made his comments on KNBR.
Perhaps my favorite line: "He has to do all the little things right, including being willing to sacrifice his body to win a game for his team." Because sacrificing one's body is a "little thing."
Bravo, Mitch Williams.
