Why what you have done lately matters
News blogs, sports blogs, entertainment blogs, and more from Philly.com, The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News.
Why what you have done lately matters
David Murphy, Daily News Staff Writer
When you consider the emotions of defeat and the persecutory feeling of a tight circle of microphone-wielding reporters, a certain amount of leeway should be afforded to an athlete when he answers a question about his performance. Once you have afforded Kyle Kendrick this leeway, you may proceed to the nearest section of drywall and bang your head against it in a steady yet forceful manner. More than two hours after he trudged off the mound in the fourth inning with a 6-1 deficit on the scoreboard, and long past the time most of his teammates had departed from the post-game clubhouse, the right-hander emerged from a members-only section of the premises and fielding questions about the Phillies' 12-6 loss. He was asked about a second inning in which he threw 50 pitches, walking a light-hitting eight-hole hitter and then surrendering a two-run double to the opposing pitcher.
"I just couldn't find the zone," he said.
He was asked about his tempo, which slowed to the pace of a rush hour crawl, about a perceived lack of aggression, which pushed his manager close to combustion.
"When you are struggling to find the zone, that's how it is," he said.
And then he was asked about his security in the rotation, where he is 2-8 with a 5.01 ERA in 15 starts this season, and the potential that he might head to the bullpen, where he is 2-1 with a 3.95 ERA in 12 appearances.
Kendrick shrugged.
"I guess that's how it is with me,'" he said. "It's, 'What have you done for me lately?'"
Whether Kendrick uttered the words in response to the media's constant hunt for a referendum or in response to his coaches' personnel decisions though out the season, the only response he will get is the sound of a record scratching to a halt. That, or a bug-eyed Jack Nicholson slamming his fist on a wooden table and barking in a homicidal rage, "You're (gosh) (darn) right it's what have you done for me lately."
You can forgive his exact words. Again, leeway. But words come from thoughts, and thoughts come from observations, and when you consider the observations required to get from A to B to "Woe is me," you realize that you are traveling a cognitive chain that is in serious need of reconditioning.
What Kendrick needs to understand is that the ability to throw a hard object with relative precision does not have any inherent value to a non-hunter-and-gatherer society. Kendrick does not manufacture a good, nor does he perform a service that is integral to the functioning of the American economy. A fastball does not refrigerate food or cure disease. A pitcher does not earn $3 million because he has a $3 million arm. He cannot call a 1-800 number during a commercial break on the O'Reilly Factor and exchange his sinker for gold bars. Investors are not transferring their money from treasuries to change-ups.
A human being's status as a pitcher does not entitle him to anything. He must create that value himself. He must earn everything. The value of a pitcher's skill is dictated entirely by the open market, and the open market is dictated by the decisions people make about where they spend their money. Kendrick makes $3 million because a lot of people have chosen to invest a percentage of their wealth in the ability to watch a baseball game rather than investing it elsewhere. Last night, one of those investors, a gentleman seated within earshot of the press box at Citizens Bank Park, yelled at the top of his lungs, "Give us our money back!" That, of course, is not the way markets work. But the gentleman's experience at the ballpark on Wednesday night can affect his future spending decisions. And since the game he watched was a pair of handcuffs away from violating the Geneva Conventions, it probably will.
If enough people have enough bad experiences and make enough changes to their spending habits, the Phillies lose money, which affects the earning potential of everybody in the organization, from the front office to the coaching staff to the players to the clubhouse staff. Which is why Charlie Manuel seemed so agitated after watching the second inning unfold on Wednesday night. The manager was so perturbed that he decided that his best course of action was to avoid saying words at his post game press conference. He didn't even bother with his nightly recitation of the pitching line. Manuel is a man who will excuse physical failure, because baseball is a game in which it is expected. What he cannot stomach, though, is a failure to control the controllable. And that, we can only assume, is what he saw in the second inning.
Me? I think the night was lost with one out, when a breaking ball in the dirt got past Erik Kratz and allowed runners to move to second and third. For a brief moment, Kendrick held a crouch, looking in at home, the wrong kind of emotion on his face. It was the kind of body language that Manuel and pitching coach Rich Dubee detest, the kind that is the arch nemesis of consistency. The consistent ones are consistent because they accept the results that are beyond their control. A failure to do so puts the whole operation in peril. That wild pitch -- a more agile catcher could have blocked it -- enabled a run to score on the ensuing groundout. And from there, the night spiraled out of control. A walk to Paul Janish. A double to Tim Hudson. A walk to Michael Bourn. And then a two-run single by Martin Prado.
One run followed by a quick third out would have sufficed. Instead, one run turned into four. What have you done for me lately? It is the essence of the sport.
He Sucks!!! Case Closed— brizz33- Kendrick has been effective in the bullpen and that's where he should stay. It's time for the Phils to test a few minor leaguers and see what they bring to the table. I'd also be in favor of allowing Worley to end his season sooner than later, get the bone chips removed from his elbow, and start recuperating and preparing for what promises to be a great comeback season.— onthebucks
- But Triple A guys aren't youth, most of them are aging 30-year-olds trying to hang on for one more shot at the majors. Double A guys are the youth. After 5 glorious years, I agree chuck, management deserves a mulligan and I think they'll be right back in it next year.— seaonasdad
Murphy, two things:
1)the bad. You can't write this long an entry and put Dubious Dubee's name in a sentence and then NOT mention how the guy has ZERO talent nurturing young pitchers through tough innings. Did the guy make a visit? Did he help? Or did he do what he always does, act tough and angry in the dugout, thereby deflecting blame away from his dubious ways? Dubee is an ongoing fraud and is as much to blame for that inning as Kendrick.
2) the good. Very fine entry taking to task Kendrick's childishness from a true, down to earth perspective. You even resisted the urge to give in to the mandatory philly.com neanderthal instinct to insult O'Reilly. One of your best pieces of writing in a very long time. Impressive, young Skywalker.
§
- 1) The inning was too painful to watch all the way through. It's so obvious when Kendrick is about to implode. Must have flipped away when Dubious trotted.
2) Madson was mocked by Dubee in a NJ paper about NEVER becoming a closer (I believe) in the fall of 2010. It would be perverse to give the bully credit for a pupil he openly mocked. Hamels, by many accounts was schooled by Moyer, often in spite of Dubee. Romero/Bastardo are one hit wonders - they are actually points on my side of the ledger that Dubee is unable to stabilize their talent. And all the young arms this season blowing leads ... then there is the Halliday is injured in spring training but I'm gonna do nothing about it episode ... all the marks of a talented pitching coach?
But thanks for responding ... and to conclude: this entry was some of your best work.
§
- Good article. I turned down free tickets last night specifically because KK was pitching. They should send him back to the pen, send Bastardo down to get some of that confidence he lost and then bring up Cloyd and see what he's got. KK has been here 4 years now and he can never be consistent in the rotation. And Amaro WAY overpaid him on the 2 year extension.— jimbo jones
- @dasher, I'll echo our friend Quixote and say that "Ruin Tomorrow, Jr." is a fantastic play on our genius GM's given name. I've seen variations such as "Ruined Tomorrow, Jr." and Ruined Tamaro, Jr." of late).
Not certain that you were the one to come up with it but if you were, just ingenious on your part.
Regardless, I'll give you credit for injecting it here nonetheless, along with your usual hysterical banter (starring Josh Lindblom as Gomer Pyle).— advantasux - "...karmac attraction to wood" - uh, really? looks like KK inspire a level of prose last seen in these parts by a creep whose name is no longer fit to print (imho). good luck with that in the clubhouse.— defg0003
- Ilove Ruin Tomorrow Jr. as well as a nickname— phillynupe4
- Kendrick is not a starter -- period. Never should have been given this contract. At this point he needs to be in the bullpen, at the very least. This season is in the books, so why not bring up Cloyd and see what he's got.— iggles_rock
- Thanks for the props, guys. I introduced Ruin Tomorrow a couple months ago, but only now has it begun catching on. Believe me, I'd much rather be referring to the Phillies' GM as Pat Gillick.
I saw a great feature about Gillick several years ago. It focused on how his prime strength was taking the people in the organization "on board" with him and tapping into what they had to offer. He made them feel important and valuable. In other words, he was a uniter and not a divider. He also had the uncanny ability to add pieces to the roster, time and again, that would enhance the chemistry of the club. He did this to an extent that it more than compensated for his occasional miscalculation. It strikes me that his methods took a lot more skill than to just throw big money at a few stars and then patch and fill three fifths of your roster with has beens and never will bes.
My goodness, do the Phillies ever miss Pat Gillick today! How did the current occupant of the GM's chair, complete with the baseball pedigree, Penn Charter background and Stanford education, learn so little from him?
As for the Cubs not hiring Sandberg, I see that a positive. When's the last time the Cubs made a good decision?
Here's your homework for today, guys. List the current Phillies roster in preferential order from 1 through 25. Draw a line under the last one who's a legitimate top tier player. Then continue to scroll down and draw another line under the last one who at least belongs on a winning roster. See how it breaks down and then possibly post your conclusions.— dasher - The bullpen is so bad that fans are saying a guy with a 3.95 ERA as a reliever should be sent to the bullpen because he is successful there.Kendrick did not earn the contract he has now. I don't believe another team would take it if he was given to them.— RICH W ALLEN
- Murph, did you buy the soapbox at Ollies ??— NewMick314
- KK belongs in the long man Pen spot. Enough KK. The Phils must start to use the kids who are starters in Lehigh and Reading. Forget the stuff about being too young. The Nats have disproven that baloney and so have the Angels. Time to change guys or lose all the support you have.— Koons
- @dasher, in groups rather a vertical list, sticking to the current 25 guys + Polanco and Ruiz:
TOP-TIER:
(Halladay, Utley, Hamels, Lee, Ruiz, Howard, Papelbon, Rollins, Worley, Pierre)
NOT TOP-TIER BUT BELONG ON A WINNING ROSTER:
(Schierholtz, Polanco, Horst, Nix, Kratz, Lindblom, Bastardo, Frandsen)
BASICALLY WORTHLESS OR UNPROVEN AS OF NOW:
(Valdes, Mayberry, Wigginton, Diekman, Kendrick, Schwimer, Schneider, Rosenberg, Martinez)
That's 10 + 8 + 9.
How's yours stack up?— advantasux
