If someone had told me that a pitching rotation that included Edwin Jackson and Lohse, and didn't include Adam Wainwright, would help us win the NLDS, I would have said they are full of shit. I am ecstatic to be here.
So in hindsight do you think if you focused more on location and movement and maybe some secondary pitches you wished you concentrated on? Maybe redefined your role as a heater pitcher that it might have made a difference? Obviously it's easier said than done or pitchers would be doing that in droves.
To quote a former coach on how I'd react if told that, "I'd break out in asshole and shit all over myself."
I was a four pitch pitcher. I had exceptional control. But that was because I, unlike the power pitchers, didn't have a lot of room for error. But I wouldn't change it. In college I was consistent 86-88. I could touch 90, but rarely. I worked and worked and worked, the velocity just didn't come. It certainly wasn't from a lack of trying. Just wasn't there.
I don't blame scouts and organizations for putting emphasis on velocity. Because guys in the mid 90's just flat out don't have to be as precise and thus take less risk when they have an off day. But there are plenty of guys that could be very successful that just get passed over. Which is why college lockerrooms and minor league locker rooms have just as many banned substances than in the bigs, if not more. It's just part of the process.
No shame in that, you went a ton further than alot of us ever dreamed of. I honestly sucked at baseball and it just killed me because i loved playing so much. Thank God im at a age now where i can play softball and look half competent.
Well I knew from an early age that it was something I really wanted. My Dad was a tremendous baseball player and taught me early. But to be honest, I didn't have an 1/8th of his athleticism. So therefore, I pitched. And not being overpowering made me work even harder. If I missed spots, they hit the piss out of it. I can say that I got the most out of my ability, and like the majority of the population, wasn't good enough to get paid to do it. But I had a helluva fun time in the process.
All tied going back to STL. If Carp can pull out game 3, I'm going to really start liking the Cards chances.
