Mr. Wedmesday Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 Caught the last few minutes of CTL before tonight's game. Frank Thomas said he's certain that Kevin's passing brought the Sox together, gave them focus, and has remained the catalyst for the team's success ever since. There are certainly other possibilities, but Frank's reasoning feels right to me, and it's as good an explanation for the sudden competence, if not dominance, as any other. Do you agree, and if so, how far do you think this motivation will take them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottyDo Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 I usually think that rah-rah stuff is a way to rationalize success. Certainly baseball is a mental game, but in baseball I don't think you can "win one for the Gipper" so to speak...grief over Hickey's tragic passing didn't speed up Viciedo's bat or fine-tune Sale's slider, IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G&T Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 This is dumb. Unless Kevin Hickey made PK hit .500. Which I doubt. But if he did, then we should sacrifice an ex-player every year to give PK continued life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 It's really hard to turn strong emotion into results in baseball. It almost always is counterproductive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottyDo Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 The way I think Hickey's passing could potentially affect things is by causing players to "play harder". Possibly not making mental errors, hustling to first base, aggressive baserunning, etc. They're not making many errors right now, but really they're just clobbering the ball, which I highly doubt is related to emotions, like Jake said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caulfield12 Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 I just think they're playing loose and relaxed, there's not the pressure on the team there was in 2011, there's not the stress between Ozzie and the front office, first year manager with zero experience...we'll see how they handle being in first place, particularly against the Dodgers and Cardinals. Should be fun. FWIW, Ventura has been loosening the reigns and let them fly to Tampa with shorts, shades, flip-flops and t-shirts as the apparel of choice. Those little things that add to comfort level and increased team camaraderie really help. Perhaps the funeral did help to bring the team together as well, but emotion doesn't last so long as a catalyst...you'd have to say it's more positive momentum. Viciedo and Beckham starting to hit...Sale's return to the rotation, the back end of the bullpen being solidified, these are the main reasons they're playing so well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
That funky motion Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 Humber only had 1 black diamond on his jersey tonight. Not sure which one was missing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caulfield12 Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 QUOTE (ScottyDo @ May 29, 2012 -> 08:37 PM) The way I think Hickey's passing could potentially affect things is by causing players to "play harder". Possibly not making mental errors, hustling to first base, aggressive baserunning, etc. They're not making many errors right now, but really they're just clobbering the ball, which I highly doubt is related to emotions, like Jake said. In particular, there's evidence of this with Rios, compared to 2011. More hustle on the bases and when playing defense, he's also showing emotions when he's making outs, we didn't see any of that last year, just a kind of blase apathy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted May 30, 2012 Share Posted May 30, 2012 If the team believes it is because of Hickey, then it is because of Hickey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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