Rick Ankiel's Comeback

[BYH]

Stop me if this sounds familiar: Boots is, as usual, completely full of ****.

Why would there be any resentment towards Ankiel? The Cardinals have given him special treatment? By allowing him to try and become an outfielder over the last three seasons, during which he's recorded exactly zero big league at-bats? Yeah, he sure acts like he wants special treatment: "Let me, at 26, go back to Single-A and try to salvage my career by becoming an outfielder."

And just who the **** would give a guy **** for falling victim to Steve Blass Disease and then taking several years to come back to the majors as a HITTER? ****. And even if there was a dickhead or two in there who wanted to haze Ankiel...I believe he's really good friends with Jason Isringhausen, who is one of the leaders there. So I doubt anyone will try to cross up Izzy by giving Ankiel ****.

Stupid. Just ****ing stupid.

In related news, the Ankiel story is one of the most fascinating I've ever seen. Scares off teams b/c of a checkered background (dad is doing hard time for drugs and he's got a half-brother who was arrested 28 times), shark representation (Boras) and a rep as a bit of a party animal (he was arrested twice as a kid). Has a great rookie season and then LaRussa ****s around and says Darryl Kile will start Game One of the 2000 NLDS when he actually plans to start Ankiel the whole time. Ankiel literally loses the strike zone overnight and is never the same. Then in 2002, his mentor, Darryl Kile, dies suddenly.

I still believe LaRussa deserves 1,000% of the blame for Ankiel's demise as a pitcher. For a 21-year-old kid with a lot on his mind, the last thing he needed was Mr. Smarty Pants using him to try and outwit everyone else. I fully believe the kid was ****ed up wondering why LaRussa thought so little of him he announced someone else as the Game One starter.

I hope the guy or gal lands the real Rick Ankiel story writes the hell out of it.

 

[zeke12]

I know for a fact that stoob is one hundred percent full of **** here.

Resentment toward Ankiel? For what?

Laughable.

 

[spnited]

Seriously, BYH, if Ankiel was so fragile that La Russa's stupid mind-game caused him to implode completely and totally blow his career, then he was never cut out to be a big-time pitcher.
Your argument there is as stupid as anything you've ever accused Boots of posting.

 

[Colton]

I was a kid, but I remember Steve Blass going through what Ankiel did. Amazing if he can make it as a hitter. Has a bit of a Roy Hobbs kind of feel to it.

Best of luck to him.

 

[buckweaver]

I hope the guy or gal lands the real Rick Ankiel story writes the hell out of it.

It's already been written. It was in the NYT or NYT magazine a while back. I can't remember the headline, but I have it saved on my computer at home. It'll be about 5 hours before I get home, but I'll dig it up and post it if I can't find it online soon.

 

[markvid]

If I recall correctly, Ankiel's got a lot of pop, but he's got some big holes in his swing, too (he's got 78 Ks and 22 BBs in 331 ABs.) ... that may be playing a part in their delay in calling him up.

He's out of options.

So you go from saying team members will resent Ankiel to saying he's out of options?

Sure, because he went back and found an excuse for his statement.
Says the Cards are keeping him in a shell first, but apparently out of options is a shell.

 

[Hammer Pants]

I hope the guy or gal lands the real Rick Ankiel story writes the hell out of it.

It's already been written. It was in the NYT or NYT magazine a while back. I can't remember the headline, but I have it saved on my computer at home. It'll be about 5 hours before I get home, but I'll dig it up and post it if I can't find it online soon.

For this story to be real, it better have information on all the partying. And he's not alone in that regard. It was quite common in the Cardinals' minor-league team I covered. And that organization has indeed protected the hell out of him.

 

[buckweaver]

I hope the guy or gal lands the real Rick Ankiel story writes the hell out of it.

It's already been written. It was in the NYT or NYT magazine a while back. I can't remember the headline, but I have it saved on my computer at home. It'll be about 5 hours before I get home, but I'll dig it up and post it if I can't find it online soon.

For this story to be real, it better have information on all the partying. And he's not alone in that regard. It was quite common in the Cardinals' minor-league team I covered. And that organization has indeed protected the hell out of him.

IIRC -- and I probably don't -- it's more about Ankiel's relationship with his father, and his introverted, introspective personality.

 

[BYH]

Seriously, BYH, if Ankiel was so fragile that La Russa's stupid mind-game caused him to implode completely and totally blow his career, then he was never cut out to be a big-time pitcher.
Your argument there is as stupid as anything you've ever accused Boots of posting.

You can blow me.

I'm saying LaRussa's mind**** was the cliched straw breaking the camel's back. By itself, it wouldn't have registered. But for a kid with a ton on his plate, it was the event that tipped him over the edge.

 

[spnited]

**** you and your you can blow me responose.
You've transcended dickhead into becoming just another asshole on this board.

 

[BYH]

So calling me stupid is OK but me telling you to blow me is not?

Oh OK I get it. When you insult someone it's cool.

Blow. Me. Douche. Bag.

 

[spnited]

Your argument there is as stupid as anything you've ever accused Boots of posting.

Where exactly did I call you stupid?
I said it's a stuipid argument.
If Boots had made it you and all the other ****tards who hate him would have been on his ass. Then you'd blame him when the thread got locked.

 

[wickedwritah]

LaRussa is a dickhead. That is all.

 

[markvid]

HE'S A GENIUS!!!!!!
Any truth to the rumor he's going to go back to the Sox next year?

 

[wickedwritah]

HE'S A GENIUS!!!!!!
Any truth to the rumor he's going to go back to the Sox next year?

Ozzie say he's gay.

 

[BYH]

I'm sorry. I screwed up. I thought telling spnited to blow me was just part of our usual back-and-forth, but I took it too far.

I'm very sorry. Please return to the originally scheduled discussion.

 

[spnited]

I'm sorry. I screwed up. I thought telling spnited to blow me was just part of our usual back-and-forth, but I took it too far.

I'm very sorry. Please return to the originally scheduled discussion.

And I owe dickhead an apology for overreacting to his being a typical dickhead.

We will now resume rooting for Josh Beckett so we can get rid of SimonPube for a while.

 

[wickedwritah]

I'm the HDIC around here.

 

[boots]

Seriously, BYH, if Ankiel was so fragile that La Russa's stupid mind-game caused him to implode completely and totally blow his career, then he was never cut out to be a big-time pitcher.
Your argument there is as stupid as anything you've ever accused Boots of posting.

You can blow me.

I'm saying LaRussa's mind**** was the cliched straw breaking the camel's back. By itself, it wouldn't have registered. But for a kid with a ton on his plate, it was the event that tipped him over the edge.

**** you and your you can blow me responose.
You've transcended dickhead into becoming just another asshole on this board.

spnited, I appreciate the support. I think BYH has never dealt with LaRussa or a LaRussa clubhouse. I've never covered the Cards but have been around LaRussa all the way back to when he was with the White Sox.
I will stand by what I've been told about the situation.

 

[BYH]

Oh Boots. You're so funny. If you only knew how little you knew.