To the "know-it-all" fans...

Also, there are already several posts on this topic. This should have been a comment under one of the other posts.

And even go back after the fact and edit them if they find mistakes?

I’d LIKE to read this…but….meh.

So I just finished reading the argument that went on last night about Zambrano bunting for a hit…and I must say I have my own opinion on it and I will state that after I’m finished with my initial point, that being…

Why does any amount of playing the game allow you to justify an opinion on what should or shouldn’t have happened in a baseball situation? If you are teaching the mechanics of pitching or hitting, maybe having played or actually knowing what the correct mechanics are would be a prerequisite to stating a belief or opinion, but even in that there are differing opinions/philosophies. Because I’ve never been involved in politics does that mean I’m not allowed to vote? My expertise isn’t up to snuff, right?…wrong.

If you haven’t figured it out by now, there are lots of successful ways to coach and play baseball. The know-it-all coach/player doesn’t exist, whether they played the game or not. Like some of the participants in last night’s discussion, I played baseball through college, was very successful/talented, played with guys who were drafted, and I myself had an opportunity to continue playing Independent ball…big deal? Does that mean my opinion is more correct than anyone elses?? No. Maybe TEACHING certain mechanics of the game, yes. IF my experiences in baseball allowed me to teach those mechanics. But opinions aren’t fact, they are beliefs.

 I believe Carlos is talented, but he’s also a loose cannon and pretty much crazy. Those qualities make him both successful and unsuccessful. When he is able to harness that energy and use it in a positive way, great, but when he starts breaking bats, kicking water jugs, punching teammates, not so much. But ,his injury was not because he’s immature, crazy, or “idiotic”, (by the way, tville, you wouldn’t call him an idiot to his face, let’s be honest here) he got hurt playing baseball. Yes, he’s paid to pitch, no doubt, but he IS a gifted offensive player, even if you say it like, “he’s a good hitting pitcher.”, he’s still head and shoulders above the other NL pitchers. His MAIN job is to put his team in a position to win games, and in the NL you are given the opportunity to help yourself out by hitting as well as pitching. He knew he was talented enough to get on base via a bunt and he did, he just happened to get hurt. Injuries happen all the time.

Some of you must think he’s a fortune teller and he decided to go ahead and bunt for a hit knowing he would get hurt doing so. Ridiculous. He’s an athlete…a pitcher, a hitter, a ball-player…a very, very competitive one at that. Saying he’s not paid to do that is like saying Soriano isn’t getting paid to bunt. Which I disagree with as well…I’m sorry, these guys are getting paid to help their team win games, simple as that. Having played at a “high level” you should know that, Reed’s.

I’m not trying to ruffle feathers or anything, but I played with a lot of guys who weren’t that smart, in both academics and baseball, but they were talented. Sometimes talent alone allows you to play at a high level, more times than not I’d rather have a semi-talented guy with high baseball IQ opposed to some super talented player with no IQ any day of the week. I’m not saying Big Z is either of those guys, I’m just saying a lot of “high level” don’t really KNOW baseball, they’re just good at it. Their opinions may be as off the wall as my grandma’s when it comes to baseball. Let’s remember one thing, we are all Cubs fan, and we all cheered when we saw he was safe, and all collectively let out an “oh $%&#” when we saw he was hurt. Let’s applaud the effort, hope it’s a non-issue and worry about more pressing issues…such as Gregg/Marmol being the new cardiac closers.

and how it was a good one.
This one not so much.

There are valid points here. The formatting obviously needed help (Thanks, SWL — I wasn’t going to get through the original), but there were two posters last night who insisted that they knew better because they played “at a high level” and threw out strawman arguments when people disagreed.

One final note on know-it-alls:

Zero about the content of the post.

I believe others who played the game can offer insight to those who haven’t played. I’m fairly certain no one is trying to force their opinion as much as state what they know. I don’t think anyone is out of line by stating with a high degree of certainty that what they state actually is fact.

I find this often when discussing other sports I’m not nearly as familiar with as baseball and hockey. Having played these 2 sports for some time I certainly understand some of the idiosyncrasies that are not nearly as obvious to me in other sports such as football or basketball. Much of my familiarity with baseball and hockey really comes from having played those sports.

They resort to personal attacks and name calling when they find disagreement. And some simply resort to trying to shut others up with the excuse that they know more or they know better. We have all encountered those persons everywhere, more than once.

When I find myself in the company of such persons I just stop arguing and excuse myself. I suggest Lows05 do the same when he finds himself arguing with such people in this board.

Everybody keeps ranting about the fact that BCB is not a message board and people shouldn’t treat it as such.

Yet when I come to the home page to log-in, the link in the left hand navigation says “Start posting about the Chicago Cubs”. Maybe that ought to change to something like “Participate in the conversation.”

Just a thought.

With the exception of a few serious responses, the regulars here ignore the content and badger the poster.

I just found a news clip of Carlos explaining his whole thought process behind the bunt that got him injured. I think his eloquent explanation should put this entire debate to rest once and for all. I know I feel a lot better after watching it.

OK, here’s the link.

………..by the author of this post, I feel compelled to comment.

First of all, and as I mentioned in another post, I have not referred to my baseball skills as the foundation for my position on this subject. Such experiences can be relevant to the discussion, but it is not the sole basis for anyone to have an opinion. I’ve not condemned others for not playing/coaching/etc., so that matter needs to be cleared.

That said, informed opinions, regardless of subject matter, should be given some priority.

Lastly, set up the interview with Z and I’ll be there. Give me a week to clear my schedule, but I have NO PROBLEM WHATSOEVER in raising Zambrano’s level of awareness. As mentioned in another post, SOMEONE needs to be letting him know when he’s out of line, so why not me? His lunacy has rarely helped the club, and this is simply another example. I’d hope I would not have to call him an “idiot”, but I probably could not avoid calling his play, at times, “idiotic”.

It speaks to the larger issue of the merits/drawbacks of what Cosell called “The Jockocracy”. Are athletes better credentialed to talk the game by virtue of their career? What role does on-the-job experience play in the success of an analyst? Do you, as a fan, place more credibility in Joe Morgan or Peter Gammons?

And Kudos to Lows05 for writing it. FWIW, here is my quick take on this whole “Monday morning quarterbacking” situation regarding Z’s bunt single, and the resulting injury. I was having this same conversation with an annoying co-worker who is a White Sox scumbag—I mean fan—who was basically saying Z is an idiot for trying to bunt, now he screwed the Cubs by putting himself on the DL and blah, blah, blah.

Lows05 nailed it when he said we all cheered when we saw Z beat out the throw, and let out of collective expletive when he saw that he was hurt. If anyone saw the back page of the Tribune on Monday, there is a beautiful shot of Z beating the throw that perfectly captures the reaction of the crowd behind first base. Great photo. The fan reaction is 100 percent positive, as I imagine it was to the millions watching on TV like me. Cub fans love Z because he has only one way of playing, and that’s all out, all the time. Telling him to “take it easy” would be like saying to Michael Jordan, “you know MJ, you need to rest up and pace yourself on the defensive end so you’re fresh in the fourth quarter.” Not going to happen. He only had one gear on the court and that was full throttle and people loved him for it. It’s the same thing with Z. He doesn’t know how to go any less than 100 percent at any time. That’s how he is, and I wouldn’t change it for anything because he just wouldn’t be Big Z without that “no holds barred” attitude. I admit, sometimes it gets him into trouble on the field. We’ve discussed this many times, but without that competitive fire of going all out, I think he’d get himself into even more trouble.

Now the idea that the whole bunt attempt was stupid is like this: would anyone still be talking about it in a negative way if he had not gotten hurt on the play? Or would the talk revolve around how great it is that he excels in all phases of the game, puts himself on the line and does anything to help his team win, and if only we had more guys with Z’s “win at all cost” attitude we could win the World Series? No, it only becomes a stupid play AFTER something bad happens, like the basketball player who heaves a three-pointer with 15 second left on the shot clock. If he misses, it was a stupid shot. If he makes it, it was clutch and heroic.

Folks, Big Z is not stupid, and the bunt was not a stupid play. He’s a great player, and it was a great play with a bad result. Is he occasionally reckless? Yes, but so are a lot of guys. Without that recklessness, I guarantee you he would not contribute as much to the Cubs as he does with it. I give you one Devin Hester as another example of how much a once reckless guy contributes once he loses that recklessness. The difference is, Big Z still has it even after he got his big payday. Bottom line, am I happy that Z got hurt? Of course not. Would I change him if I had a chance? Not a chance.