The Delusional Nutjob And His Enablers
Mike HindmanOK. Since I've already burned every bridge known to Rangers Baseball Blogosphere mankind, I figured I might as well unload. Here we go.
Michael Young has lost his f***ing mind. That much we know.
Oh, you want evidence that he's lost his mind?
The first one comes from the "I'm too classy to blast people publicly and let me demonstrate that fact by blasting people publicly" department:
I've been misled and manipulated and I'm sick of it.... Other than that, I’m not going to reveal any details about how this process unfolded. It's not my nature to start blasting people publicly when I don't think it's necessary. I don't think it's fair or productive for anybody, particularly my teammates and coaching staff.
The next one comes from the "The Rangers are big fat liars and let me prove that to you by admitting that they aren't" department:
The suggestion that I've had a change of heart [about moving to DH] and asked for a trade is a manipulation of the truth.... I'll be the first to admit that I was not particularly keen on the idea of being a DH. But I did agree to do it. I wanted to put the team first. I wanted to be a Ranger. But in light of events that happened in the process, I got pushed into a corner one too many times. I could't take it anymore.
So, in other words Mikey, you didn't "have a change of heart" you got your feelings hurt and then changed your mind. And you didn't "ask for a trade" you demanded they trade you because you heard that they were trying to trade you and that hurt your feelings.
Got it.
You nutjob.
But how did he get there? How did this man who was once so humble, so dependable, so hard working and so committed to winning become a such a delusional prima donna? Like most people who become delusional and detached from reality -- Michael Jackson, Brian Wilson, Mike Tyson, Axl Rose, Sarah Palin -- it took a lot of people sending him the wrong message and praising and rewarding him for things that don't actually deserve praise and rewards over a considerable period of time.
Almost exactly four years ago, Jon Daniels culminated a woeful year-long run of decisions (broken up only by the Milwaukee deal that brought Texas Nelson Cruz) by handing Michael Young an $80 million contract for $16 million AAV. Compared to handing away Adrian Gonzalez and Chris Young for Adam Eaton and Aki Otsuka, signing Frank Catalanotto for $13.5 million (and surrendering the 16th pick in the 2007 draft for the privilege) for no apparent reason, dealing John Danks and Nick Masset for a giant stick of balsa wood, the Young deal wasn't as devastating, but at some point, the chickens come home to roost on every bad deal.
The deal that the Rangers gave to Young early in 2007 made him one of the ten highest-paid players in baseball by AAV. He was not, had not and would never be one of the ten most productive players in baseball. The Rangers knew that. So, why did they pay him as if he was?
Young was handed that asinine contract, in large part, to show him how much the Rangers appreciated his "sacrifice" in volunteering to move from second base to shortstop to accommodate another prima donna named Alfonso Soriano.
Now that the chickens have come home to roost and some of us wonder how Michael Young became such a narcissistic jackass, we can look back at that moment and see that the Rangers encouraged Young's delusions by treating a pretty good player as if he were a superstar for no good reason. This seems to have taught Young that he was entitled to things because he was "Michael Young, Face of the Franchise" rather than for what he actually did on the field.
The local megia -- who already liked this very clean-cut, hard-working, immensely likable young man a whole lot -- immediately seized on this theme and wildly over-mythologized Young's "sacrifice." It was easy for the beats and columnists to fall in love with Young after having to deal with jackwagons like Alex Rodriguez, Alfonso Soriano and Mark Teixeira. Young, by comparison, was humble and accountable and accessible. And so the folks in the press box created a narrative of Young bordering on beatification (Patron Saint of Sports Sacrifice), and then they kept doing it, and doing it and doing it some more.
What has always bothered me about this -- and I can tell you with all honesty that it really has bothered me all along -- is that Young's sacrifice was nothing special and certainly, the beats and columnists knew enough baseball history to know this as well.
George Brett -- a Face of the Franchise in ways that Michael Young could never imagine -- moved from third base to first base and then to DH to accommodate younger players (and trust me, Kevin Seitzer was no Elvis Andrus) and hide his diminishing defensive skills.
Carl Yastrzemski came up as a left fielder in 1961, played primarily at 1b in 1970, moved back to LF for a couple of years, and then back to 1B in 1973 which is where he got most of his at-bats until moving back to LF in 1977. In 78, 79 and 80 his at bats came at 1B, LF and DH. He finished up his career as the Red So'x primary DH in 1982 and 1983.
Hit machine and Hall of Famer Paul Molitor came up as a 2B/SS in 1978. He saw almost all of his action in the outfield in 1981 and became the Brewers regular 3B in 1982. In 1991, at age 30, Molitor became a DH/1B (but a DH first and foremost) which his how he played out his final eight seasons.
The Brewers also moved Hall of Famer Robin Yount from short to left to center without all of this drama.
The greatest hitter of his generation,Pete Rose, came up as a 2B in 1963, moved to LF in 1967, RF in 1968, 3B in 1975 and 1B in 1979.
Ichiro moved from right to center and back to right to accommodate other players. He's sort of the face of his franchise, no?
But god forbid Michael Young -- who isn't half the ballplayer that any of the above-named immortals were -- should be "asked" to move over from a position where he is not only the weakest link, by far, on an otherwise stellar defensive unit but also embarassing himself on a more-or-less daily basis.
Nonetheless, if you have been reading about Michael Young through the works of our local scribes over the past six or seven years, you would have been led to believe that no player in the history of baseball has ever sacrificed so much for the sake of his team. These writers knew better, but they were having too much fun building their monument to Young to tell the truth. Some ignorant fans bought into the narrative. That's regrettable.
But worse than that, Young evidently bought into the narrative.
Somewhere along the line -- born of an unjustifiable contract and nurtured by a fawning local media contingent who cannot separate the dancer from the dance (yeah, I dropped a Yeats reference in an angry baseball blog post ... that's how I roll) -- Michael Young came to believe that he was entitled to things because he was "Face of the Franchise" and The Patron Saint of "Sacrifice."
Meanwhile, the Texas Rangers began to ascend and they did so in large part because they became a true meritocracy.
Feldman didn't deliver and he was out. Harden didn't either, and he was out. Salty didn't either, and he was out. If you didn't produce, you didn't play.
And if you played, you played where you could most help the ballclub. Period.
They moved Josh Hamilton and his 5.9 center field UZR in 2009 to left field and replaced it with Julio Borbon's center field UZR of 8.9 in 2010. In the process, they upgraded LF defense from David Murphy's 3.2 UZR in 2009 to Hamilton's 6.8 in 2010, and yet they still found a way to get Murphy enough at-bats to become a very positive force in the lineup.
Hamilton would rather be an everyday center fielder. Murphy would rather be an everyday left fielder. They didn't get what they wanted because it wasn't what was best for the ballclub. Neftali Feliz would rather be a starter, but he was the best closer they had and so he closed. If he wants to start this year, he's going to have to earn it. And the Rangers will give him the opportunity to earn it just like C.J. Wilson finally got what he always wanted -- a rotation slot -- by going out there in Surprise and earning the job, breaking camp as the club's best starter.
Alexi Ogando skyrocketed to the big leagues from the DSL by being an absolute beast. Chris Davis didn't earn the job at first and was replaced. Justin Smoak became expendable by not producing sufficiently to make himself essential. The Rangers went out to get Jorge Cantu to fill a void at first, but he didn't produce and so they gave Mitch Moreland a chance to earn the f**ing job, which he did. And he's going to have to earn it again this spring.
A huge part of the genius of the 2010 Texas Rangers was using their resources as effectively as possible and that can be done only through a true meritocracy where there are no entitlements.
But Michael Young and his -5.4 UZR is evidently entitled to play in the field. Not because he's a good defender (and Young's continuing insistence that he is a legitimate answer in the field is probably the clearest evidence of his descent into delusional madness), but -- I guess -- because he's the Face of the Franchise.
Nucking futs.
It's nice to see at least one of the luminaries of the local press distance himself from the Patron Saint of Sports Sacrifice narrative today and I cannot applaud Gil Lebreton enough for his outstanding contribution to the Startlegram today.
But in general, the narrative is alive and well thanks to crap nonsense like this from Jim Reeves who is so completely smitten with Saint Michael that he actually writes that the club should make a move that hurts the organization because Young "deserves" it.
Reader Comments (191)
Tell em how you really feel.
And boom goes the dynamite...
MJH~
Not only was this a great written article and frank to the point, but very timely.
This debacle has polarized many good Ranger Fans. Some will read this, with
open eyes, others will dig their feet in, but many will see an honest, upfront and
genuine piece from not a columnist, but from a passionate fan of real Baseball.
I've read a ton of stories, over 62 years, but I'm not sure one has ever captured the
real essence of the frustrated sports fan, as this article. I've read and reread many
times. On another odd, cold snowy day in DFW locked inside, I've laughed constantly
and tipped a cheer. Thank gawd for the internet and braves souls of pen, as you.
Today you've made a personal bleak period in baseball, turn into a wonderful birthday
present, for myself. Here's to Truth, Freedom of Press and a return to 2011 as Champs.
May your Quill Always Find Proper Ink~ Cheers
Perfect post, except it seems kind of needless to bring politics into this, right? (What happened to the new civility...)
I really don't want to go down this road, but I do want to clear something up. I'm not bringing politics into this. Palin doesn't offend me because of her politics. I respect many Republicans. I think very highly of Chris Christie, for example. She offends me because she's bought into her own hype to such a degree that she actually thinks she's qualified to be the leader of the free world. That's simply delusional.
@HubZ Thanks much & Happy Birthday. Glad I could contribute.
@Paul and Jon: At what point in your life's did you develop such a high opinion of yourselves that you'd be offended by something as simple and inconsequential as language? It's a shame that the people to which you'd like to forward this blog article are not capable seeing its intrinsic value in the midst of a few superficial flaws. Kudos for at least getting something of value yourselves.
@MJH: Just brilliant...perfect way of highlighting just how one person can fool himself into thinking he's more important than he really is. In a way, it's a microcosm of a much greater problem in society...I'm amazed at how people can so easily be led into the delusion of an Inflated self-importance and self-entitlement. We should be thankful that, for most of us, our biggest worry in life is whether or not Michael Young will be a Texas Ranger in the near future...and it's a shame MY can't see this for himself right now. I don't think it makes him a bad guy and worthy of being villainized, but somebody really needs to give him some perspective!
In the same way, I'm sure the vast majority of people in this world are more concerned with surviving life as opposed to surviving a blog entry without being offended by the "F' word.
This has gotta be on the front page. The world must see the truth.
While I agree that the language is a bit unexpected from someone who trades in the mainstream media, the sentiment of the piece is spot on.
Count me among those who have always viewed MY and as a 'Mark Teixeira Starter Kit'. I think there are many of us who have seen this day coming for a couple of years now; shame it's got to be on the heels of such a great season.
@ MJH:
I wasn't kidding about that beer. Hell, dinner and a couple of brews at the Medlesome Moth is on me if you just take the trouble to get my email from the BBTIA crew. I know Joey has it, since I submit it on all my posts. If you have not had the chance to try The Moth, it's fantastic.
Tried to find your email online, but couldn't find it.
I don't know if Palin is deluded. I certainly wouldn't have advised her to go on a reality show. But if she ever pontificates that I need to pay for a carbon offset because I am causing global warming, I would agree that she is a crackpot looking to make money off phony guilt she is trying to foister off onto me.
Gore has done that in spades, sitting in his energy-hog house(s) while trying to convince me that climate change is mostly a function of human interaction rather than volcanic activity and sun spots.
Joey... Mike's piece is another example of why BBTIA is amongst the nation's premier MLB commentary destinations. Doesn't get any better when you or your team take the big step out in front and with no apologies wrap it all up. Very very nice Mike.
OH MY GODDD, someone said "FUCK" on the Interwebs and my family's head's might EXPLODE if they see such a bad poopy word!!! Christ, grow up people.
Fucking great article MJH.
Duck. Buck. Huck. Suck. Luck. Muck. Puck. Tuck. Xuck. (okay I made the last one up)
Who decided the letter F gets the lousy job anyway?
I hope The Face gets to read this. He's gonna need plastic surgury to repair this damage. Proactiv at the very least.
Chicken Dinner Mike.
@dub...and what did Lee Bailey ever do to anyone to deserve that treatment forever?
@ dub. Blame it on an early English King. Fornicating Under Consent of King
What a bitchy little article from a little bitch person. hahaha
Right on! Fuck you MY. You are a goobery, whiny, crybaby asshole!
Nice, rational vent.....
Note: The hero edification and worship of Michael Young is one of the reasons I stopped reading Newberg.
100% agree with @windingmywatch. I don't post everyday (there are plenty on here that say it better than I can), but I come to this site everyday to get my Rangers news. And I usually remember to click an ad while I'm here:) I'll go one step further...it's not only the great writers here at BBTiA that make this a great site, it's the great regulars like dub, Scooby Dude, Pabloesque, t ball, Lfloyd, Philly, David, K-Mart and several others I am surely forgetting. This site has far and away the best reader contributions from Ranger fans who know baseball and are pretty good at putting their well reasoned opinions in print.
I'm done kissing butt for now...here's to a great 2011
Thank you for reading my mind and typing this article for me Mr. Hindman. Helluva job!!!
Reminds me of the Cutler in Denver situation a few years ago. Good riddance MY. Never been a big fan of your overrated ass anyway. GO RANGERS!
Good job, MJH. I am glad someone FINALLY said it! For 16 (or 13, or 12, or whatever the current value of the contract really is) BIG ONES I would sit in a pile of crap on the bench.
The problem with MY is that he was the best player on a string of pretty bad teams so it was easy to over-inflate his value. He was also made better by those around him. He handles the bat pretty well and always makes the routine plays. However, to be mad because the Ranger signed Beltre is like getting mad because someone fires their lawyer and hires Race Horse Haynes. The upgrade is significant.
If the Rangers are going to have to pay a big chunk of his salary if they trade MY, they might as well keep him. I hope they tell him to shut the hell up and play baseball.
I've always thought of Michael Young as a "pleasant" player to watch. I interpreted his stoic demeanor on the field as him being classy and a stand up person (I am currently picturing the one second television shot of Michael Young standing up at third base after his clutch hit in the 2006 All Star game).
I compare him to Michael Finley back in his Mavericks days. And obviously, nobody considers Michael Finley to be a legendary franchise figure, even by the Mavericks' historically irrelevant standards.
I will say this. I knew there was something odd when I kept on hearing that Michael Young was very close friends with A-Rod, and CONTINUED to be close friends with him after he left Texas.
There never sat well with me.
Thanks, MJH, for saying so well what I have been thinking since MY went nuclear the other day. He needs to shut up, take his excessive money and play where they tell him to play.
Funny, the guy who twice ran off from Newberg when he got his feelings hurt calling someone else a whiner.
Not to speak for MJH, but that "guy who ran off from Newburg " twice wasn't being paid 16mil a year (or anything much at all AFAICT, while holding down a real job), was GREAT at the job he was doing for Jamey, and wasn't being wrongfully lauded as some sort of saint for doing rather pedestrian activities such as standing on the other side of a base every couple of years.
Great stuff !!!!!!!!!!
Absolute greatness. I wonder what Young is going to think when no team offers more than a pile of crap for him?
It's sad that Michael Young has tarnished his time with the Rangers this way. I'd really like to disagree with something in the article, but can't. Michael Young was just a complete idiot, there's no two ways about it. And I don't think you can put the genie back in the bottle after his comments.
He was lied to and manipulated? Welcome to the real world Mike, where it happens to regular people on a daily basis. News flash: JD doesn't really owe you an explanation on who or what or how he is talking to other teams about you. What is he supposed to do? Call you up every time your name comes up in conversation? Geez. What front office in their right mind would want Michael Young now? I don't how this has a happy ending for anyone involved.
MJH, you always hit it out of the park, and consistently give us a fresh way to view the truth. Thanks for defining the issue exactly.
Somebody ask Michael which teammate he prefers to sit on the bench instead of him. I said it a couple of weeks ago, MY is only about the 7th or 8th best hitter on the roster, and Moreland will eventually pass him with enough experience. He doesn't have a position to play. He's simply a hedge against injury. He's indeed delusional if he think his presence makes this team better.
After reading RW quotes again today, I am convinced a failure to make a trade is going to screw up the lineup once again this season. Young should not get 700 PAs in the 2-hole. He shouldn't get 600 PAs in the 6-hole either. But you can bet he'll get one or the other if a trade isn't consummated by JD at some point.
Delusional is and will be the word of the day for several sunrises this week. Mikey Baseball is delusional enough to believe he has earned a daily start on a contending team. He is delusional enough to think another contending team will take him for more than a hill of beans.
Fans talk about his leadership, his intangibles. What I've always seen is a standoffish player who couldn't live up to a horrible contract, but would like for all of us to believe he deserves our sympathy for his odyssey of suffering. Yeah, right, Mike...go count your money again.
@ Adam
I love it when my butt is kissed. It gives me these odd sensations.
But lets move on, yesterday was the pro bowl....
After reading the lengthy diatribe I am thoroughly convinced that someone has missed the boat. After comparing Mr. young to a literal litany of truly great baseball players I became confused why that comparison was necessary.
The Rangers do not have the history of great players as does most clubs but they do have several good solid players, Mike Young being one. To discount him as a deranged self absorbed moron (i.e. Arod..Tex...Sorryiano)I feel is to ignore precisely what Mike has given this club. And that EXTREMELY valuable asset is consistency and loyalty. Now I can hear the diatribe beginning to rise again, but I ask each of you...have you played "pro ball"? Have you gone through multiple years of the stress of performance demands and an unforgiving schedule? Yes, I know there are thousands of other players who all do the same thing...right? Wrong...in a sports climate as DFW where the Cowboys "had" set such a high level of success... the Rangers had become the laughing stock of the league....never a team with these great heroes or superstars....then when they got a "superstar" he turned out to be a jerk. Mike clearly understands this and has tried through hard work and devotion to do whatever he could.
His records are there for all to examine and they tell a story of a man who is decidedly "above par", though maybe not the superstar some want. After all he has been a true clubhouse leader for years and helped immensely to get several players on today's team to find their spot.
Now it has all seemingly gone awry. WHY???? I contend that very VERY few truly know what has transpired and to trash a man who has shown his devotion to the making of this NOW great team is TOTALLY out of character for the fans of The Texas Rangers. So you feel he has lost his character and class...then that gives you the right to lose yours (assuming you have some!)?
It is said that when squeezed every orange will show forth it's content. AS the orange gets older and is told that it's the "cat's meow"... maybe then when squeezed it might not be so sweet. And if, just maybe if, Mike has been given the "short end of the stick" (pun intended) and refuses to lose character then maybe we all need to "get off his back".
What's with the language on this site all of a sudden? Is it going to become a site that many of us left last year?
This site, in the wake of the MY saga, is dangerously close to becoming totally irrelevant as a forum for the free exchange of different opinions.
One opinion is being trumpeted over all others, and this is a ridiculous display of group think and a blatant taking up of one side without even considering whether the other may have some legitimate grievance.
I appreciate this site for the sort of analysis that is rare in other quarters but I can't imagine that analysis is much advanced in the eye of Ranger's fans with diatribes like this one.
In short, if you want to be off by yourselves without any influence over Ranger's baseball keep on going with shit pie like this.
Further, it is not only Hindman who burns bridges with crap like this, it is also his BBTiA enablers.
Just my quick 2 cents...I am not a prude by any stretch of the imagination. At home and around friends, my language can get pretty salty. But when I come onto BBTiA and other sites, I kinda compare it to going to the workplace (a FUN workplace, that is). If you're lucky enough to have a job where you get to use your mind and engage in productive discourse, it's a great thing...and it usually comes without the salty language. I know sports in general can be salty, and I don't mind the occasional cuss word for dramatic effect, but I'm more interested in good solid opinions/discussion rather than who can go the most blue. Again, just my own thoughts.
I thought Reeves article well explained the situation that showed to MY that Daniels was just doing his job as GM. It was done softly without being devisive and called for the team to come together This morning Galloway's sought the same thing in his article this morning. You had some good thoughts but the harshness kept it from being a good article for me.
I've looked at fangraphs but I would like to see a comparason of 2009 predictions up against 2009 actual that shows where all players were predicted and where they actually finished. Can they do that? Lots of good stats but for me the jury is still out on conbination or merged stats.
I thought ad hominem attacks were frownded upon around here. I guess not when it's in an attempt to help your side win. A "nutjob"? Really? Good use of the English language by the way. Know a lot of 4 letter words do you? All you did is show your ass. MY is an important part of the lineup and will be sorely MISSED. Book it. The man can hit. I hate to see him go, but that's what it's come to. LET'S GO RANGERS.
You had me at delusional Sarah Palin...
Joe,
Read the new Reeve's article from last night. Even that guy backed off his defense of MY because of how this is playing out. MY made some harsh accusations without getting specific enough for JD to respond. I am a fan of MY and what he has done, but no one player is more important than the team.
And this is an open forum. Almost half of the comments yesterday (granted most were generated by you) were defending MY. You just might be slightly outnumbered.
Never have truer words been spoken, Mike. I've always been a huge fan of Young, nowadays especially. A class act who comes to play hard, and doesn't cause problems off the field, can't be appreciated enough. But this little hissy fit he's throwing.....? Makes me think he's been reading his own press clippings to long. the man is making $16 MILLION A YEAR!!!!! Shut the f--- up and play ball already!
What a great piece. I am now your biggest fan!
@Joe
Sometimes when it's you against the world you need to take a second and think about what exactly you are fighting for.
Bravo... I love it.
I was just waiting for a JOE comment...
My only complaint... calling Axl Rose and Sarah Palin delussional... they are my 2 favorite people!
BRAVO!
Solid Work Sir! Best article I've read in awhile! Anyone have Michael Youngs email? Please send him this link!!!
Fuck yea Mike.
It's just business, it's not personal. It's just business, it's NOT PERSONAL. Two parties want different things. There's no moral dimension here. I understand why team and player might want to invent one for PR reasons. Don't buy into it! At the end of the day, if the team suffers, it's not because MY is a bad person... it's because the team failed to manage their assets wisely. The team is responsible for the team's success, and MY needs to look out for MY because no one else will. It's just business. It's not personal. There is no black and white. The world is gray.
It always inspires great incredulity - to respond to a ridiculous nutty - with equal or greater vigor of inanity - one might be better served as many have in reflecting on this great tragedy
Oh, the memory of days with George Steinbrenner, Billy Martin, Reggie Jackson
and Dave Winfield. Gives me a warm, kind of cuddly feeling, thinking of those bliss years.