Yet we are often left confused by our favorite players performance.  Look at the dominant New York Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia.  He has been beat around by the Pittsburgh Pirates this spring.  But do you really anticipate CC not being the ace he always has been in this league? 

After the first rough outing against the Pirates, CC said, ‘stats don’t really matter down here until you…[I'm not a big fan of what he said, so just go ahead and insert a common spring trainng  phrase here.']    If you don’t know what he said, I will get to it later.

It didn’t hurt my feelings though, because he is right, it doesn’t really matter.  None of these games matter.

1.  The stats don’t really matter because the games don’t really count.  However, because we have shoveled more snow than possibly imaginable, or have become so tired of watching NBA highlights on ESPN, we are just dying for a baseball game.  So, somewhere deep inside it really does matter.

2.   Most of us have played in games that matter, to some degree, all of our lives.  A game that ‘doesn’t matter’ is a new concept for us.

3.  If the player you want to to make your ballclub is hitting near .500, you’re going to brag about it.  It’s a fact.   Your guy is making improvement.  It doesn’t matter that he is hitting late in the games against a gray beard, major league hanger on.  That’s your guy.  But when the season starts, you can put good coin on it that he will be back riding the bus in AAA.  Because, these games don’t really matter.

4.  But let me get this right, if your guy wasn’t getting hits against those AA pitchers late in the game, it still doesn’t matter.  There is a dilemma in most every training camp like the one the Pirates have right now:  

The Pirates Brandon Moss hasn’t got a hit against anybody.  Not AA pitchers, not CY Young winners.  Zip. Zero.  So because he hasn’t had a  hit off any pitcher with a first name in the entire Grapefruit League, that means he sucks right?  Well not necessarily, he is just unlucky.  Moss has absolutely stung a few balls.  So, remember, it just doesn’t matter.

5.  So if your favorite player has struckout eight times in 30 AB, does that matter or doesn’t that matter?  It doesn’t matter.  He is in the best shape of his life and spent time with the hitting coach this offseason working on a new swing.

6.  Stats don’t matter, just look how awful the Astros, Padres, Indians and Orioles were last spring training and then look at how well they played during the regular sea …nevermind. 

7.  Stats don’t matter, but wins or losses, surely they matter right?  Nah, not so much.  Remember how well the Pirates played last spring with Craig Monroe slugging homers all over Florida, but the Pirates carried that momentum to their infamous 17th straight losing season.  A nice spring training isn’t going to get a team a wild card.   Monroe was out of job before we were grilling dogs on the Fourth of July.   These games don’t matter and most of the players’ performances don’t really matter.  CC said!

8.  If your future superstar isn’t bashing,  it doesn’t matter.  But if he is stroking balls all across the sunshine states, oh what a great feeling that is.  It might be the best feeling about spring training.  If you have watched  Pedro Alvarez or Dominic Brown, you entirely understand. 

9.  Pitchers stats don’t matter either because they are usually chucking that changeup up to the plate for the third straight time.  The typical spring training pitcher has everything except a sign with ten inch, red letters saying ‘HEH, HERE COMES THIS CHANGEUP AGAIN, I HAVE VERY LITTLE CONFIDENCE THROWING IT.’   

10.  So since none of it matters, just remember what the old timers tell me at the watering trough.  Spring training matters for one thing.  It’s a beautiful excuse to escape your wife, life, girlfriend, boyfriend or whatever hell it is that you want to make disappear for a few days.   Now that matters.

11. So back to CC Sabathia again.  What exactly did CC say about the Pirates?  It doesn’t matter what CC Sabathia said!  Hit it Rock

Jeff Clement was destined for stardom.  He had to be.  Right?  I mean Clement was a first round pick in the 2005 star studded draft.  Everyone in that first-round seems to have already made an impact.

Clement was the Mariners third pick in a draft overflowing with stars like Clay Buchholz, Ryan Zimmerman, Justin Upton, Alex Gordon, Troy Tulowitzki, that ever so familiar Pirate basher-Ryan Braun and, of course, Pittsburgh Pirate star Andrew McCutchen.  (more…)

Ian Snell  $3.2 million.  Whew.  Seattle is trying to figure out what is wrong under the hood with this one.  After I read this, the Yankees are glad they didn’t pick up this gas hog as he left his new Mariners stranded by the road.  After lasting 1.1 innings, Snell said, “they didn’t swing at many pitches,” that has to be my new favorite Snell quote.  Snell has eleven strikeouts and fifteen walks since becoming a Mariner.

Eric Hinske.  The Pirates paid $1.5 million.  Hinske didn’t seem to want to be a Pirate hitting only one homer in 106 at bats with nine doubles wasn’t quite what the Pirates had in mind.  But naturally, he has hit a little better lately since he was sent to the Bronx Bombers, his stats page shows four hits in his last twelve at-bats.

Craig Monroe.  Paid $750,000.  Wow.  The ultimate all or nothing lemon.

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Snell had a no-no through 4.2 last night.  Ah, make ’em shake their heads Ian, love it.   My favorite Ian Snell story is below…it relates to a certain visitor at Pirates spring training and church softball, come on, did you read this  

Is there such a thing as classic Rumbunter? Hilarious.

The Baseball’s hottest wives contest is nearing its end, make your vote count.  While you’re over there check out the Lisa Dergen video.  Good God

The Tempe whip cream party doesn’t cost Josh Hamilton his poster boy status with the Evangelicals.  Perhaps he could help the real Cool Whip maker Kraft revamp that awful logo, oh wait that is the new logo.

Outstanding, just outstanding stuff on The Chief  here from Behind The Steel Curtain.  He Stood On Higher Ground, This Date in Steeler History.  Great detail including a story about Rooney and ashtrays at Three Rivers.

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