Lance Berkman has an assload to say (Clemens, Pettitte, Wade,Valverde)

I thought the Jose de Jesus Ortiz blog for the Chronicle was interesting. It basically says that his teammates don't respect him in the clubhouse, as I read it. Interesting if true because people are always talking about what a great guy he is.


[rquoter]
Berkman needs to grow up, realize 2007 Astros stunk

As the Astros were struggling through the 2007 season, I asked Lance Berkman, Carlos Lee and Roy Oswalt if they would waive their no-trade clauses and accept a trade to a contending team if that meant the Astros could replenish the farm system.

Lee had just landed in Houston, and he said it was too early to consider leaving. Oswalt, who hates losing more than any Astros player, was open to a trade if the club approached him. Berkman was adamant that he would stay even if the team lost for the rest of the time he was here. I was shocked at such an admission but not surprised.

Berkman's a great hitter, but he's no leader. He loves to share the truth as he sees it, but he'd be better off looking in the mirror.

If he spent some time polling his teammates, especially the stars, he'd find out that some of them think he whines too much and that more than a few think he's lazy. I won't out those teammates, but Berkman knows he can pick up the phone real quick and find out who feels this way.

Only Berkman would worry about the chemistry being shaken up on a team that lost 89 games. Astros fans pay good money to see a team win. If the team is losing, they couldn't care less if the team has good chemistry in the clubhouse with Chris Burke or Lance Berkman.

And as for his comments on new closer Jose Valverde's antics, Berkman knows dang very well that Valverde's fire and antics are going to be appreciated by some of the team's stars.

I've spoken with a few Astros - some making some serious coin from Drayton McLane - and they assure me that the Astros are desperate for the type of fire Valverde brings. As long as Valverde isn't pumping his fist after one out, many of his teammates assure me that they would love the fire Valverde would bring after he closes out games.

If Berkman were more mature, he would have told Valverde how he felt before whining about it in public. If he were a team leader like Jeff Bagwell was, he would have handled the issue with dignity and class behind closed doors.

Here's hoping Berkman is just acting this way because his heart is broken over his Gilligan's departure from the Astros.

Ed Wade, Tal Smith, Dave Gottfried and Ricky Bennett should take a bow for shaking this lousy team up. Sure, Berkman is upset. But Berkman must understand that some of the other high prized players, some of the true leaders on the club, appreciate the moves because they'd much rather win than hold hands with Chris Burke.

Only Berkman could possibly complain that a fourth-place team has been broken up.

Stay tuned, the start of spring training has the potential to get very interesting real quick when Berkman is confronted about his complaints about the new team chemistry and Valverde.

I promise to let you know what happens.
[/rquoter]

 

The funniest thing about the JDJO article is his acting like anyone actually speaks to him.

 

The more I think about it, JDJO would probably have published those quotes himself without thinking about it. But, he can't get those kind of quotes from any Astros.

 

I can neither confirm nor deny but...

 

I wouldnt worry about chemisty. Of all the major sports chemistry is definitely the least important in baseball...it is a very individual game. Pitcher and catcher are the only positions that actually interact on the field

 

I wonder what Berkman's trade value is?

Im not bailing on him yet, but this article, and the JDJO blog make me wonder if he's going to be a cancer.

hmmmmmm

 

This is funny. There are only maybe 5 or 6 Astros even left from last year, and only 2 - maybe 3 - make "serious coin" besides Berkman. That's Carlos Lee and Roy Oswalt (Woody Williams if you consider $6MM to be serious coin). Everyone else are minimum-wage types.

 

We got Dan Haren from Oakland. The Valverde deal was related to this. Trust me, nobody out here is complaining about losing Valverde. I will say, I'm shocked that the astros went after a non-white player.

 

I completely disagree, but I have to say a lot of people seem to think about it the way you do. As far as I'm concerned, batting may be individual activity (sort of), but *nothing* else about baseball is. The pitcher absolutely needs the catcher--but he also needs all seven of the other guys. Additionally, they depend upon each other. I'd hazard a guess that there at least as many assists, if not more, in one baseball game than in one basketball game. I do indeed understand why basketball and football seem more like "team games" than baseball, but the fact is you can't play a game without a minimum of 9 guys, and unlike bowling each guy's contribution does more than simply add to a cumulative total.

In short, I feel that when people state that baseball is an "individual game", they're ignoring half the game--you know, the half where you wear a glove, and they're forgetting things like baserunning, hit-and-run, swinging through a pitch when you're guy's stealing second, hitting behind the runner, bunting, etc. Just because they're not lobbing a ball to one another constantly for 48 minutes or lining up side-by-side to smash the other team in the mouth doesn't mean it's not a team game.

Berkman may be aloof and goofy, but be careful putting much stock in what comes from the Chronicle, easily one of the worst sports sections in the nation. I can think of at least two times in the past few months where I've read other markets (or national outlets, I forget) calling out our ridiculous joke of a sports section. Embarrassing for the city.

 

*flush* I just heard the rest of your credibility leaving the room...

 

Everyone in that locker room makes "serious coin" as far as most of us are concerned!

 

this is typical JdJO - he loves to stir **** up. i don't disagree with his larger point at all, but why is he antagonizing berkman, daring him to confront teammates? what journalistic foundation is he operating from? his job is to REPORT news items; not CREATE it.

the guy's a slug.

 

No it wasn't. In the Valverde deal... the DBacks got a solid middle reliever that will fill a comparable role... a utility infielder far too old to be a prospect... and a mediocre prospect pitcher. Look, I know the DBacks GM said the Valverde deal helped to replenish the farm system depleted with the Haren deal... but if you really believe that Juan Gutierrez was imperative to the DBacks making a deal for one of the best starters in the game, there's some ocean front property in Phoenix I'd like to sell you.

The Valverde deal had nothing to do with Haren... it had everything to do with the DBacks growing concerned about his salary when he becomes a free agent in two years and not wanting to pay it. But telling your fans "it was connected to acquiring a great starting pitcher" saves face and is much better from a PR perspective than the reality of "he was going to be too expensive for us."

By the way, you're right -- the Astros would never make a big move for a non-white player. Stupid racists.

Signed,
Carlos Lee, Michael Bourn, Kaz Matsui and Miguel Tejada

 

Obviously, you need a team to play baseball. You dont need chemistry though. What does chemistry have to do with baserunning or hit and run or swinging through a pitch? The answer is nothing. You put Jose Reyes on 1st base and bring Pujols to the plate, I bet they can have instant chemistry. At the end of the day, baseball has the least amount of chemistry of any of the other team sports. Pitcher and catcher, yes. But very little else.

 

The Astros are guilty of many things, but to imply that they deliberately avoid signing minority players is silly. Are you just as offended by the lack of "diversity" in the NBA, where there are almost no White players, or the fact that the percentage of White NFL players is at an all time low? You don't see anyone whining about that. How about we judge our MLB team on character, skill, and determination. How about we care more about the color of the Astro's uniform than the color of the players wearing the uniform. It's a pity that you can't get past race. You might enjoy sports (and life) a bit more if you did.

 

What desert to you live in? My neighbor is a huge DBacks fan and he thinks the loss of Valverde is huge.

As long as Valverde is pumping his fist after saving a game for the Astros, why does Berkman even care. Sounds like somebody switched out Berkman's HGH for some estrogen.

Berkman's body language is that of a guy who isn't aggressive. I wonder what his off-field workout routine is like. Or does he even have one? Lifting a pint or a twinkie to the mouth does not count.

Winning is the only thing that matters. Team chemistry is optional. See the 70's A's and Yankee's for a comparison.

 

For the record, I did see him running yesterday. I'm not worried about Berkman's production at all. He should benefit greatly by these moves and has a chance for a monster career year. It's the "chemistry" that's the problem. And the fistpumping, apparently. I have a feeling he'll retract that statement with some more thought. By the way, the "Big Puma" is 0-3 with 2 K's lifetime vs "Papa Grande"

 

Just throwing this out there....
I hate the race card. I'm a minority myself and I hate it when people pull that stuff out. However, this has been bugging me about the Astros organization for since the early 2000s. It's the lack of minorities on the ball club. This has nothing to do with Drayton McLane being a racist (which people like to label him as all the time) because I'm pretty sure he's not. But, do you guys think Lance Berkman was more comfortable (when he talked about chemistry in the article) with the guys over the years because the majority of them were white? I'm not saying he's a racist whatsoever but do you guys get what I'm saying? If you go back and look at the roster over the years, we have had plenty of caucasian players than minorities. There's no denying that.

In addition, does anyone else think the majority of the Astros fan base leans more towards caucasians? When you go to a Texans game, you see all types of people----whites, blacks, hispanics, and etc. When you go to a Rockets game---white, blacks, hispanics, asians, middle eastern. And with the Astros, you see hispanics and blacks, but the majority of them are white. I hate labeling but you also see plenty of "country" people and "teeny-boppers" at the Astros games with the "I want to marry Hunter Pence/Craig Biggio", "Brad Ausmus is HOT!" posters. It's not like that at other baseball games that I've been to in Arlington, Minnesota, New York, and Chicago.

I feel that the reason why the Astros lack the minority fan base is because of the lack of minority players. Although, they've been getting better at it as of late...especially this past off season.

Winning games aside but why is that we don't see this type of popularity with the Rockets?

Anyone agree or have any thoughts on this?

 

African-American interest in baseball has declined in general in the US. It's been hard for any organization to remain diverse in this area. Check out the RBI Foundation and their work for this particular cause.

 

unless he starts sucking.