Berkman was a better player than Baines..... but he doesn't have LaRussa and Reinsdorf doing everything possible to get him into the HOF. Berkman could have easily had 500 homers if he had any real interest in doing so.
He's not relaxed, but he's lazy. From an outside perspective, these are the same thing. You've heard people whining about Berkman's whining? Sounds like Berkman wasn't the only negative guy especially since others have called him the laziest position player on the team. Baseball is a 162-game season. There is a big reason the Astros rest players more now than they did when Berkman played. If Berkman worked harder, maybe his career last longer, but there is absolutely no evidence that his "lazy" approach wasn't more optimal than the gym rat approach in his best seasons. Some guys are great with the gym rat approach. Some aren't. One of the most important lesson in life is don't f$%^ up something that works great. You can have whatever perception you want, but on the field he was a great player. Having a negative view for a great player that shows up during games regarding his practice habits is just very weird to me.
I don't deny that he was a great player, I think I even said that in this thread. I just know he could have likely been better and could have likely played longer if he wasn't as lazy as he was. If you want to argue that he may have gotten hurt if he worked out harder, so be it..... but relaxed he definitely was not. Having said that, he and Jeff Kent are the two guys I would want up there from that era in a tough at bat under pressure.
Just splitting hairs here, but I think Lance would be an absolute monster in today’s game. His ability to get backspin on the ball was unlike anything I’ve ever seen...a line drive hitter who amassed a ton HRs only off crazy back spin. Beautiful swing path. Such a shame he was off the ballot in 1 year, a no-doubt top 10 (and arguably higher) all time switch hitter. I wonder if BBWAA knows how tough that is...
I ask partly because I deal with chronic depression on a daily basis. And Berkman putting on a happy kind of "front" around people, but being kind of self-loathing and negative is well a hallmark of depression. Would be curious if he ever dealt with that in his career. We'll probably never know, but curious nonetheless.
No, I don't know of any diagnosis. I was around him and the other players when I worked the scoreboard. I would hear them talk but I stayed out of that type of stuff. I have wondered before, or anxiety possibly. Mostly drove people crazy because he would dig his heels in on a particular topic and have really short sighted opinions.
Is there a bigger honor that a team can bestow upon a player? I supposed you could build statues.... (while said players are still on the freakin team!)
The team has been around for 60 years and has retired 9 numbers. The first two died during their career with the Stros and don't really count as honoring someone for career achievements. I saw someone post earlier about "having to issue triple digit numbers eventually if it keeps up" - that's an over-the-top take for a team that hasn't retired a number in over a decade. "Cheapens the honor" is such an old fogey thing to say - it's exactly what the old crusty BBWAA members had been saying for years to keep guys like Bagwell out of the Hall. In the end, it's just a way to honor players who the team thinks should be awarded. If the team wants to honor someone, great. If not, no big deal. Doesn't diminish my enjoyment of the sport.
I was there when the Astros honored Puma and Wizard during 2012 or 2013 and there was less than 25% of the stadium full and only half even got up and give them an applause. I felt bad for them and was very angry at the attendees.
