I doubt Berkman will be a featured 1st baseman in this league. He is destined to be a corner outfielder for the rest of his career.
There's more starting and stopping in baseball than in basketball? That's news to me. Basketball is *far* harder on knees and legs in general than baseball. Reference: *more* starting and stopping, harder surfaces, *more* running in a concentrated period of time no less, and more friction against the surface. Not to mention the jumping. If sliding were more dangerous than the possibility of cracking an ankle on somebody else's foot in a crowded rebound war, we'd see a lot more sliding injuries every year. As it is, we don't even see one major injury per year.
Why is that? No reasoning provided. To say someone won't be a 1st baseman...I mean, the only reasoning behind that would be that he's a terrible defensive 1B. Otherwise, why is he "destined" to be a corner OF? Especially if, as the previous poster implied, the plan was to move him to 1B due to an injury and resulting lack of mobility?
I said arguably...... In other words, a case could be made that.... Berkman is young, but a torn ACL is not as casual as some are making it out to be, some recover nicely, others are never the same. DD
In this day and age... who exactly are you reffering to? Doctors are now so adept at performing this procedure... they could probably do it with one hand tied behind their back. Also, PT and rehab specialists know exactly how to get one recovered from this... given the extensive history of the injury, and how recovery time as basically been reduced to half of what it was in the mid-90's. Thus, if you are a pro-athlete... and its your job to get back on the field in the best shape possible... i'm a 100% confident they will be able to do so. If you're reffering to the common-folk, then it may be another story... but athletes most invariably bounce back with a vengence.
I could see Berkman playing first for many years after Bagwell retires. He played there at Rice and that is also what he played in the minors as well. I even think he played there a couple of times this last season.
I wonder how many people go to watch Berkman.play the way the go out to watch Rocket or Bags or Bidge or O. The guy is ONE of the best hitters in the game, no doubt. I think he is playing wih fire. the Astros have just got a major screw job in front of a national audience by Boras and I wonder if Lance is picking a bad time to play hard ball. He is great and nearly a team fixture but will not be No 1 in fans hearts until Bags and Bidge are gone. He would have been, wrongly, second fiddle to Beltran for the rest of his career. He is just too low-key. He lacks fire. If Berkman wants play hard ball and wait to see his worth on the market next year then he should not be talking about "how much less it is worth for him to play in Houston". As soon as he shuts the negotiating door for the season he has picked his poison and either goes all out and signs for the max, probably somewhere else, or eats crow and signs for a hoemtown discount. If we lose him for max, there ARE other players of his caliber available for similar money.
Berkman was about to come on 610 this morning but didn;t get there in time for me to hear him. Anyone catch this and care to give a recap?