NBC columnist skewers Souhan

[Monkeypaws]

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/11/05/minnesota-columnist-paul-molitor-will-crack-down-on-those-wimpy-players-with-piddly-little-concussions/#comments

 

Doesn't pull his punches: 

 

The list of media idiots and ill-informed fans who have decided that all that ails the Twins is their best player and that, dammit, he needs to grow a pair and play more is as long as the Mississippi. It’s gone from comical to annoying to practically sick. Souhan is among the sickest.

 

Different kind of sports aritcle that mentions Kurt Vonnegut as an influence.

[USAFChief]

He would have more of a point if anyone , anywhere, had ever said Mauer is all that ails the Twins.

 

Not to mention if Mauer had actually been their best player last year. Or had a history of playing through injuries, for that matter.

 

I love Vonnegut, though.

[one_eyed_jack]

Souhan's piece was pretty embarrassing.  I understand that he's a columnist, not a reporter, but he can't come up with better takes than this?

 

When the guy making $23 million a year begs out of the lineup because of a bruise, it’s difficult for the manager to push others to play through pain.

 

This is the stuff of ranting ignoramuses in the Strib comments section, not a paid professional. Mauer had a bad season, but does Souhan sincerely believe that he begged out of the lineup because of a bruise?

 

Also, this is the complete opposite of what he wrote in May, when he talked about Mauer experiencing "sharp, searing, debilitating pain"

[Seth Stohs]

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/11/05/minnesota-columnist-paul-molitor-will-crack-down-on-those-wimpy-players-with-piddly-little-concussions/#comments

 

Doesn't pull his punches: 

 

Different kind of sports aritcle that mentions Kurt Vonnegut as an influence.

 

No question. Craig Calcaterra is the best baseball writer out there. And this was a great article!

[Ben B]

I've always been lukewarm on Souhan, but this column was a joke. I cannot think of a storyline in sports that I'm more tired of than "lol bi-lateral leg weakness lol Mauer is soft." 

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

No one knows more about the Twins organization and has finer insight than Craif Calcaterra.

[Boom Boom]

Mauer was held out of the last home series because of a bruised elbow from being hit by a pitch.

[D. Hocking]

Judd and Mackey asked Souhan about Calcaterra and this article and he slammed him as a writer and figured he must not have said hello to him once (or something like that).  I have often gotten the feeling he has done the same thing - that he gets a bit personal in his columns to players who he does not have a friendly rapport.

 

 I am not sure what Kevin Slowey did to him, but some of his comments about him a few years back seemed like they came from more from a petty mean girl than a journalist.   On the other end of the spectrum he always raves about Torii (who I do like), but over the years I have gotten the impression that a good part of that is because Torii treats him like a bud when he sees him.

[KGB]

^{Big year for Mauer to show which side is right.  People try to compare him to Moliter, Carew and Gwynn but all of those players were all-star and hall of fame players well into there 30's.  Right now it look's like Mauer peaked around 27, when most players are reaching their prime.  Hope to see Mauer play 150 games and drive in 100 runs, but if I'm making a bet, I'd go under in both categories.}

[JB_Iowa]

Both columns were ridiculous,  There was some truth in Souhan's and some in Calceterra's but not very good analysis in either. 

[071063]

The article was spot on.  Too many o the Minnesota baseball writers fallow the lead of Souhan, Barrerro and Reusse and write garbage.  It's time someone calls them out.  Just becasue they have a pen or a mic should not mean they can be ignorant idiots!

[teekz]

Wow. This atricle was awesome. I can't stand reading Souhan's articles. He is so negative.

[Mike Sixel]

People read Souhan? You all must be masochists.

[Kirby_waved_at_me]

People read Souhan? You all must be masochists.

I bet they read the comments section, too! "please, sir, may I have another?"

[Mike Sixel]

souhan has admitted he doesn't read the comments because "most of those people think they could writers, and they aren't"....his comments about his readers are amazingly mocking, cruel, and petty. I refuse to read anything he writes.

[jokin]

Both columns were ridiculous,  There was some truth in Souhan's and some in Calceterra's but not very good analysis in either. 

 

Heh.. it IS sportswriters we're talking about here...  Is there a wider gulf in any other profession between the few excellent analysts and the herd of hacks?

[Mike Sixel]

I actually like Craig's work, for the large part.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

I had never heard of the Calcaterra guy. So, 15 minutes of my life wasted trying to figure out who he was. Not to my taste but that's just me. There was an inkling of merit to his argument in this case. I would highly dispute Calcaterra's rankings on the handsomeness of MLB managers, if I had the time.

 

Heck maybe Seth and Thrylos and the rest regularly bump into him down in Ft Myers every spring. I would have no clue.

 

Oh and how do you people have time to read every single baseball writer on the internet?

[Otto von Ballpark]

souhan has admitted he doesn't read the comments

To be fair, if I worked at the Star Tribune, I wouldn't read the comments either...

[gunnarthor]

One of the bigger problems with Calcaterra's piece is him perpetuating a myth that the Twins had players play through pain/hurt more than others. (or that they had Morneau play with a concussion)   The idea that he thinks Mauer is the best player on the Twins is kinda sad too.

 

As to Mauer, I'm kind of done with it.  It's always been something (knee, back, butt, head, wrist, putting off surgery etc) and people either go out of their way to make excuses for him or they vilify him.  He is what he is at this point.  Anyone expecting him to play more than 130 games at age 32 and up are just hoping.  He can't do it.  

[iTwins]

Souhan's piece was at best a poor choice of phrasing and at worst an attack on Mauer for "hiding" behind his concussion (AKA, what Calceterra is saying).

 

Maybe Souhan is trying to say the clubhouse culture needs to toughen up. If that's the case, using Mauer and his "bruises" as the example was a poor decision. As Craig points out, Mauer's missed time has been for fairly substantial injuries. He's not sitting out because he's "sore" - he's had serious ailments.

 

The way his piece is written, it sounds like Souhan is coming down on Mauer for missing time and not playing through these major issues. If that's really his intent, he deserves every ounce of venom in Craig's piece... if not more.

[D. Hocking]

To be fair, if I worked at the Star Tribune, I wouldn't read the comments either...

 

To be fair, I am not sure people in the seventh ring of He@@ should have to read the  Trib comments.

 

Souhan might not read the comments, but you know one of the reasons he focused on Mauer is he knew it would get those commentators riled up.    

[Mike Sixel]

It's not about not reading the comments.....it's about his comments about the commenting people that I find ugly. Only an insane person reads the comments (except sometimes on Howard Sinker's stuff, sometimes I read those).

[ashbury]

To be fair, if I worked at the Star Tribune, I wouldn't read the comments either...

Or, if I was employed elsewhere.

[TheLeviathan]

One of the bigger problems with Calcaterra's piece is him perpetuating a myth that the Twins had players play through pain/hurt more than others. (or that they had Morneau play with a concussion)   The idea that he thinks Mauer is the best player on the Twins is kinda sad too.

 

As to Mauer, I'm kind of done with it.  It's always been something (knee, back, butt, head, wrist, putting off surgery etc) and people either go out of their way to make excuses for him or they vilify him.  He is what he is at this point.  Anyone expecting him to play more than 130 games at age 32 and up are just hoping.  He can't do it.  

 

Exactly, I wish people just took Mauer for what he is.  Instead the heavy-handed pro and anti-Mauer people steer most of the discussion.

 

Mauer isn't going to win any awards for his toughness, charisma, or big-spot performances but he's also been a damn good player for a damn long time.  I wish the conversations could stay between those goal posts.

[bird]

I'm often critical of Mauer myself here in my reading chair. Yes, I'll admit it. I wonder if he lacks the kind of competitive make-up I've come to admire in exceptional athletes. But I also find the constant injury-related stuff, and the complaints about his on-field demeanor, to be somewhat misplaced.

 

Here's my biggest complaint, and it may be partly in my head: it seems like, when Mauer comes up with runners on, he approaches the at bat exactly the way he'd approach one with two outs and no one on. He appears to me to be just as happy coaxing a walk to load the bases as he might be driving a ball to the gap. Likewise, It doesn't appear that he's willing to or capable of adjusting his approach against a RHP throwing a straight 87MPH FB than against a power pitcher. I mean, why can't a guy with his obvious talent adjust more and jerk a few? Is this my imagination?

 

How come I feel like this question should have been asked by writers? Even a mean-spirited, snarky guy like Souhan? Instead, we put up with the lazy and prickly pablum like Souhan just served up.

[DJL44]

Can't say he doesn't know his audience.

 

"This is the stuff of ranting ignoramuses in the Strib comments section"

[gunnarthor]

 

Here's my biggest complaint, and it may be partly in my head: it seems like, when Mauer comes up with runners on, he approaches the at bat exactly the way he'd approach one with two outs and no one on. He appears to me to be just as happy coaxing a walk to load the bases as he might be driving a ball to the gap. Likewise, It doesn't appear that he's willing to or capable of adjusting his approach against a RHP throwing a straight 87MPH FB than against a power pitcher. I mean, why can't a guy with his obvious talent adjust more and jerk a few? Is this my imagination?

 

 

That's clearly the biggest perception of him.  Might be true.  His numbers with runners on are slightly better but most player's numbers are.  And, for most of his career, he has benefited from having very fast runners on base in front of him (when they are on), so a single might score a few more than normal anyway.  

 

His plate appearances do aggravate me some but I've sorta come to accept it.  He is what he is and it won't change.  If he can put up a 400ish OBP, keep him in the two-spot and ignore everything else.  His inability to stay on the field is a much bigger problem.  

 

Of course, if he is only a .270/.350/.350 hitter now, we have a huge issue.  

[nicksaviking]

Wow, fantastic journalism all around.  Everyone knows the best way to ligitimize your point is to fight hyperbole is with more hyperbole.

 

Yeah, Souhan deserves to get skewered for exagerating the Twins softness, but nowhere did I see Souhan advocate the Twins should push players who have suffered from a concusion.  Yet here was the title:

 

Minnesota columnist: Paul Molitor will crack down on those wimpy players with piddly little concussions

 

Few things drive me as crazy as when someone tries to over-villianize the other party.  There were plenty of reasons to pan Souhan's article, Calcaterra did not need to embelish. Be objective and stick to the facts.  Neither of these clowns should consider themselves journalists.  Does anyone even write straight news stories anymore?

[Mike Sixel]

Craig might not write the headlines....not sure how it works there. And no, I don't see any reason a columnist should stick to facts, that's not their job. It is NOT their job to write news stories, it is their job to offer their opinions. That's what a columnist does for a living.