Clubhouse stuff

[gunnarthor]

Not really sure where to put something like this so I guess I'll just make it its own topic.  In his chat today, David Schoenfield had this bit:

 

Sam Goodyear (London, UK)

What about Edgar, did he mentor A-Rod?

 

David Schoenfield

Maybe a little. But Edgar was pretty quiet. I'm just saying if you're 20, 21 years old and your teammates kind of treat you like you're piece of dirt, maybe it's a little more difficult to develop a mature, well-grounded personality. Not an excuse for anything he did, of course, but baseball doesn't exactly create the best atmosphere for players to grow up and develop the ability for self-reflection or rationalize decisions.

 

This was in talking about ARod and, obviously, as a baseball player, he turned out pretty good.  But it does seem to suggest that maybe a better clubhouse atmosphere (as defined by baseball) has some merit.  I would certainly rather be in a locker room where the vets treat you well as opposed to beating you up or mocking you at every turn.

[nicksaviking]

This was in talking about ARod and, obviously, as a baseball player, he turned out pretty good.  But it does seem to suggest that maybe a better clubhouse atmosphere (as defined by baseball) has some merit.  I would certainly rather be in a locker room where the vets treat you well as opposed to beating you up or mocking you at every turn.

 

Great tie in to the Zaun shennanigans.  In the Zaun thread I wanted to comment about how so many young players are thriving today and I wonder if they would have done so in the past if they were constantly being told to know their place and let the vets do the leading.  I didn't present that thought specifically because as I was typing, I thought about how A-Rod and Griffey came up and flourished at a young age.  It would seem here that A-Rod perhaps thrived despite any negative treatment, and the treatment may have adversely shaped his development going forward.

[TheLeviathan]

The culture inside baseball is ridiculously toxic.  Less so now, but still just toxic as all hell - completely devoid or reason and maturity.

 

I think most sports share that, but baseball clings to "tradition" and this kind of stuff worst of all.

[gunnarthor]

 

 

I think most sports share that, but baseball clings to "tradition" and this kind of stuff worst of all.

Actually, I'm not sure if that's true at all and it certainly doesn't feel true.  As bad as baseball may be, I don't think it has anything on football - at all levels - which has seen insane number of hazing/bullying/sex assault stories over the last few years. 

[TheLeviathan]

Actually, I'm not sure if that's true at all and it certainly doesn't feel true.  As bad as baseball may be, I don't think it has anything on football - at all levels - which has seen insane number of hazing/bullying/sex assault stories over the last few years. 

 

The hazing in football has been worse, my comment was more to the "tradition" aspect in baseball and how that covers so a wide gammet of nonsense on that fallacy.