Buncha Bull

Friends,

I just watched Bull Durham, again, for the umpteenth time and I got some problems with this great movie. And please excuse this post. It assume you have seen this movie many times and also have a strong familiarity with the ins and outs of baseball.

1) Why has Crash languished in the minors for so long? He's a switch hitting catcher with power, and can also manage a game quite well. Maybe a little like Todd Hundley. He does have a bit of an ego problem, like when he tells batters what pitch is coming if a pitcher shakes him off, but seriously, what's his flaw? Bad arm? Truly can't hit, like he's more like Rob Deer than anybody, but, shit, even Rob Deer was in the majors for a while. Crash's longest stint in the majors was 21 days. Doesn't seem fair, and I always wanted to know why.

2) What major league team reaches down to A ball when rosters expand? For Nuke to even be called up from A ball, he would have to be on the team's 40 man roster. So that means out of college or wherever, he would need to have signed a Major League contract. It's not unheard of for just drafted players, but Nuke is so raw and wild and immature that it's very unlikely he got an MLB contract because how could someone that erratic with their pitches get drafter early enough to command that kind of money and elite contract (for a first year player)? I mean, in college or high school, if Nuke was that wild, no way in hell he goes first round. His pro debut he walked 18! (more on that later). 18 walks! And that's first round talent? My ass. Plus, if Nuke being called up, that starts his clock for service time, making him more likely to get to arbitration sooner, so that too is bad for the club and it makes no sense to call him up if he has that kind of talent a club would want to hang onto and be cheap for as long as possible. So why, oh why, would a team ever call up an A ball pitcher? It just doesn't make any sense.

3) Why is it that all those players, on each team, look really damn old? A ball isn't for washed out nobodies, it's for 20 year olds and the recently graduated college kids. Washed out nobodies are in triple A and when they get that old, teams just cut their ass. No reason to hang onto some 30 year old who can't hit or field or can't do something really good. I know the conceit of the story for Crash being the wish old player, but everyone on that team look close to 30 or more. No way an A ball team is that old, unless that organization has huge problems...and if that's the case then how is it that Crash is still in the minors?

4) I HATE that 80s saxophone in the sad scene toward the end. Total bullshit.

5) In Nuke's first game, he pitches 18 strikeouts and 18 walks. Now, that is at least 54 pitches for strikes and 72 pitches for balls. So in 6 innings of work, not to keep a perfect game or during a playoff game or something, Nuke tossed 126 pitches. And it's his pro debut? That manager should be fucking fired. How do you let your phenom pitcher do something like that? That manager go to the Dusty Baker school of pitchers or something?

I think that's about it, but that's all I can think of right now.

viva el mustache