Post by DERRENMATTS on Oct 20, 2005 4:27:47 GMT -5
I have a reason to believe that Ricky is struggling as a starter now because he found his groove as a 6th man and hasn't been able to adjust to being a starter again. As a starter, Ricky has to pace himself. He needs to hold back and fight his natural tendency to attack, attack, and attack. He has to because Pierce is the first option and he has to constantly be thinking team first. But his mentality as a 6th man was to come into the game after a timeout and totally let his pent up energy flow. For the first few minutes he was in the game, it was his mission to get the energy level up and get the scoring into hyperdrive. He became this maniac as soon as he came into the game and he fit the role perfectly.
Baseball fans will understand this: take a look at Eric Gagne of the Dodgers. He was a mediocre starter for the first couple of years of his career and wasn't doing anything special. Then, in a brilliant move by the manager, he was sent to the bullpen to close games, and that's when Gagne became a dominant pitcher. All of a sudden, he became this entirely new pitcher who took the world of baseball by storm. Its not that all of a sudden, he became a better pitcher. He was still throwing the same and he still had the same pitches he had as a starter. But his mentality was to come in for that final inning, give it all he had, seal the deal, and win the ballgame. And boy, did he do that--better than anyone else in baseball (yeah, even better than Smoltz).
Ricky provided our team with that special niche as a 6th man. He gave us that scoring lift and boost of energy off the bench that sparked the team. He became a new player who totally gave us a new dimension and we were better because of him in that role.
Ricky has the right mentality to be an impact 6th man. Its time for him to take a hold of that role again and give us what we sorely need--an instant scoring presence off the bench. Our bench is unstable and consistent scoring is missing. Ricky can solidify the bench.
Baseball fans will understand this: take a look at Eric Gagne of the Dodgers. He was a mediocre starter for the first couple of years of his career and wasn't doing anything special. Then, in a brilliant move by the manager, he was sent to the bullpen to close games, and that's when Gagne became a dominant pitcher. All of a sudden, he became this entirely new pitcher who took the world of baseball by storm. Its not that all of a sudden, he became a better pitcher. He was still throwing the same and he still had the same pitches he had as a starter. But his mentality was to come in for that final inning, give it all he had, seal the deal, and win the ballgame. And boy, did he do that--better than anyone else in baseball (yeah, even better than Smoltz).
Ricky provided our team with that special niche as a 6th man. He gave us that scoring lift and boost of energy off the bench that sparked the team. He became a new player who totally gave us a new dimension and we were better because of him in that role.
Ricky has the right mentality to be an impact 6th man. Its time for him to take a hold of that role again and give us what we sorely need--an instant scoring presence off the bench. Our bench is unstable and consistent scoring is missing. Ricky can solidify the bench.
