I think fans tend to think "desire" can be read on every loose ball(basketball), every bloop that drops (baseball) and every fumble recovery you don't get (football). Mostly, however, we're reading too much into things like position, momentum and bounce. Somethings can't be controlled, no matter how much you "want" it. The ball bounces three inches the other way, the other guy gets it, and fans (coaches, too) cry out for the lack of hustle. But there's an element of chance in all games,an element that often transcends hustle. Also an element of "smarts" (positioning) that the average fan can't evaluate very well.
James points out that three guys came in and basically dogged it on rich contracts. Three. How many players have BoSox fans accused of dogging it? Way more than three, I bet.
Even as a high school coach I tried to refrain from making the accusation that "the other guys wants it more." There are too many variables during the couse of play that make such a point too cliche. If the point was true, then the coach is largely at fault for putting guys out there who don't "want it enough."
Wishhiker is dead on when he talks about the difference between lackadaisical play and lackadaisical preparation. The first is often misdiagnosed. The 2nd is often unseen by the casual fan.
Did Yuni Betancourt dog it? I don't know, but he did have a remarkably consistent career with the bat for his first six seasons: 80. 86, 93, 85. 66, 88, 75, 75, 61 That's OPS+, of course..
It's pretty easy to assume he was just an 85 OPS+ guy who aged a bit prematurely. I don't know about his work ethic in the offseason or practice.
But to say he dogged it his entire career is to say that he should have hit north of .300 as an M. Hey, he hit .289, .289 and .279 in his first 3 full seasons in Seattle.
If Marte hits .289 next year, would any of us say he was dogging it?
It is a frequently used accusation, especially by fans. But I think James points to the critical element in that he's pretty sure it is much more rare than one would think.
If somebody paid me a smooth $1M to teach, would I dog it every day? I think not. The reverse is far more likely to be true.
Why shouldn't we assume most ballplayers follow such an ethic?
Moe
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