A CAREER IS NOT DETERMINED BY 1 GAME

Yankee fans can be harsh.  Hell... baseball fans can be harsh.

(Bill Kostroun/AP) 

Now I will be the first to criticize ballplayers on bad play, maybe Girardi on using the binder too much... stuff like that.  But I know how hard it is to get to the Bigs, and then stay there.  Players have long careers or short ones based on not only game play, but sometimes in the decisions they make to come to a new club.  For Matt Holliday, it's been working out for him in the Bronx.  For Chris Carter, not so much.

But I am often reminded by something that the wise Marci Hensley said to me a while back when she spoke of her husband, Mike Hensley and his minor league playing days with the Cardinals and her son Ty, now with the Tampa Bay Rays. She said this:

"...I do know that making it to the majors is more about a bunch of factors such as health, opportunity, and work ethic coming together.  That doesn't happen in one season with kids coming out of high school. It takes some time, in pinstripes or in some other jersey, it doesn't matter."

It takes time.  Think about that.

Not gonna lie, I remember hearing that from her and it softened me.  I realize much more seeing these guys, even watching my 14 year old working hard to follow his dream. 

Instead of ripping a guy because he struck out, calling him 'terrible' or a bum, and there's no real body of work or time in the majors, you really have to put things in perspective and be quiet for a moment.  The game's hard, bottom line... and for some players, they peak and disappear.  Maybe that's Chris Carter... who knows...

Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

I only bring this up because our pal Tyler Austin was given a shot yesterday, and it wasn't a nice 2017 debut. But while he may feel bad about it... today on the June 25th, he's already moved on because that's what ballplayers do.

Now, you know my perspective on players and body of work and my new "nothing is instant" mentality, I had to share this silly comment from I guess, a Yankee fan. This popped up on Twitter yesterday to me:

"Tyler is terrible..."

When I tweeted, "...from the dude sitting on his couch. Got it."

That was followed up with:

"Quick question: Are you watching this train wreck? Or just looking through the world through pinstripe glasses? This is a bad team?"

Now how would he know anything about that? Tyler's terrible? First at bats of the season? SHally we call it a career? Ship him off? Are we expecting 3 homers?

And then the bad team comment.  Bad team? Here's their record... you tell me...

My point is you can't make a determination after 1 at bat, one game, one season.  People get impatient, I've been there too... but the bottom line is, it's ridiculous.  Knee jerk reactions from one bad game is insane.  Everyone needs to calm down... including the media:

Photo: NJ.com

NJ.com gave a subtle rip at Austin yesterday too:

"His first big-league game of the year was like a lit firecracker that didn't go off.

Everything about his showing in the Yankees' 8-1 loss to the Texas Rangers was a dud. Playing first and hitting seventh, Austin took an ugly 0-for-3 collar. He struck out his first two times up, then bounced into a double-play in his last at-bat.

This was just one bad day, which is no big or little deal over a six-month season, but Austin pinpointed a reason for his bad at-bats.

"I let the game speed up on me a little bit today," Austin said.

Photo: New York Post

He probably was extra fired up over knowing he's being handed a starting job (at least until Greg Bird comes off the DL) and badly wanted to make an immediate impact for a club that has been losing a lot of games of late while getting very little production at first base."

This is a kid that works harder than any prospect I know, other than Ty Hensley.  This is a dream for these kids.  This is a moment, that yes, sometimes they get jacked up about it.  Suddenly his debut doesn't go the way YOU want it to and the kid's terrible? I am respectfully asking you to shut up.

So what's the point of all of this? Maybe this...

Before you write off the New York Yankees... calm down.  Before you crucify a player for 1 bad game... put it in perspective.  Before you get silly on Twitter... check yourself.  One thing that I have learned in life is nothing is instant.  Skill, determination, confidence... it takes time and Tyler Austin, the Yankees... hell... even Tyler Clippard who's struggling right now... every player and person out there has a bump in the road...but it's what you DO with the bump.  Do you take your ball and go home? Or... do you try and turn it around.

One bad at-bat or bad game, or even bad season does not determine a career.   And if you're sitting on your couch with zero perspective on how life works... I kindly ask you to stop trying to be part of the conversation, but instead, learn about how achievement is done.

Happy Sunday.  Go out there and do something great today.

Hey Tyler, you have our support at BYB. Always.


Buy Casey BYB Merchandise (2017)