Harden-ed by his critics

[David]

I posted in another thread the other day wondering if his injuries had actually been pitching-arm type injuries or if he had run into other stuff... It turns out it's sort of both, but encouraging nonetheless...

 

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/baseball/cubs/1116622,CST-SPT-cub20.article

 

Harden understands the drill, but he said he's just focusing on staying prepared to take the ball every turn.

 

The biggest difference between this season and the last three, when he made only 19 starts in 2005 and nothing close to that the last two seasons?

 

''I think it's a combination of things,'' he said. ''It's finding a routine that works for me -- everything from how I prepare for the game to how I prepare for work on a daily basis. Workout routine, exercise, shoulder exercises, stuff like that.''

 

And one other thing, he said.

 

''It's also that I haven't tried to bare-hand any balls back to me,'' he said.

 

If anything, that's the misconception about Harden's injury history, the record he could try to set straight again if he wanted to.

 

His series of DL moves involving his shoulder (and one elbow strain) started with a strain he suffered while trying to reach a bouncer over his head, then pushing the comeback effort too hard.

 

Before that, he pulled an oblique muscle in his rib cage while reaching toward third base to field another bouncer.

 

''Just freak injuries, stupid things like that,'' he said. ''It hasn't been throwing, like most pitchers.''

[CubbieBum]

It's nice but I don't put much weight into it considering Prior's injuries were started by a slide and a ball being beamed off his elbow.

[abuck1220]

so because prior's non-pitching injuries led to pitching injuries, harden's will too?

[Ding Dong Johnson]

so because prior's non-pitching injuries led to pitching injuries, harden's will too?

watch your back, Abe Lincoln was shot

[jersey cubs fan]

so because prior's non-pitching injuries led to pitching injuries, harden's will too?

 

I think it's a pretty convenient excuse to say these were non-pitching related injuries.

[abuck1220]

ok, non-throwing related injuries.

[David]

Some hard-core Rich Harden love on SportsCenter today.

[CuseCubFan69]

Some hard-core Rich Harden love on SportsCenter today.

 

I wonder if they even knew he was this good until he went to the Cubs?

[kjfoster 1553]

UMFan - He went 7 innings!!!

[Wilson A2000]

On the radio today I heard that one member of the A's was a little ticked that as soon as Rich got into the 5th inning they would have to have a guy ready in the pen because he supposedly wasn't tough enough. Has anyone heard that Harden is soft? Or just injury prone? He didn't even want to admit that!

[Peoriaman]

On the radio today I heard that one member of the A's was a little ticked that as soon as Rich got into the 5th inning they would have to have a guy ready in the pen because he supposedly wasn't tough enough. Has anyone heard that Harden is soft? Or just injury prone? He didn't even want to admit that!

 

 

Your answer is in the link that started this thread.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

You can't ask Rich Harden why he hasn't gotten hurt yet and expect any real insight.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cognitive_biases

 

and more specifically:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindsight_bias

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illusory_correlation (good one for a recently locked thread, btw)

Disregard of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regression_toward_the_mean

[TheDude]

Some hard-core Rich Harden love on SportsCenter today.

 

I wonder if they even knew he was this good until he went to the Cubs?

 

Yes. Gammons specifically, but several of the bloggers as well, have consistently rated Harden as among the best pitchers in baseball when healthy. These analysts rarely settle definitively on a "best", they often use phrases like "may be the best pitcher", and then add some other qualifiers. Gammons likes to use the phrase, "the best pitcher you've never heard of" when talking about Harden.

 

But I've read Harden-love numerous times from the ESPN baseball team long before he was a Cub.

[rocket]

Some hard-core Rich Harden love on SportsCenter today.

 

I wonder if they even knew he was this good until he went to the Cubs?

 

Yes. Gammons specifically, but several of the bloggers as well, have consistently rated Harden as among the best pitchers in baseball when healthy. These analysts rarely settle definitively on a "best", they often use phrases like "may be the best pitcher", and then add some other qualifiers. Gammons likes to use the phrase, "the best pitcher you've never heard of" when talking about Harden.

 

But I've read Harden-love numerous times from the ESPN baseball team long before he was a Cub.

 

thom brenneman was basically gushing at harden the whole game yesterday, though he always added the "when healthy" qualifier.

[Derwood]

Some hard-core Rich Harden love on SportsCenter today.

 

I wonder if they even knew he was this good until he went to the Cubs?

 

Yes. Gammons specifically, but several of the bloggers as well, have consistently rated Harden as among the best pitchers in baseball when healthy. These analysts rarely settle definitively on a "best", they often use phrases like "may be the best pitcher", and then add some other qualifiers. Gammons likes to use the phrase, "the best pitcher you've never heard of" when talking about Harden.

 

But I've read Harden-love numerous times from the ESPN baseball team long before he was a Cub.

 

thom brenneman was basically gushing at harden the whole game yesterday, though he always added the "when healthy" qualifier.

 

Harden has to go a season or two with no injuries before losing that qualifier. Wood has been in the league for 10+ years and still carries it.

[Brian]

i'm harden-ed by harden

[David]

He had basically brushed it off himself till about May-June 2004 and now he's never gonna lose it.

[badger1679666666]

I just love saying Dick Harden.