Fergie Jenkins open letter about Big Mac

[OleMissCub]

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh153/OleMissCub17/fergieyell.jpg

 

Ferguson Jenkins wrote an open letter to the AP about McGwire. Some of the highlights are in this article. I'd like to see the whole letter though.

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4846734

 

"You have yet to apologize to all the pitchers you faced while juiced," Jenkins wrote. "You altered pitchers' lives. You may have shortened pitchers careers because of the advantage you forced over them while juiced. Have you thought about what happened when they couldn't get you out and lost the confidence of their managers and general managers? You even managed to alter the place some athletes have achieved in record books by making your steroid-fueled run to the season home run record."

 

Jenkins also maintained he would have known how to handle the bulked-up McGwire, who hit a then-record 70 homers in 1998 and followed with 65 the following year.

 

"It's tough to hit a home run off your back," Jenkins said. "In my era, Seaver, Gibson, Drysdale, Carlton, there were so many guys that would have probably knocked him on his butt. He wouldn't have hit home runs the way he did in that era."

 

"You need to apologize to your family for depriving them of your presence as time goes on because you are likely going to die earlier than if you had never relied on andro to carry you to all your successes," he said.

 

"La Russa is his buddy," Jenkins said. "That's the only reason he got to be hitting coach. I'm not sure a home-run hitter can teach a good hitter, a contact hitter, how to play, how to hit. He swung for the fences most of the time. How you going to teach a guy that's a .240 hitter to put it in play?"

[SouthSideRyan]

Shut the [expletive] up you coke fiend

[RedFlash]

Eh......I'm ok with what Jenkins said.

[DiamondMind]

Everyone has a right to their opinion about steroids. But writing a blatantly attacking "open letter" like this? That's some self righteous BS imo. It always seems that in the storm of steroids that the accusers never realize they've made plenty of mistakes themselves, maybe not in the baseball realm, but still, plenty of mistakes.

 

Only part I agree with is that I can't understand how McGwire will make, say, Colby Rasmus a better hitter. But whatever.

[champaignchris]

I love Fergie, but I'm reminded of the old saying about lobbing projectiles and breakable edifices.

[CUBZ99]

ESPN and Fox should love this for the Cubs vs. Cards games they carry this year. It will give them something to talk about beside Bartman.

[J.R.]

Jenkins is meddling in affairs that don't concern him.

 

Where's his open letter to the Cubs prospects he ruined while serving as pitching coach? Maybe Kevin Foster would still be alive if Jenkins had only taught him the ways of Seaver, Gibson, Drysdale and Carlton.

[Roast]

 

"You have yet to apologize to all the pitchers you faced while juiced," Jenkins wrote. "You altered pitchers' lives. You may have shortened pitchers careers because of the advantage you forced over them while juiced. Have you thought about what happened when they couldn't get you out and lost the confidence of their managers and general managers? You even managed to alter the place some athletes have achieved in record books by making your steroid-fueled run to the season home run record."

 

Yeah, because it's not like plenty of MLB pitchers were juicing, too. Shut the [expletive] up, Fergie. I love how people like to believe that (despite Roger Clemens getting caught) steroids are a disease completely limited to hitters. Ignorant beliefs like this are the true tragedy of the 'steroid era,' as far as i'm concerned.

[OleMissCub]

He's probably right about it being harder to hit HR back then as opposed to today, but I don't know if his reason (we put them on their back!! yeaaahh!!) is the reason why. They called a much wider strike zone back then and that would likely have an effect on HR's.

 

Although I suppose there could be something to what he says. You watch some of the MLB Network games from the 60's or 70's and the pitchers are definitely throwing inside a hell of a lot more. If you watch Gibson's 17K game in the 68 World Series that guy is straight up scary. He puts several guys on their backs in that game.

[SouthSideRyan]

He's probably right about it being harder to hit HR back then as opposed to today, but I don't know if his reason (we put them on their back!! yeaaahh!!) is the reason why. They called a much wider strike zone back then and that would likely have an effect on HR's.

 

Although I suppose there could be something to what he says. You watch some of the MLB Network games from the 60's or 70's and the pitchers are definitely throwing inside a hell of a lot more. If you watch Gibson's 17K game in the 68 World Series that guy is straight up scary. He puts several guys on their backs in that game.

 

It's not modern pitchers' fault that today's hitters are smart/tough enough to get hit and get a free base.

[OleMissCub]

 

It's not modern pitchers' fault that today's hitters are smart/tough enough to get hit and get a free base.

 

We're talking about high and tight here. NO ONE is going to purposely take one in the dome.

[SouthSideRyan]

 

It's not modern pitchers' fault that today's hitters are smart/tough enough to get hit and get a free base.

 

We're talking about high and tight here. NO ONE is going to purposely take one in the dome.

 

If Gibson and the other old [expletive] goons did that as much as people like you claim(I don't believe it), then they're assholes, and don't deserve anyone's respect. And they certainly shouldn't be getting on their high horse about the immoral steroid users

[Derwood]

if Gibson played today, he'd get a warning on his first inside pitch, then tossed on his second. If he did it the next game, he'd get a suspension

[Soul]

That picture made me laugh. That is all.

[jersey cubs fan]

I don't mind the guy having some of these opinions (with the most notable exception of his ridiculous pity for pitchers who apparently never did steroids - even if a guy was clean, what pitching coach or manager lost faith in a guy because he couldn't get Mac out when nobody could get him out?), but it's absurd to put it in the form of an open letter, especially given the hypocritical nature of his scorn for a guy who used illegal drugs.

[SouthSideRyan]

Can somebody explain to me the belief that McGwire won't make a good hitting coach because he wasn't a high contact guy, but guys who never even made the majors, or sucked in the majors are capable hitting coaches?

 

If a guy couldn't possibly teach a good hitter how to put the ball in play because he hit a lot of home runs, how in the hell is a guy going to teach a major league caliber hitter how to hit when he couldn't get past AA?

[jersey cubs fan]

Can somebody explain to me the belief that McGwire won't make a good hitting coach because he wasn't a high contact guy, but guys who never even made the majors, or sucked in the majors are capable hitting coaches?

 

If a guy couldn't possibly teach a good hitter how to put the ball in play because he hit a lot of home runs, how in the hell is a guy going to teach a major league caliber hitter how to hit when he couldn't get past AA?

 

I think there's a difference between knowing how it should be done, and physically being able to get it done. I always question the ability of star players to coach, with the possible exception of guys who were known as terrific tacticians. I can't imagine Sammy Sosa being able to teach hitting well. I would be similarly skeptical about McGwire.

[SouthSideRyan]

Can somebody explain to me the belief that McGwire won't make a good hitting coach because he wasn't a high contact guy, but guys who never even made the majors, or sucked in the majors are capable hitting coaches?

 

If a guy couldn't possibly teach a good hitter how to put the ball in play because he hit a lot of home runs, how in the hell is a guy going to teach a major league caliber hitter how to hit when he couldn't get past AA?

 

I think there's a difference between knowing how it should be done, and physically being able to get it done. I always question the ability of star players to coach, with the possible exception of guys who were known as terrific tacticians. I can't imagine Sammy Sosa being able to teach hitting well. I would be similarly skeptical about McGwire.

 

That's a different argument than the one posed by people bashing McGwire as hitting coach. They're framing it as the reason he can't be a good hitting coach is his hitting style, not that he was really good.

[jersey cubs fan]

That's a different argument than the one posed by people bashing McGwire as hitting coach. They're framing it as the reason he can't be a good hitting coach is his hitting style, not that he was really good.

 

They go hand in hand. A guy who was a masher is relying even more on god (or Dr.) given ability than your typical major league hitter. But your question was about a guy who hit homers vs a guy who couldn't even make AAA, so ability is clearly part of the discussion that you raised.

[hardcorecubfan]

Is there a pitcher, that if you eliminated all of Mark's hits and homer, would significantly benefit in the stat department? (other than Steve Trachsel)

[SouthSideRyan]

That's a different argument than the one posed by people bashing McGwire as hitting coach. They're framing it as the reason he can't be a good hitting coach is his hitting style, not that he was really good.

 

They go hand in hand. A guy who was a masher is relying even more on god (or Dr.) given ability than your typical major league hitter. But your question was about a guy who hit homers vs a guy who couldn't even make AAA, so ability is clearly part of the discussion that you raised.

 

Why is a guy who is a masher relying more on his given ability than the guy who hits singles?

[jersey cubs fan]

That's a different argument than the one posed by people bashing McGwire as hitting coach. They're framing it as the reason he can't be a good hitting coach is his hitting style, not that he was really good.

 

They go hand in hand. A guy who was a masher is relying even more on god (or Dr.) given ability than your typical major league hitter. But your question was about a guy who hit homers vs a guy who couldn't even make AAA, so ability is clearly part of the discussion that you raised.

 

Why is a guy who is a masher relying more on his given ability than the guy who hits singles?

 

The singles hitter isn't the only other type of hitter.

[SouthSideRyan]

That's a different argument than the one posed by people bashing McGwire as hitting coach. They're framing it as the reason he can't be a good hitting coach is his hitting style, not that he was really good.

 

They go hand in hand. A guy who was a masher is relying even more on god (or Dr.) given ability than your typical major league hitter. But your question was about a guy who hit homers vs a guy who couldn't even make AAA, so ability is clearly part of the discussion that you raised.

 

Why is a guy who is a masher relying more on his given ability than the guy who hits singles?

 

The singles hitter isn't the only other type of hitter.

 

So are they using the same amount of ability or are you just not answering the question?

[Maclowery]

I walked out onto the sidewalk and stumbled in to three different people who bought dope from Fergie in the 70s, so I really snickered when I read this stuff.

 

McGwire juiced. So did a bunch of others. La dee da. Let's move the fack on already.

[Guest]

If I'm Colby Rasmus and I am looking for someone to help me with the bat, I'll walk right past Mark McGwire and say hello to Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday, thank you very much.