"Hughes has questionable work ethic."--Joel Sherman, NY Post
I hadn't heard this before about Phil Hughes. Joel Sherman includes it in reasons Yankees should've added Ian Kennedy and made the deal (assuming Kennedy would've done it which is no guarantee either):
- Joel Sherman: "4. How good is this Yankee package? Hughes is the surest thing,
- and he has a questionable work ethic
- and more of an injury history at 21 than Santana at 28. There are many baseball people who like Kennedy more than Hughes, but just as many who think he is a fifth starter."
- (If true, I hope it means Hughes doesn't do enough conditioning which may have lead to some injuries). sm
Labels: Phil Hughes' Work Ethic
Tweet Stumbleupon StumbleUponposted by susan at
12/05/2007 01:33:00 PM
4 Comments:
Joel Sherman does have an ax to grind...He's a Big Met Fan...It's a well known secret that many of the Sports Writers in New York are Met Fans...And I'm sure covering the Yankees 24/7-365 only can further iritate their inner Mr. Met.
Just last year Joel would say things like Hughes is a very good prospect, but most scouts I spoke with would take Pelfry.
The fact that Phil got to the Majors a month before turning 21 is a testament to his work ethic. All Joel had to do was contact Patrick Neal a fellow met fan and ceo of Pinstripes Plus (A minor league yankee scouting service), and he would have found out that the times Phil was on the DL in the Minors was a result of the Yankees monitoring his innings cap. Not a balky shoulder or bad arm... He would have also told Joel that Phil never missed a minor league wrokout, never was late for a practive and absolutely never dogged it. Again he'll be 21in April and Pitching in the Majors, Somewhere.
What was Joel doing when he was 21...complaining about getting some editor coffee no doubt.
As far as this past year, Phil's leg injuries were a freak thing--I can recall three other yankee pitchers going down with a hammy problem, then the Yankees fired their Director of Performance Enhancement (Appropriate Acranym: DoPE).
When Phil came back it appered that he didn't push himself on the mound. He might have been favoring the plant leg in his delivery. This is understandable, He knew his team needed him and he didn't want to go down again becuase of some percieved injury. Phil toughed it out. The kid wanted to pitch and he pitched well, albeit with a few less MPH on his heater.
To say Phil is not working hard is absolute joke. To say he's injury prone is a blatent lack of journalism. Joel, I know walking the lobby of Grand Oprey Land Hotel had to be tough on guy in your shape. Thats no excuse for lazy reporting. If you wanna say the yankees should have pulled the trigger on the Santana deal, thats your opinion.
Personally, I think they're playing this perfectly seeing how the Sox couldn't get the deal done--And dont look like they want to. Why should Cash bet against his own offer? My advice Joel-- Stop stirring fodder to support your own opinions. If you had a Quote from someone saying Phil has a poor work ethic, then print it. If not you owe Mr. Hughes an apology and a retraction. Personally if I was Phil, I'd sue you and the Post.
By
Billy J., at 11:25 AM
Thanks for that info, billy j., I agree it was low to cite 'work ethic' without giving examples or documentation. What a thing to say about a kid just starting out who seems so serious. I was aware of Sherman being a Met fan, and that many other NY writers are as well. I didn't know Patrick Neal of Pinstripes is also a Met fan. Why the heck does he have a job working closely with up and coming Yankees? I've noticed some writers have quite an emotional attachment to the idea of the Yankees signing Santana, which seems odd. I never wanted Santana, but why are so many media guys dying for the Yankees to give up their young players AND spend $120 million+ on an always fragile commodity, a pitcher?
By
susan, at 12:09 PM
Thanks for posting my coment Susan. As someone who followed Phil the day after he was drafted in back in 2004, I was really iritated that Joel would write such a comment without citing a source.
To answer your question in ragards to Patrick Neal I'll paraphrase what he said in an interview heard on WFAN in NY about a year ago.
When asked why he covers Yankee's prospects instead of the Met's, Patrick cited economic reasons. The Yankees have a larger national presence and he thought covering their farm would prove more profitable. He also cited his bias as a Met fan would make him a more objective reporter of the Yankee Farm System.
As far as the emotional reaction regarding a Santana Deal...I can only offer conjecture.
The fact that NY is a passionate and compettive market plays a big role I think. And in the end, emotions can still sell pappers. There is so much media for a writer like Joel Sherman to contend with, I can understand making certain comments to reamian relavent. Though I don't agree with comprimising your journalistic integrity especially when you serve the public as both a columnist and reporter. If Joel and other like him want to continue having their names attached to bylines with breaking news, Their work as a columnist should take a back seat. Otherwise their opinions start to look like facts...And any H.S. student writing a research paper will tell you thats just wrong.
By
Billy J., at 2:15 PM
Your points were great, billy j. In fact, I've wondered why players, their agents or teams don't file more lawsuits in the face of so much factually incorrect or misleading material . Having it in print it wouldn't be hard to do. I remember the bogus exercise coach from a health spa who was fired and half wrecked the team. That was a nightmare. There was no one to pitch putting Phil front and center. He did a great job especially considering the mess he was thrown into. Cashman didn't want him to go and fortunately they still listen to him.
By
susan, at 9:53 PM
Post a Comment
<< Home