In an MLB.com article by David Just, we get a hint of an explanation. It sounds like there are personal problems afoot for our 2006 ALCS hero.
Jim Leyland says:
"He's got some other things on his mind."
Collective shudder.
We all know how personal problems can devastate a player's game, and rightly so. Baseball is only a game after all, and one that requires a lot of mental concentration. Amid personal ruin, I can imagine myself hunched over my computer alternately stifling sobs and sputtering angry words through clenched teeth, working at approximately .032 efficiency.
Just look at Pudge in 2005. The team stunk, he was going through a divorce, and that was a cocktail for utter chaos in the clubhouse for him. He hit. 276 in 2005, sandwiched between .334 in 2004 and .300 in 2006. Although he had a very good defensive year in 2005, I'm attributing his offensive blip to his personal problems. That is very sound logic, and there are no other factors that could have affected his plate production. I can hardly stifle my own rebuttal to that statement, but just go with it, okay?
Anyway, I'm worried about My Tiger. Hope everything's gonna be all right for him, both on and off the field.
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4 comments:
So what do you think ails Ordonez? Marital problems? I hear when he was doing all this business for Chavez he got a little thing going with Milka Duno Venezuelan Indy car driver - who Chavez sponsors) she was also doing some rallying for their prez. Maybe Mrs. O got wind? Who knows. I for one would like to see him improve at the plate. He's got many good swings left in him. He's always been a favorite of mine. I feel bad for the guy, seems to be a decent person.
I really have no idea, but I would presume marital issues.
It's evident Maggs has something on his mind and it's been there since the WBC. He just doesn't have the same look in his eyes either when batting oer on the field. I watched a show on Fox Detroit about him and you can see he is a really deep person. Deep people can let things get to them and it sticks.
From watching the show, which showed his batting since he made the Bigs, I see a difference in his batting posture. His left shoulder is about 2" higher than shown in the past, resulting in his shoulders being tilted and actually limiting his vision. The result is lost timing. If you watch you can see that he has to momentarily level his shoulders before the swing which slows him down by a couple seconds making his swing "late". The adjustment delays his swing, resulting in lost time and less power and contact. The batting coach should catch this and help this great player fix that beautiful stroke.
Wow, nice point about his stance. Looks like he's working it out now, but will be off for few days with his wife's surgery.
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