What sends baseball fans home happy?
Monday, February 11, 2008 | 04:57 PM ET
Fans often wonder how a former player feels about the game after he has retired, so to open this baseball season, you will get to go behind the scenes with me and find out.
Not only am I a former player of many years (where did those years go?), but I coached at the major league level and now have a son in the big leagues (which is a whole different thing).
Jays look committed
If the Blue Jays, oh yeah, I’m sorry, the Jays are healthy, I think they can really contend for the East crown. They have made some strong improvements like getting Scott Rolen, David Eckstein and Marco Scutaro, and rewarding Scott Downs with a three-year contract.
To me it shows that they are committed to long-term growth. Hopefully, they can come to terms with Alex Rios on a long-term deal. It’s also going to be great to see a healthy Vernon Wells patrolling centre field. Speaking of centre field …
Lost art
One thing many of the fans remember about me is that I loved to play defence and took so much pride in it. But today, outfield defence is almost a lost art. What happened you might ask? Well, when I was playing, two of our outfielders almost got into a fight in spring training because one of the guys took too long to get off the field when he took his fly ball. The next guy up collided with him because he was loafing. We took it seriously and went at it hard. See, his lack of effort could have caused an injury.
When I was the outfield coach for the Houston Astros in 1995, again in spring training, I had to talk to my outfielders. Due to the strike, we had a condensed spring training, and didn’t have any time to mess around, so we had to get ready for the season fairly quick. So I put 17 minutes on my watch to work on fly balls, then began hitting balls to the outfielders.
Well, after the first round, I thought, “OK, they are just getting loose, no problem,” but by the second round they were still just loafing around. That was it. I stopped, jogged out to them and asked them “what the heck did they think they were doing?” Man, you should have seen their faces! They didn’t know what to expect. I told them to take a knee and explained how we would work hard on defence and from then on it was done the right way.
Defence is so important. Even watching the Super Bowl, the key to the victory for the New York Giants was their defence. In baseball, we have to get that back in the game. It’s so rare now to see someone thrown out at the plate from the outfield or trying to stretch a single into a double. Like I’ve always said, “Offence brings the fans to the ballpark, and defence sends them home happy!”
So much is going on in the game this winter, so I’ll stay positive, that’s just who I am.
Cleveland's big arms
As I was talking to my son Josh, second baseman for the Cleveland Indians, I asked him, why the Indians beat Johan Santana so easily last year. Josh had to think a moment, he said it wasn’t that they just beat him up, because he didn’t pitch that bad against them, but with Santana you usually get a fastball to hit and the Indians didn’t miss many of them. Plus, every time they faced him, he was matched up against C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona, both 19-game winners. Well, I guess that would explain a lot. Both were in contention for the Cy Young and C.C. won it.
I know some of you wonder how I take my son having an “off” year. Well, how do you think I take it? It was tough seeing him go through it, but he has character. He was consistent and kept being himself all through the year. He’s been around the game long enough to know sometimes these things happen. So my advice? We’ll work on it this off-season and go get them next year.
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Inside Baseball with Jesse Barfield »
About the Author
Jesse Barfield returns to the booth with the Rogers Blue Jays Baseball
on CBC broadcast team for the 2008 season as an analyst, after making
his debut with the program in 2007.
Barfield, a favourite with Canadian baseball fans, was selected by the
Blue Jays in the ninth round of the 1977 amateur draft, debuted with the
club in 1981 and helped the franchise reach the playoffs for the first
time in 1985.
A two-time Gold Glove winner with a cannon for an arm, Barfield led American
League outfielders in assists for three straight seasons (1985
– 87). Barfield was selected to the American League All-Star Team in
1986, a season in which he blasted 40 home runs to lead the majors while
driving in 108 runs. He was traded to the New York Yankees in 1989,
where he completed his playing career.
In 1,428 career games, Barfield was a .256 hitter with 241 home runs and 716 RBIs.
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- Subscribe to Inside Baseball with Jesse Barfield
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- March 2008 (4)
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Comments
Kevin
Vancouver
I grew up loving the Killer B's. Learning the game from Tony Kubek and having Don Chevrier as the voice of the Jays that I knew on TV. Later Jim Hughson and Buck Martinez.
But I still reminisce every couple years with my baseball fan friends about your arm in right field. I think your defence is what gave you your opportunity in the bigs to later have the bat develop.
I miss the long throw from right field to 3rd (the longest throw in baseball) on a line throwing out the runner tagging from 2nd on a long fly out (or someone going 1st to 3rd on a long single). Love the blog.
Posted March 1, 2008 08:23 PM
Sissy
Jesse,
Watched you throughout your baseball career, you are the greatest. You always gave 100% to the game and also when you were coaching. I agree with you on the advice you gave your son, Josh. "We'll work on it this off-season and go get them next year." My advice to him is to take what is his, just like his Dad. I look forward on watching him play for the Cleveland Indians.
Sissy
Posted March 1, 2008 03:48 PM
OBrien
peterborough
I often wonder what differences there are between the media now and 20 years ago. Only a pro like Jesse would know. There weren't any sport networks or blogs to take apart every detail. I could be wrong but the media just seem more agressive and there's a whole side of reporting that is after dirt not scores.
Looking forward to reading more of your thoughts on the game Jesse.
Posted February 19, 2008 11:26 PM
Johnny Fernandes
It's great to hear insight from someone who's been there and knows what it's like out there. I hope the Jays will show the kind of urgency and intensity that Mr. Barfield always did. I remember his hard playing never stopped him from enjoying the game.
Posted February 13, 2008 05:54 PM
Jim Brough
Jesse: So nice to read your words but images of you patrolling right field kept making their way into my head and getting in the way! You had a unique way of holding the ball and cocking your arm and the viewer then just KNEW it was gonna be a close play at third or home! I miss watching you play ball!
But I enjoy your insight and I was amazed at what you found when you were coaching an outfield! Seems almost unbelievable!
I am cheering for the Jays this year big time but just wish they had done a little more to ensure a good catching tandem. Otherwise, I think that's about as good as it's gonna get!
Thanks again and keep up the good work!
Posted February 12, 2008 02:31 PM