Blog Post 2-
Tejada’s Arrival Time
Rob Neyer’s post “Terry Collins Disappointment by
Rubin Tejada’s On-Time Arrival” discusses the unrealistic discontent of Tejada’s
manager regarding the player’s arrival time to spring training. Tejada is 22 years old and the up-and-coming
shortstop for the New York Mets. Times
reports “Collins was disappointed
this week because Tejada, who became the Mets’ starting shortstop this winter,
had not arrived early to camp. He said Friday that he would meet with Tejada
when he arrived — not to chide or embarrass him, but to let him know that more
eyes are on you when you are the starter” (Neyer, 2012).
Collins’ disappointment
seems to me, highly unwarranted. Tejada
did not arrive at training late, but on time.
The young player’s home, and presumably most of his family, is in Panama. Even though Tejada has stepped into a
spotlight starting position in the MLB, expecting him to arrive early is the
equivalent of expecting any professional to show up hours early for work, or
shave off vacation time simply out of passion for their career. Baseball
players already spend an abnormally large amount of time training, traveling,
and being away from family. This on time
arrival in should not imply that Tejada is not dedicated to his profession or grateful
for his position on the Mets. As Neyer
points out, Tejada may very well have been training and working in Panama. Whether he was relaxing, or training, it is
his own personal time and right to do as he pleases.
Like Collins, all too
often, the public places unrealistic expectations on baseball players. As highlighted in Ball Four discussed in The
Cambridge Companion to Baseball, there is a misconception that all players
are “Boy Scouts”, who play because they love the game, and should perhpas even play the
sport without pay. Ball Four exposed baseball players as
normal, if not corrupt human beings (Cassuto & Partridge, 2011). While a
simple love of the game may motivate a small number of players, (Luke Gafannon in the Great American Novel) the fact
is that professional baseball is a job.
Although showing up
early for spring training may have made Collins, and the public, “like” Tejada
as a player more, showing up on time should not be anything people make judgments
about. Above being a baseball player,
Tejada is a human.
I must disagree with your statement that Tejada's on-time arrival should be good enough for the Mets' manager, Collins. Coming from the perspective of someone who shows up early to every appointment, meeting, job, etc., I do not like to have just barely made it on time and to have perhaps missed vital information. I also know that employers do not like to see their newly hired employees show up just before the beginning of their shift, as it shows the employee had something better to do than to invest the little bit of extra time into ensuring they made it on time. I do, however, acknowledge the fact that things can happen to disrupt even the best laid plans, but this is still a poor excuse, as these circumstances should be considered when making such plans.
ReplyDeleteMaking the decision to place Tejada as a starter suggests a vote of confidence in Tejada's skill and in his devotion to the team; in response to this vote of confidence, Tejada must show his willingness to ensure that his placement is well-earned and valued (whether as a businessman or as a lover of baseball). Tejada's placement is an investment for the Mets, and to see that investment barely beat the clock at the very beginning should certainly make the Mets uneasy.
All in all, it is not a matter of the Mets and their fans “lining” Tejada for his apparent eagerness in arriving early, had he actually done so. Rather, it is a matter of the first signs of whether an investment in placement will pay off or fall short of the expectations of both the game and the business.