[pickettt]

Originally Posted by Cloudchaser

Ted Williams was similarly accused. He's the greatest hitter of all time (and maybe the greatest fighter pilot and sport fisherman too) but he was an asshole to nearly everyone around him. The "press" infuriated him and he returned the favor. By all acounts, even his own, he was a selfish and arrogant jerk.

But he's Ted Williams. And a reputation for "dogging it" in the outfield never changed that.

Baseball has a term, "eye wash." It's things players do to either look good/stylish or things players do because some people care more about appearances than outcomes.

If someone singles to RF and the RFer doesn't "hustle" to the ball, everyone on the field understands that it's still a single regardless of how hard he runs to it. So much of "hustle" in baseball is actually "eye wash."

Make sure your 40+ years old opinion isn't based on the eye wash of yesteryear.

I challenge anyone to show examples of Reggie Jackson, Ted Willliams, Frank Robinson or Bobby Bonds "dogging it" when a real outcome was on the line. What you'll actually find in those scenarios is passion and even fight.

"Charlie Hustle" is a myth. Baseball players who go all out all the time are eye wash...and often injured. The fans sure do love it, though!

I think your concentration on demographic is misplaced.