Unsung heroes

I want to know why all we hear about are the pitchers in this game of baseball. Last time I looked, there were eight other players out there. The position that I feel really gets slighted is the catcher. Lots of times, he is out there getting beat to death by blocking balls and framing. You never hear about the times he saved the pitcher!! Let me know your thoughts!!

 

You're right Ratdd, the catcher position is the most overlooked position on the field. It is also the most important position on the field. Most catchers accept that they will never be the star of the team. A good catcher, like a good umpire, is rarely even noticed if he is doing his job.

 

A good catcher is hard to find…

Have you ever heard that catchers wear the tools of ignorance? Some people think catchers are stupid because they sit behind the plate every night and get beat up. They take all kinds of abuse -- they block balls and foul tips bash them. Their knees are blown out after five years.

Some think that you have to be mentally disturbed to want to catch! I have learned that a catcher who can call a good game, control the running game and hit a little is pretty hard to find. Everybody hears about the offensive catchers, but those catchers who come to practice and work hard every day with no glory at all are the catchers who are worth their weight in gold to their baseball clubs.

There is so much more to being a catcher than just catching. He has to be a therapist, a leader and a coach. He has to be unselfish.

A good catcher can help a pitcher be the best that he can be and on the other hand, the catcher won’t make the pitcher feel stupid--that's why he has to be a therapist.

Catchers and pitchers fight all the time on the mound about what to throw. There is no one way to pitch to a hitter. There are as many ways to get a hitter out, as there are pitchers. The catcher has to know the best way for the pitcher to get the hitter out. The catcher’s job is to match his pitcher’s stuff with any given hitter. I can only assume that there is no better feeling when a pitcher is trying to decide between two pitches than when the catcher calls for one of them and the pitcher goes with that call.

It's also important to know the catcher is back there for a pitcher when it's 15-3 and a pitcher has to throw the eighth inning. The catcher is back there grinding with the pitcher because he knows the pitcher can't afford to make a single mistake. A good catcher knows this.

A catcher also has to be unselfish. If he is struggling as a hitter, the worst thing he can do is worry about it when he's behind the plate catching. The best catchers are able to separate the two parts of the game. If a catcher is not hitting, then they take it upon themselves to help the team out another way. They want to throw out a runner or maybe catch a shutout.

Can you tell…I have a catcher in my family and have learned to have a lot of respect for every catcher that I see!
:notworthy
Hail to the catchers of every baseball team!

 

Sometimes an unsung hero plays a different position, or isn't noticed as much as he should because of how brightly another player shines..... I've got one ... a very special ShortStop ...

Chris "Goose" Carrera

Try this on for size fellas

1. He has played on 2 state championship teams.
2. He has played on 2 #1 sweet 16 teams and in the shadow of some high profile players, the latest is his teamate and friend Daniel Bard.
3. He has started and played in 124 consecutive varsity games at Charlotte Christian.
4. During that interval, he has played every inning except for 2. The school record is 128 games.
5. He has 5 home runs this year, 41 hits and a batting average of .548 He has done this as a lead off hitter against a pretty tough schedule.
6. He has been all conference for three years in a row: freshman year as 3rd baseman, soph. year as utility player, and junior year as short stop. this year he WILL receive it as a short stop.
7. In his junior year he was honored with 1st team all meck county as an infielder.

I'll take him as my starting shortstop on any team, any time, any where at any level. !!!!!!!!!!

WAY TO GO GOOSE
:applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause:

 

YES...Way to go "Goose"! Awesome Player!:flipgrin: :applause: :xyzthumbs


Lots of Unsung heros! Nice to hear about them!

 

craig waller

 

Great call NC -- Goose can flat out play. I want to add to your praise a word about his speed. The kid can pick em up and put em down. You've heard people talk about speed from home to first and from first to third -- he has that -- but just watch him score from second on a single -- nobody is faster from second to home when he smells that run. Add a pure 6.6 60 to your list about this special player.

Way to give Goose his props -- long overdue -- a great shortstop and an even better leadoff man. Winthrop is lucky to get him for the next 4 years.

 

NCBB, I agree with your post 110%. We have some great shortstops in Mecklenburg County, but Goose is the cream of the crop. The one thing about Goose that has always made me smile is his attitude on the field. When he does something wonderful, he just smiles and goes back to his spot. He also is one hard batter to get a strikeout on. Any idea how many K's he has versus walks and hits?

 

I still think there are a lot of young men out there playing there hearts out that you guys are missing! This was really not to showcase any one player, just an observation.

 

I still think there are a lot of young men out there playing there hearts out that you guys are missing! This was really not to showcase any one player, just an observation.