Scoreboard: Unproven Lineup

[gomarlins9703]

The writing wasn't on the wall, but it was on the scoreboard at Turner Field.

 

And Marlins first baseman Mike Jacobs didn't like any of the words.

 

''During the pregame, they had a message on the [huge] scoreboard,'' Jacobs said Wednesday. ``It said the Braves were facing an unproven lineup.''

 

Then Jacobs bristled a bit and added:

 

''Unproven? We've got guys in here who have hit 30 home runs [in] back-to-back years,'' he said. ``We've got Hanley Ramirez, who has hit .300 back-to-back years. It just goes to show you people don't give us much respect.''

 

http://www.miamiherald.com/589/story/507520.html

 

Man, Jake keeps on getting more and more material.

[Marlins2003]

This isn't the first time Jacobs' has spoken up this season about things like this and the lack of respect as its perceived in the clubhouse.

 

For those who are interested a number of other reporters picked this up as well. I know there is a camp here who believes this stuff is meaningless and that's okay, I just don't agree. Different things affect different players different ways and if this motivates Jacobs, or the team comes together watching an ESPN blackout or being ridiculed in the media and takes it out on their opponents, I'm all for it.

 

Clearly Mikey is pretty ticked off by it. Let's see what the message on the jumbotron is tonight...

[Rydawg]

This isn't the first time Jacobs' has spoken up this season about things like this and the lack of respect as its perceived in the clubhouse.

 

For those who are interested a number of other reporters picked this up as well. I know there is a camp here who believes this stuff is meaningless and that's okay, I just don't agree. Different things affect different players different ways and if this motivates Jacobs, or the team comes together watching an ESPN blackout or being ridiculed in the media and takes it out on their opponents, I'm all for it.

 

Clearly Mikey is pretty ticked off by it. Let's see what the message on the jumbotron is tonight...

 

I think it does motivate him and has him playing with a chip on his shoulder, especially against the Braves. In our last series against the Braves he threw Francouer to the ground with a hard tag, and just walked away. Yesterday one of the Braves ran into him again and fell to the ground and Jake again walked away. Neither time has he tried to help the other player up, or even acknowledged the other player. Might be nothing to it, but I think he is on a mission this year and he is letting the disrespect motivate him a little bit more. It's giving him a little bit of a mean streak. Jake might just emerge as the outspoken leader of this group.

[MikeLowell]

Love players that have mean streaks in them. That is why I became a Hurricanes fan way back when(besides being born in South Florida). I truly believe you are a better player when you have a chip on your shoulder. You don't worry about another teams players liking you or not, you just go out there and whoop their butts from the start of the game to finish and if you got to put someone on their backside inbetween, so be it. I hope Jacobs is installing this us against the world mentality with the rest of the team.

[pb1300]

This isn't the first time Jacobs' has spoken up this season about things like this and the lack of respect as its perceived in the clubhouse.

 

For those who are interested a number of other reporters picked this up as well. I know there is a camp here who believes this stuff is meaningless and that's okay, I just don't agree. Different things affect different players different ways and if this motivates Jacobs, or the team comes together watching an ESPN blackout or being ridiculed in the media and takes it out on their opponents, I'm all for it.

 

Clearly Mikey is pretty ticked off by it. Let's see what the message on the jumbotron is tonight...

 

I think it does motivate him and has him playing with a chip on his shoulder, especially against the Braves. In our last series against the Braves he threw Francouer to the ground with a hard tag, and just walked away. Yesterday one of the Braves ran into him again and fell to the ground and Jake again walked away. Neither time has he tried to help the other player up, or even acknowledged the other player. Might be nothing to it, but I think he is on a mission this year and he is letting the disrespect motivate him a little bit more. It's giving him a little bit of a mean streak. Jake might just emerge as the outspoken leader of this group.

 

I remember that situation. Francouer turned around after he got thrown to the ground and said something to Jake. Mike didnt acknowledge and just walked to the dugout. I love the leadership role that Mike has decided to take. Its really good to see this from one of our youngsters.

[Fish4Life]

Big Jake is becoming a leader of this ball club... I love this guys attitude!

 

:gofish

[The_Godfather]

Put me in that camp that says this stuff does not motivate players and somehow make them hit a 93 MPH fastball further than they would if it weren't for some random no-name scout spouting off nonsense.

 

I mean, let's use common sense about this. What about the hundreds of players that are rated correctly as being career minor leaguers or utility bench guys? Why aren't they somehow motivated to play better? If you have talent and the hunger to make tens of millions of dollars to play a game, then you don't need a scout to motivate you, and if you do...you're in trouble.

[Marlins2003]

Put me in that camp that says this stuff does not motivate players and somehow make them hit a 93 MPH fastball further than they would if it weren't for some random no-name scout spouting off nonsense.

 

I mean, let's use common sense about this. What about the hundreds of players that are rated correctly as being career minor leaguers or utility bench guys? Why aren't they somehow motivated to play better? If you have talent and the hunger to make tens of millions of dollars to play a game, then you don't need a scout to motivate you, and if you do...you're in trouble.

 

I don't know that you're applying common sense here. We're not talking about hundreds or thousands of players, and for that matter we aren't even talking about every member of a particular team, but we all march to a different drummer and if things like this help a player focus on the job at hand, or needs this type of motivation, so be it. And saying well he isn't going to hit a 93 mph fastball any harder or further has absolutely nothing to do with anything, it's about his mindset.

 

There is this fantasy that these aren't human beings out there playing baseball, that they are devoid of emotions, neurosis, personal issues good and bad that can manifest themselves in various ways and affect their game and level of play. Clearly Jacobs is bothered by the lack of recognition and respect he feels his team isn't getting because he keeps commenting on it. One person might sulk in the corner and feel bad for themselves and their teammates, while another may use to further motivate them to prove others wrong. These are individuals, nothing is gained nor anything proved by lumping them all together.

[anotherrealfan]

Put me in that camp that says this stuff does not motivate players and somehow make them hit a 93 MPH fastball further than they would if it weren't for some random no-name scout spouting off nonsense.

 

I mean, let's use common sense about this. What about the hundreds of players that are rated correctly as being career minor leaguers or utility bench guys? Why aren't they somehow motivated to play better? If you have talent and the hunger to make tens of millions of dollars to play a game, then you don't need a scout to motivate you, and if you do...you're in trouble.

You are absolutely right, you have to have the talent in the first place, or it will not matter. But, sometimes, especially with young players like Jacobs, who are not rookies anymore, something can ignite a passion to focus and concentrate, along with a realization that they belong. This is how I look at his attitude this year, just like Olsen. There are turning points that some athletes miss, others do not and all of a sudden they blossom. I like that Jacobs and the others on the team seem to accept that they are not the new guys on the block, that they are good and they can just basically beat the other guys. It is a long season, the focus can be disrupted at times. It sure beats the heck out of "we are glad to be given the opportunity to play at this level and now we have to show we can stay here". GO FISH.

[Y08Marlin]

Jake to me has always seem to have lacked a certain amount of concentration in the past. I love seeing get focused on the task at hand. As a bonus, he is stepping up to become a clubhouse leader, which is one of the big things this team has lacked the last couple years. I see this as marking the maturation of Jake from a kid to a big league ballplayer.

[Jimmy42Jack0]

i love it...keep it up doubters!...keep it up!