It's All in The Wrist....And Then Some!
I realize that I'm using a dated idiom as my chosen title for this post. However, it does relate very closely to a recent story I found in the Houston Chronicle surrounding your people's champion and mine, Evan Gattis.
A story that really caught my attention and got me to do some deep thinking on the subject.
Jake Kaplan at the Chronicle posted a recent article he wrote on how El Oso Blanco would be utilizing a game call wrist band. This is similar to what NFL quarterbacks already use for their scrimmage drives. It will be used as a means to help catchers, like Gattis, have quicker access to the pitch plan previously established before the games even start.
David Ross, retired catcher from the reigning World Champion Chicago Cubs, used this frequently during his last couple of seasons in the big leagues. You readers can find that full article here. I was very intrigued by the following quote, given from Evan in the middle of the article:
"You go over it before the game but then it's kind of a reminder when the game's going and things speed up," he said this spring. "Makes my job easier."
Now, this should in no way imply that he doesn't know how to call a good game back there, or that he somehow has really bad memory. Instead, it will aide Gattis in all of the games he starts back behind the plate this season. I still see that estimate being somewhere between 65-75 games in 2017.
As the Big White Bear is on tap to make his catching debut tonight behind Charlie Morton, and coming off a not so good DH debut last night, there will certainly be many more things to see with him aside from just what is on his wrist. In fact, both he and his Bear Squared twin, Brian McCann, were in last night's game. McCann belted an oppo taco home run into the Crawford Boxes to keep a promise to a special young fan of his. Check out the story at the tweet below:
But in all seriousness, let's switch back to the topic of El Oso Blanco catching. His debut at backstop tonight will be the kind of game that Evan Gattis has, and always will play throughout the remainder of his sure to be successful and illustriously distinguished career. I was slightly disappointed that he didn't get to play on Opening Day. However, all of that upset subsides, so long as Hinch keeps making the effort to find enough playing time.
I know what the CDH (Critics, Doubters, Haters) crowd out there will be trying to say. "There's no I in team." "One player is not above all others." Yakitty Yak Yak! As I've made clear many times before, but a notion that "bears" repeating, I have never once held to any of the slander that the CDH crowd makes of me. I'm well aware of there not being an I in team, or any player being above all others.
I want folks out there to understand that I very much want the Houston Astros to win the World Series. H-Town has been in dire need of a sports championship for quite some time, and the spacemen, AS THEY ARE RIGHT NOW, are the best chance for the city to get it. I just want Evan Gattis to be apart of that. One of my biggest fears is that the conversation about his playing time will shift dramatically from "He'll get his chances," to "Oh, we needed to trade him to a non contending team to get their ace of a starting pitcher, so now the bear will have to work from the ground up again."
Jake Kaplan at the Chronicle posted a recent article he wrote on how El Oso Blanco would be utilizing a game call wrist band. This is similar to what NFL quarterbacks already use for their scrimmage drives. It will be used as a means to help catchers, like Gattis, have quicker access to the pitch plan previously established before the games even start.
David Ross, retired catcher from the reigning World Champion Chicago Cubs, used this frequently during his last couple of seasons in the big leagues. You readers can find that full article here. I was very intrigued by the following quote, given from Evan in the middle of the article:
"You go over it before the game but then it's kind of a reminder when the game's going and things speed up," he said this spring. "Makes my job easier."
Now, this should in no way imply that he doesn't know how to call a good game back there, or that he somehow has really bad memory. Instead, it will aide Gattis in all of the games he starts back behind the plate this season. I still see that estimate being somewhere between 65-75 games in 2017.
As the Big White Bear is on tap to make his catching debut tonight behind Charlie Morton, and coming off a not so good DH debut last night, there will certainly be many more things to see with him aside from just what is on his wrist. In fact, both he and his Bear Squared twin, Brian McCann, were in last night's game. McCann belted an oppo taco home run into the Crawford Boxes to keep a promise to a special young fan of his. Check out the story at the tweet below:
Additionally, everyone was having a lot of fun with seeing the Bear Sqaured duo in the same lineup. So much so, that a lot of folks even took still shots from the game on TV to really make some fun and funny tweets about it. Feel free to give a look!Astros catcher Brian McCann sort of promised a kid a home run and he delivered https://t.co/UfwaIzw5vL pic.twitter.com/8po1kgpvxQ— NFL World (@NFLWrld) April 5, 2017
Brian McCann and Evan Gattis or Evan Gattis and Brian McCann 😂 #Astros pic.twitter.com/GNDPJ7kWQT— Mark Schnyder (@MarkSchnyder) April 5, 2017
Evan Gattis and Brian McCann in 'The Parent Trap.' https://t.co/HEryJ1N7Gy pic.twitter.com/zzySoPoCtd— theScore (@theScore) April 5, 2017
Well ... one of us has to change. 😐 pic.twitter.com/q0aR972Qe7— Cut4 (@Cut4) April 5, 2017
— MLB Spongebob (@MLBSponge) April 5, 2017
That last one from the bishop (shout out to him if he's reading this!) made me drop my jaw for a second. First off, it looks more like Evan is trying to hypnotize the TV viewing audience with those piercing eyes of his. Of course, I would be welcoming of such a spell myself. Second, that's a scary thought imagining Evan and Brian shrunk down small enough to fit into any jar. Plus, they're both good friends and I don't think either of their wives would be very keen on them making out with each other. But hey, people have done crazier things & love is love after all! No one harps on that notion more than yours truly!I'd like to think that if you put Evan Gattis and Brian McCann in a glass jar and then gently shook it, they'd either fight or make out. pic.twitter.com/2XqyKA1t3K— Archbishop Deshaies (@HouCounterplot) April 5, 2017
But in all seriousness, let's switch back to the topic of El Oso Blanco catching. His debut at backstop tonight will be the kind of game that Evan Gattis has, and always will play throughout the remainder of his sure to be successful and illustriously distinguished career. I was slightly disappointed that he didn't get to play on Opening Day. However, all of that upset subsides, so long as Hinch keeps making the effort to find enough playing time.
I know what the CDH (Critics, Doubters, Haters) crowd out there will be trying to say. "There's no I in team." "One player is not above all others." Yakitty Yak Yak! As I've made clear many times before, but a notion that "bears" repeating, I have never once held to any of the slander that the CDH crowd makes of me. I'm well aware of there not being an I in team, or any player being above all others.
I want folks out there to understand that I very much want the Houston Astros to win the World Series. H-Town has been in dire need of a sports championship for quite some time, and the spacemen, AS THEY ARE RIGHT NOW, are the best chance for the city to get it. I just want Evan Gattis to be apart of that. One of my biggest fears is that the conversation about his playing time will shift dramatically from "He'll get his chances," to "Oh, we needed to trade him to a non contending team to get their ace of a starting pitcher, so now the bear will have to work from the ground up again."
I've seen that particularly metaphorical movie plot too many times to know exactly how it ends. That would not be fair at all to El Oso Blanco. He has proven himself time and time again to be a perennial impact player, and deserves a ring as much as anyone else on the team or in the organization does. At the very least, he should get the chance to play in the Fall Classic. I'm imploring that those reading this, especially the decision makers for the Astros, to take heed of the case and plea that I am trying to make.
Starting at 2-0 while the Rangers are win-less is nothing short of phenomenal. The pitching staff have been the real heroes of both games. Some long balls have been batted around, but hopefully the timely contact hitting and base running will soon follow from this stacked offense. And whether folks want to admit it or not, Evan Gattis is, and should continue to be, a key part of that offense.
Starting at 2-0 while the Rangers are win-less is nothing short of phenomenal. The pitching staff have been the real heroes of both games. Some long balls have been batted around, but hopefully the timely contact hitting and base running will soon follow from this stacked offense. And whether folks want to admit it or not, Evan Gattis is, and should continue to be, a key part of that offense.
But he also has a pretty solid glove and arm on defense as well. And with the help of his new game calling band, his sure-to-be-improved defensive numbers may just be "All in the Wrist."
Original Photo Credits: Karen Warren of the Houston Chronicle (Evan Gattis, left) & Jasen Vinlove of USA Today Sports (Brian McCann, right)
I could CERTAINLY get used to seeing this for the next 3 seasons in Houston! How about you, folks??!!
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