Knocking Casilla for the wrong reasons
The always entertaining Jim Souhan wrote an article today in the Star Tribune about the Twins trade prospects. He basically says “don’t hold your breath for Freddy Sanchez” Which is actually a good point. However, he does repeatedly make statements that upset me more than anything else in all of sports journalism.
Have you ever been watching a basketball game with someone, and their favorite team is losing and they lament “If we made our shots, we’d be winning” Um, duh. Souhan has this gem in the middle of the article
When Casilla failed to maintain a professional demeanor and approach earlier this season, he left the Twins with a shallow and slow lineupWhy is it his lack of professionalism? Why can’t it be he simply isn’t good. That the Casilla we saw briefly was just a flash?
Casilla will start at second base today. If he can be a professional, the Twins could become a dynamic offensive team again
I can be professional while playing baseball. It doesn’t mean I will be any good. I act very professionally at my job, and do it quite well. Articles like this are just perpetuating the stereotype started by Gardy that Casilla is nothing more than a lazy Latin player who can’t focus. I want to like Casilla. Just like I want to like Young. Why doesn’t anyone else get blamed for Casilla’s struggles? Don’t you think all the times Gardy jerked him in and out of the lineup and threw him under the bus made him feel more confident? Maybe he still has lingering hand problems going back to last season. Souhan writes as though Casilla chooses to play poorly. I do not think this is the case. I think if he played for a manager who had some faith in him, he could succeed.
He doesn’t specify how Casilla can play better, just that he needs to. The Monty Burns approach to managing “You Strawberry, hit a homerun”
I understand that mental lapses can kill a team, but is the team doing anything to help Alexi get over them? Has anyone noticed that the only native Spanish speakers on the 25 man roster (now) are Casilla, Gomez, Mijares, and Liriano. That includes coaches. Four of the youngest and most inexperienced guys on the team. Also, 3 of those guys get most of the negative press. Casilla gets called out in this Souhan article, it seems like everyday we read a “Liriano needs to pitch better or he will be moved to the bullpen” piece, and there is the “We traded Santana for Gomez? WTF?” piece quite often. There can’t be too many positive vibes coming from the Twins Latin community.
This post wasn’t written to rip on Souhan or his column (well, it kind of was), but after reading him it got me thinking about why Casilla has done poorly. Could it possibly have anything to do with the lack of Spanish speakers in the clubhouse? We have to be the only Major League team without a latino coach. Now, I don’t think we should hire one for the sake of hiring one, but I think it would really help our young Spanish speaking players get adjusted to the game and feel more comfortable. Especially when they are struggling like they are.
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Good point about “professionalism” regarding Casilla, and even other players. Souhan’s parroting the tired old line for tired old men, that the team would do something to actively hurt itself just to teach some kid a lesson. “Yeah he’s good, but he does act PROFESSIONAL, ie he doesn’t act LIKE I WOULD IF YOU TOOK ME OUT OF MY CURRENT PROFESSIONAL LIFE AND GAVE ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE YOUNG AND TALENTED SOMEHOW, and therefore he needs to be punished.”
I don’t know how you turn Casilla around. But it looks like the best way to harness his considerable talent is NOT to try to force him to act like a 45 year old businessman.
casila’s gonna turn it around in the 2nd halve. i say about .380 with a 2-3 hr and about 20 sb. 1-2 errors. i mean hes do. last yr was no fluke he probly just felt all too much pressure. now that he got it out of his system he’ll be money again. remember his big hit against the white sux last yr, hes comin!