Writer’s note: One Sixty-Two is a season-long series of blog posts connecting baseball’s major-league players to life’s universal themes. Just as there are 162 games in a season, so there will be 162 posts in this series. Let’s play some ball.
Day One Hundred Fifty-Three: Chris Young, Arizona Diamondbacks
The heavens opened up in New York City during the final hours of summer, unleashing a torrent of rain in what had been an extremely dry, hot season in the Northeast. It was the warmest summer on record in both the Big Apple and Philadelphia, as well as in New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and six other Eastern states. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which provides these numbers, also reports that 2010 was the fourth-warmest summer ever in the contiguous United States.
There were enough hot and dry days this summer to leave our lawns brown, our dogs panting, and our electric bills spiked with air-conditioning voltage. So tonight of all nights, just as summer waves goodbye, this season of sizzle has the nerve to drop a bunch of raindrops on us? Please, spare the hypocrisy.
Don’t pretend to be something you aren’t. Don’t bring out a seasonal disguise as you head for the exits. If you were all about breaking the record for 90-degree days in a summer, then a little thunder and lightning show on September 22nd isn’t going to change our impression of what you were.
We know how things work. Take Chris Young here, the talented centerfielder for Arizona’s Diamondbacks. All season long, Young has been the best player on his team, by far. In this, his breakout year, Young has hit 25 home runs and stolen 27 bases. He’s driven in 85 runs and scored 87 runs. The Diamondbacks have struggled all season long, but it’s been no fault of Young’s.
And yet, few players are having as bad a September as Young is right now. He’s batting just .179 on the month so far, with only 10 hits and one stolen base. For a man who was hitting over .270 for much of the season, these past few weeks have seen his batting average dip below .260.
So if you look only at the end of summer, you might not be impressed with Chris Young. You can see that he’s cooled off considerably, and has brought an autumn chill into his lineup earlier than he needed to bring it. Perhaps Young started chugging apple cider before his September games, and his body clicked into offseason mode as it smelled McIntosh trees and pumpkin patches.
Or maybe he just got tired of the longest, most grueling regular season in American team sports. Whatever the reason for his recent slump, Chris Young did not have a bad season. His poor September numbers are a lot like that storm we felt here in New York tonight. You don’t always get a fitting ending to a season, but the numbers don’t lie. Just ask your weatherman.
Showing posts with label Chris Young. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chris Young. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Friday, April 2, 2010
Rebirth, Renewal, Reset
Katie took the lead, and we dutifully marched behind her on the red trail. She held the map out in front of her and looked closely for red squares painted to the trees of the Watchung Reservation. My mom carried the water, my dad held the puppy’s leash, and I balanced the 5-year-old on my shoulders.
It was just a little half-mile trail through the woods, and there was some mud to maneuver around. But we were ready and willing to go wherever Katie led us. Our reason was simple: There’s this orb, known to many as “the sun,” and it had finally returned from hibernation to shine gloriously on us in the clear blue sky. On top of that, the thermometer told us it was 70 degrees. Indeed, all was good with the world.
Spring is a time for starting over – or, as our president might say, hitting the “reset button.” But we’re not talking here about resetting a domestic agenda, or a relationship with Russia. Spring is about hitting “reset” on life. Just a few days ago, another torrent had turned our yard into a small pond. Many of us were cursing the alleged spring that was supposed to have arrived. The heavy snows of February had turned into the furious rains of March, and I dared to wonder what April might have in store.
We’re just a couple of days in, but the month known for its showers has started off quite auspiciously. And when spring arrives in all its glory, with the tulips and the buds on the trees and the robins flying from here to there, everything changes. These are the days when you just forget all about the shoveling and the ice scrapers and the sump pumps. You can’t even bring yourself to think about the difficult weather days you’ve had.
You just want to go for a walk, and follow your kid along the red trail. No need to reflect on what has been. Spring is all about looking forward, with rose-colored optimism all the way. Might February let us down again next year? Absolutely possible. Will March get all angry on us again? Wouldn’t surprise me.
But right now, as the birds chirp and – Katie, look up from your map! – a half-dozen deer trot gracefully in front of us, our thoughts turn toward rebirth, possibilities, and hope.
Thirty teams, all of them tied for first place. That’s the way April opens for baseball teams. Some 750 players, all of them equally capable of making the All-Star game right now. Last year’s triumphs and struggles are chronicled on newsprint that’s already been recycled. It’s a new day.
In Phoenix, the Arizona Diamondbacks have a young centerfielder named Chris Young. At age 26, Young is beginning his fourth season in 2010, and it’s also the fourth year in which baseball experts have marveled over his talents. The only problem is, in each of his first three seasons Young has struggled mightily as a hitter. He’ll hit a towering home run one day, then strike out three times the next. Will Young ever find a way to put his power and speed together and dominate the game like so many believe he can?
It’s hard to say. But one thing is clear on this pristine April day – Chris Young, as well as the rest of us, have hit that reset button. We’re spring cleaning, and that includes bad memories as well. Anything’s possible. Just take us along the trail, Katie, and let the flowers bloom.
It was just a little half-mile trail through the woods, and there was some mud to maneuver around. But we were ready and willing to go wherever Katie led us. Our reason was simple: There’s this orb, known to many as “the sun,” and it had finally returned from hibernation to shine gloriously on us in the clear blue sky. On top of that, the thermometer told us it was 70 degrees. Indeed, all was good with the world.
Spring is a time for starting over – or, as our president might say, hitting the “reset button.” But we’re not talking here about resetting a domestic agenda, or a relationship with Russia. Spring is about hitting “reset” on life. Just a few days ago, another torrent had turned our yard into a small pond. Many of us were cursing the alleged spring that was supposed to have arrived. The heavy snows of February had turned into the furious rains of March, and I dared to wonder what April might have in store.
We’re just a couple of days in, but the month known for its showers has started off quite auspiciously. And when spring arrives in all its glory, with the tulips and the buds on the trees and the robins flying from here to there, everything changes. These are the days when you just forget all about the shoveling and the ice scrapers and the sump pumps. You can’t even bring yourself to think about the difficult weather days you’ve had.
You just want to go for a walk, and follow your kid along the red trail. No need to reflect on what has been. Spring is all about looking forward, with rose-colored optimism all the way. Might February let us down again next year? Absolutely possible. Will March get all angry on us again? Wouldn’t surprise me.
But right now, as the birds chirp and – Katie, look up from your map! – a half-dozen deer trot gracefully in front of us, our thoughts turn toward rebirth, possibilities, and hope.
Thirty teams, all of them tied for first place. That’s the way April opens for baseball teams. Some 750 players, all of them equally capable of making the All-Star game right now. Last year’s triumphs and struggles are chronicled on newsprint that’s already been recycled. It’s a new day.
In Phoenix, the Arizona Diamondbacks have a young centerfielder named Chris Young. At age 26, Young is beginning his fourth season in 2010, and it’s also the fourth year in which baseball experts have marveled over his talents. The only problem is, in each of his first three seasons Young has struggled mightily as a hitter. He’ll hit a towering home run one day, then strike out three times the next. Will Young ever find a way to put his power and speed together and dominate the game like so many believe he can?
It’s hard to say. But one thing is clear on this pristine April day – Chris Young, as well as the rest of us, have hit that reset button. We’re spring cleaning, and that includes bad memories as well. Anything’s possible. Just take us along the trail, Katie, and let the flowers bloom.
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