now remember, don't boo Dunn. it hurts the coop's feelings
I'm so sick of these players and coaches telling people not to boo. Maybe if the guy wasn't hitting fucking .160 90 games into the season, he wouldn't hear the boos.
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Needing a ride to Forest Hills and a ounce of weed. Please inquire within. Thanks. Or not. Posts: 58,276
Adam Dunn(notes) is talking about quitting. He’s talking about it like he’s been thinking about it, like it’s always a possibility, a failsafe if this misery continues. And then he’s talking about it like the chances of him doing it are infinitesimal because he adores baseball, even as it corrodes his sense of self. And then he’s talking about it like he’s not sure what he thinks, which tends to happen when a 31-year-old with 363 career home runs suddenly forgets how to hit a baseball.
“If I’m not having fun anymore, I’ll go home,” Dunn told Yahoo! Sports. “Flat out. I’ll go home. I mean that. Swear to goodness. I’ll. Go. Home. I enjoy playing. Even though I suck. Or have been sucking. I enjoy playing the game. Love it. But as soon as I lose that, I’m gone, dude. It’s true.
More From Jeff PassanPitching will fetch a premium at trade deadline Jul 18, 2011 Baseball overflows with second-half stories Jul 14, 2011
Adam Dunn reacts after striking out. He whiffed 124 times in his first 82 games.
(AP)
“How many games can you play doing this? This is ridiculous. You get to a point, and you’re like …”
Dunn pauses. When he’s trying to explain how it’s 10 days from August and he’s still batting .158, he runs out of things to say and lets ellipses fill in the blanks. He is in the first year of a four-year, $56 million contract with the Chicago White Sox, who signed him as a free agent to bat fourth as designated hitter, and if the season ended today he’d own the worst average in the live-ball era by more than 20 points. When the depth of Dunn’s agony seems to have reached its nadir, he goes hitless and realizes that sports are an unforgiving profession. Being a millionaire comes with consequences.
Self-awareness helps Dunn deal with them. Even though this season has been, as he puts it, “the most difficult thing of my life,” he’s not yet at the point where failure has sucked the fun out of playing. He doesn’t skulk around the White Sox’s clubhouse. He doesn’t loll in corners and bury his face in an iPad. He doesn’t plant his 6-foot-6, 285-pound body on the bench and bemoan the disappearance of his prodigious left-handed power.
Even if he talks about quitting, he cannot imagine taking the leap.
“It’s not going to happen,” he says. “Zero chance. Zero. You can’t get this competition anywhere else, dude. I don’t care where you look. Nowhere else. It’s one-on-one, dude. And you can’t find that anywhere. …
“There’s two ways to do it. You can sit and pout and ‘why me,’ or you can say we’ve got 60 or 70 or 80 games left to start your year. For two months, be the best player in the league. And if I can do that, we’re going to win a lot of games. I’m blessed with that kind of attitude, and thank God, because I don’t know what I’d be doing. I know some people the big man upstairs wouldn’t do this to because there would be some bad things happening.”
The concentration of bad things happening with Dunn’s bat is acidic enough. His .289 on-base percentage is nearly 100 points lower than his career average. His .299 slugging percentage lags more than 200 points behind his norm of .521. In his best month this season, May, Dunn hit .204. He can’t hit left-handers (2 for 64), can’t hit with two strikes (12 for 181 with 124 strikeouts, an .066 average, compared to the rest of baseball, which hits around .180 in such situations) and often can’t hit period (he’s taken a collar in 46 of 82 games).
“It’s been really hard,” Dunn says. “You’ve got to keep it in perspective. It’s a game. It’s baseball. No matter how you look at it, it’s still just that.”
And yet baseball matters to Dunn. What former Toronto general manager J.P. Ricciardi said a few years back about Dunn not caring: It’s bunk. This gnaws at Dunn. It embarrasses him. He doesn’t understand what’s wrong. His swing feels fine. His head is as clear as it can be under such circumstances. Dunn studies video. He tweaks his approach at the plate. He’s always been a high-strikeout guy and succeeded in spite of them. Even if his swing has slowed down – pitchers are throwing him more fastballs than he’s ever seen, nearly 63 percent – it doesn’t disappear this young.
“I don’t remember anyone like this,” White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen says. “I tried to do everything I can. Nothing’s come out. Nothing’s right.
“The only thing I can do is keep playing him. Hopefully for the best. There’s nothing else.”
Adam Dunn celebrates a home run with teammates on June 9. He has only nine homers after belting at least 30 for seven straight seasons.
(AP)
Guillen sat Dunn on Tuesday night against Kansas City, which started left-hander Danny Duffy(notes). He’s not starting Wednesday against lefty Bruce Chen(notes), either. The White Sox’s next three games come against right-handed starters in Cleveland. Maybe that’s the start.
“I’ll have a good couple of games, and then … phhhhhh,” Dunn said. “I can’t get hot. Maybe it’s going to be one of those things where the last two months are just gonna be epic. I don’t know why they can’t be.
“There’s been times where it’s like, ‘Here we go. I’ve got it. It’s back.’ And then the next day I’ll run into a guy who pitches me good, and it’s like, ‘Oh, crap.’…”
The curiosity about how Dunn’s hasty return from the removal of his appendix this spring is immaterial, as was his meeting with the White Sox’s sports psychologist on a golf course three weeks ago. Dr. Jeffrey Fishbein is a scratch golfer, Dunn says, and nobody else on the White Sox plays golf competitively.
Nobody, Dunn says, is going to fix him but himself. And he’d like for the mending to start now. None of the external pressures are taunting him. Not Rob Deer’s .179 batting average in 1991. Not a 200-strikeout season, which he’s somehow avoided to this point. Not the contract, the one with all those zeroes.
For the last 10 years, Adam Dunn has uncoiled his swing with ease and watched balls fly magnificent distances. He craves that and needs it and better get it soon, lest he stop having fun and get to a point where he’s like …
I don't even know what to say about this team anymore. Something has to change before the trade deadline or else it will be the same song and dance the rest of the season.
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Needing a ride to Forest Hills and a ounce of weed. Please inquire within. Thanks. Or not. Posts: 58,276
I don't even know what to say about this team anymore. Something has to change before the trade deadline or else it will be the same song and dance the rest of the season.
i heard ozzy went off last night. i've not heard the rant. guess i will have to listen to some sports radio today.
I don't even know what to say about this team anymore. Something has to change before the trade deadline or else it will be the same song and dance the rest of the season.
i heard ozzy went off last night. i've not heard the rant. guess i will have to listen to some sports radio today.
He should go off. This entire team is fucking pathetic. I haven't heard the rant yet...I'll have to look for that.
Yeah, I saw that. Dunn and this entire team have been a tease all year. Look good for 1 game, then look like shit for the next 2-3 games. A 2-0 loss seems likely today.
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maybe not
Jackson will try to win his ninth straight decision over Cleveland as the White Sox and Indians resume their weekend series Saturday night.
Nice win last night...from what Kenny Williams said last night, it sounds like this is the make or brake week for the Sox.
it's ovah
Come on, only 3 and half out. But, you're right, its probably ovah. If they haven't figured it out 100 games in, why the hell would they get it together for the last 62?
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Needing a ride to Forest Hills and a ounce of weed. Please inquire within. Thanks. Or not. Posts: 58,276
Nice win last night...from what Kenny Williams said last night, it sounds like this is the make or brake week for the Sox.
it's ovah
Come on, only 3 and half out. But, you're right, its probably ovah. If they haven't figured it out 100 games in, why the hell would they get it together for the last 62?
if they play decent down the stretch, could they win the division. sure.
I hate Jake Peavy. Can he EVER hold a fucking lead?!?!?!?
the team blows....stop watching and focus on Da Bears
I just really hope Kenny gets fired. Sure, Ozzie has to take some of the blame, but in the past 2 years Kenny has really fucked this team with awful moves. Teahen, Peavy, Edwin Jackson, Rios, Dunn. Hard to knock him for the Dunn deal because everyone loved that move, but that's still on him.
if they lose today, i hope kenny waves the white flag and dumps some of these bums.
The sad part is that he won't be able to get rid of any of the bums on this team. No one wants anything to do with Rios, Peavy, Dunn, Teahen. The only 2 with any value are Edwin Jackson and Buehrle. Some teams are interested in Quentin too, but they should hold on to him. Kenny has to go.
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Needing a ride to Forest Hills and a ounce of weed. Please inquire within. Thanks. Or not. Posts: 58,276
if they lose today, i hope kenny waves the white flag and dumps some of these bums.
The sad part is that he won't be able to get rid of any of the bums on this team. No one wants anything to do with Rios, Peavy, Dunn, Teahen. The only 2 with any value are Edwin Jackson and Buehrle. Some teams are interested in Quentin too, but they should hold on to him. Kenny has to go.
if they lose today, i hope kenny waves the white flag and dumps some of these bums.
The sad part is that he won't be able to get rid of any of the bums on this team. No one wants anything to do with Rios, Peavy, Dunn, Teahen. The only 2 with any value are Edwin Jackson and Buehrle. Some teams are interested in Quentin too, but they should hold on to him. Kenny has to go.
talk of Teahen and Jackson going to Toronto
Yeah, I just heard that. For Jason Frasor. No idea why Toronto would want those 2. Teahen sucks and is making $5.5 mill next year and Jackson will be a FA after the season.
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Needing a ride to Forest Hills and a ounce of weed. Please inquire within. Thanks. Or not. Posts: 58,276
Yeah, I just heard that. For Jason Frasor. No idea why Toronto would want those 2. Teahen sucks and is making $5.5 mill next year and Jackson will be a FA after the season.
sounds like Jackson would get flipped to St Louis.
Comments
aside from last year, wasnt Konerko known for being good for only half the year (not sure which half)
I'm so sick of these players and coaches telling people not to boo. Maybe if the guy wasn't hitting fucking .160 90 games into the season, he wouldn't hear the boos.
“If I’m not having fun anymore, I’ll go home,” Dunn told Yahoo! Sports. “Flat out. I’ll go home. I mean that. Swear to goodness. I’ll. Go. Home. I enjoy playing. Even though I suck. Or have been sucking. I enjoy playing the game. Love it. But as soon as I lose that, I’m gone, dude. It’s true.
More From Jeff PassanPitching will fetch a premium at trade deadline Jul 18, 2011 Baseball overflows with second-half stories Jul 14, 2011
Adam Dunn reacts after striking out. He whiffed 124 times in his first 82 games.
(AP)
“How many games can you play doing this? This is ridiculous. You get to a point, and you’re like …”
Dunn pauses. When he’s trying to explain how it’s 10 days from August and he’s still batting .158, he runs out of things to say and lets ellipses fill in the blanks. He is in the first year of a four-year, $56 million contract with the Chicago White Sox, who signed him as a free agent to bat fourth as designated hitter, and if the season ended today he’d own the worst average in the live-ball era by more than 20 points. When the depth of Dunn’s agony seems to have reached its nadir, he goes hitless and realizes that sports are an unforgiving profession. Being a millionaire comes with consequences.
Self-awareness helps Dunn deal with them. Even though this season has been, as he puts it, “the most difficult thing of my life,” he’s not yet at the point where failure has sucked the fun out of playing. He doesn’t skulk around the White Sox’s clubhouse. He doesn’t loll in corners and bury his face in an iPad. He doesn’t plant his 6-foot-6, 285-pound body on the bench and bemoan the disappearance of his prodigious left-handed power.
Even if he talks about quitting, he cannot imagine taking the leap.
“It’s not going to happen,” he says. “Zero chance. Zero. You can’t get this competition anywhere else, dude. I don’t care where you look. Nowhere else. It’s one-on-one, dude. And you can’t find that anywhere. …
“There’s two ways to do it. You can sit and pout and ‘why me,’ or you can say we’ve got 60 or 70 or 80 games left to start your year. For two months, be the best player in the league. And if I can do that, we’re going to win a lot of games. I’m blessed with that kind of attitude, and thank God, because I don’t know what I’d be doing. I know some people the big man upstairs wouldn’t do this to because there would be some bad things happening.”
The concentration of bad things happening with Dunn’s bat is acidic enough. His .289 on-base percentage is nearly 100 points lower than his career average. His .299 slugging percentage lags more than 200 points behind his norm of .521. In his best month this season, May, Dunn hit .204. He can’t hit left-handers (2 for 64), can’t hit with two strikes (12 for 181 with 124 strikeouts, an .066 average, compared to the rest of baseball, which hits around .180 in such situations) and often can’t hit period (he’s taken a collar in 46 of 82 games).
“It’s been really hard,” Dunn says. “You’ve got to keep it in perspective. It’s a game. It’s baseball. No matter how you look at it, it’s still just that.”
And yet baseball matters to Dunn. What former Toronto general manager J.P. Ricciardi said a few years back about Dunn not caring: It’s bunk. This gnaws at Dunn. It embarrasses him. He doesn’t understand what’s wrong. His swing feels fine. His head is as clear as it can be under such circumstances. Dunn studies video. He tweaks his approach at the plate. He’s always been a high-strikeout guy and succeeded in spite of them. Even if his swing has slowed down – pitchers are throwing him more fastballs than he’s ever seen, nearly 63 percent – it doesn’t disappear this young.
“I don’t remember anyone like this,” White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen says. “I tried to do everything I can. Nothing’s come out. Nothing’s right.
“The only thing I can do is keep playing him. Hopefully for the best. There’s nothing else.”
Adam Dunn celebrates a home run with teammates on June 9. He has only nine homers after belting at least 30 for seven straight seasons.
(AP)
Guillen sat Dunn on Tuesday night against Kansas City, which started left-hander Danny Duffy(notes). He’s not starting Wednesday against lefty Bruce Chen(notes), either. The White Sox’s next three games come against right-handed starters in Cleveland. Maybe that’s the start.
“I’ll have a good couple of games, and then … phhhhhh,” Dunn said. “I can’t get hot. Maybe it’s going to be one of those things where the last two months are just gonna be epic. I don’t know why they can’t be.
“There’s been times where it’s like, ‘Here we go. I’ve got it. It’s back.’ And then the next day I’ll run into a guy who pitches me good, and it’s like, ‘Oh, crap.’…”
The curiosity about how Dunn’s hasty return from the removal of his appendix this spring is immaterial, as was his meeting with the White Sox’s sports psychologist on a golf course three weeks ago. Dr. Jeffrey Fishbein is a scratch golfer, Dunn says, and nobody else on the White Sox plays golf competitively.
Nobody, Dunn says, is going to fix him but himself. And he’d like for the mending to start now. None of the external pressures are taunting him. Not Rob Deer’s .179 batting average in 1991. Not a 200-strikeout season, which he’s somehow avoided to this point. Not the contract, the one with all those zeroes.
For the last 10 years, Adam Dunn has uncoiled his swing with ease and watched balls fly magnificent distances. He craves that and needs it and better get it soon, lest he stop having fun and get to a point where he’s like …
i heard ozzy went off last night. i've not heard the rant. guess i will have to listen to some sports radio today.
He should go off. This entire team is fucking pathetic. I haven't heard the rant yet...I'll have to look for that.
and almost had a third with a warning track shot
Yeah, I saw that. Dunn and this entire team have been a tease all year. Look good for 1 game, then look like shit for the next 2-3 games. A 2-0 loss seems likely today.
it's ovah
Come on, only 3 and half out. But, you're right, its probably ovah. If they haven't figured it out 100 games in, why the hell would they get it together for the last 62?
if they play decent down the stretch, could they win the division. sure.
would they be contenders. not a chance.
That WEAK ASS Division.......
Till there aint nothing left worth taking away from me.....
vs. the NL Central.
You know it...
I know it....
Ozzie knows it.....
Till there aint nothing left worth taking away from me.....
based on win%, the AL central is just 2nd worst division in baseball, behind the NL central.
yup...it blows.
It's awful. If the Sox were in any other AL division, Ozzie or Kenny would have been fired already this season.
say hi to my boss.
EV - 5
(**Letterman'02, Irving Plaza, Storytellers, Beacon, ACL, Spectrum 3&4, Bridge School '10**)
"Constant recoil,..sometimes life don't leave you alone."
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the team blows....stop watching and focus on Da Bears
I just really hope Kenny gets fired. Sure, Ozzie has to take some of the blame, but in the past 2 years Kenny has really fucked this team with awful moves. Teahen, Peavy, Edwin Jackson, Rios, Dunn. Hard to knock him for the Dunn deal because everyone loved that move, but that's still on him.
The sad part is that he won't be able to get rid of any of the bums on this team. No one wants anything to do with Rios, Peavy, Dunn, Teahen. The only 2 with any value are Edwin Jackson and Buehrle. Some teams are interested in Quentin too, but they should hold on to him. Kenny has to go.
talk of Teahen and Jackson going to Toronto
Yeah, I just heard that. For Jason Frasor. No idea why Toronto would want those 2. Teahen sucks and is making $5.5 mill next year and Jackson will be a FA after the season.
sounds like Jackson would get flipped to St Louis.
the white flag is going up.