Hustler's Corner

    To feed off of yesterday's article concerning Josh Beckett and other lazy players destroying the game, I realize it may have seemed a little harsh, but I was making a point that it hurts me as a writer, a viewer, and a fan, to see grown men being paid great money to play a game and take it for granted. Players give up on their teams, they don't hustle, and they are not getting along with teammates and managers.

Freese hits a walk-off home run
in Game 6 of the 2011
World Series

    Now, not all players are like this. I am always on the lookout for players who always give 100% and do whatever they can to help their teams win games. These are the players that play the game the way that it is meant to be played. These are the players that will save the game.

Dee Gordon hustling
around the bases 

     The three players that caught my attention the most were Mike Trout, David Freese, Bryce Harper,and Dee Gordon . These are three young players who hustle, no matter what the situation. There is a reason why Mike Trout robbed as many home runs as he did last season. You can't get back that far on a ball without true hustle. David Freese has arguably been the MVP for the St. Louis Cardinals the past two seasons. He has also been an incredible performer in the postseason, when it mattered most. Dee Gordon was named as the fastest man in baseball by some of his fellow players. Bryce Harper was definitely a spark for the Nationals this season. He made a significant impact with his glove his bat, and his feet. These are players that never take a single play off.

    Some believe that Bryce Harper is a little arrogant and full of himself, but I believe that he is just as excited as any normal twenty year old should be about playing Major League baseball, and he plays like it. He tries his absolute hardest to make a positive difference for his team. Harper reminds me of one of my favorite players of all-time: Ken Griffey Jr. If you recall, when Griffey broke into the league as a teenager, much like Harper, he was classified as arrogant  but I saw an exciting, talented, confident young man who was fired up to get the opportunity to play the game he loved.

Harper fired up after crossing
home plate and scoring a run.

    Trout, Freese, and Harper are the kind of players the game needs more of. It is my sincerest hope that their enthusiasm for the game won't fade with age, much like Beckett's did, but for now, these young players are a breathe of fresh air in an era where the game is taken for granted and every accomplishment is clouded by suspicion because of the common use of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs.

    While former outfielder Manny Ramirez was with the Boston Red Sox, he would goof around in the field during games, jog to first base, and take his time chasing down a ball in the outfield. Ramirez was lazy, and his team and the league classified it as 'Manny Being Manny'. Ramirez's behavior was excused when it should have been disciplined. 

    All I can hope for is that one day, the game will return to the glory days when steroid use didn't make us question everything and where hustle and heart were the norm instead of the exception. Keep a lookout for my next piece when I explain my stance on why steroids really don't gives players an upper hand.