Soriano Injured - Due to his own cockiness?

[brwrsfan]

Not sure if anyone else is watching, but Soriano just injured something in his ankle/foot in the top of the first inning. He had to immediately leave the game. I say due to his own cockiness because he got injured not tracking a ball down or sliding or anything like that, but rather while doing his stupid little "hop" before he catches a routine fly ball.

 

There is no reason to "hop" in the outfield other than acting cocky (well, thats my opinion as a former high school outfielder). The Cubs announcer say he does it as a timing thing...uh, timing what exactly? When to open your glove to catch the fly ball? It's probably not too serious, but he did have to leave the game.

 

I find it ammusing as I find him incredibly arrogant (every HR he hits being an example), and have always thought that he hopped just to try to showboat. Thoughts?

 

Edit: Removed excess punctuation in title. - Toby

[JimH5]

It's weird, the stuff that people pick up on. I don't like some guys for a variety of reasons. Mike Mussina, Jeff Kent, Eric Gagne, Richie Sexson, Jason Varitek, Miguel Tejada, Albert Pujols, Dustin Pedroia, Jonathan Papelbon, Carlos Delgado. . .

 

I have never considered Soriano to be a hot dog.

[pretendastronaut]

Soriano's hop has annoyed me since I noticed it last year, and yes, I've always considered it a bit of a hot dog thing.

[lcbj68c]

I couldn't agree more. I've always thought it to be extremely cocky. In fact, during the first series this year, I secretly wished in my head this exact scenario. It's the same as Sosa's hop and Soriano's hop after hitting a home run.

[heresrobin]

Who was the outfielder who would slap his glove against his thigh a bunch of times before catching the ball? Or am I imagining things?

[AJAY]

How serious was the injury? Was he able to walk? Or did he get carted off the field?

[GAME05]

sure some people hate the idiosyncracy/cockiness stuff, but it doesn't bother me all that much; it's a great way for a player to market himself. i'd bet the far minority of fans don't like it. look at Sosa, the camera wouldn't show the home-run ball right away, but his stupid hop, and then make a special point to show his idiot finger thing after every home run. i think there's a percentage of people who remember a player not as much for what he did but for how he did it.

 

McEnroe was an awesome tennis player, but what do you remember about him?

 

plus as a Cubs player, you could do pretty much anything to draw an "i hate that guy" from this board (unless you're Brant Brown; i'm a huge fan of his).

[TooLiveBrew]

Who was the outfielder who would slap his glove against his thigh a bunch of times before catching the ball? Or am I imagining things?

Barry Bonds, the least-cocky ballplayer in history! http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

I've got the hot-dog vibe from watching Soriano, as well. The hop is him being cocky/flashy, imo. 'Look, it's so easy to me, I'm going to make it harder -- then I'm cool!'


EDIT: hubris/'pride goeth before the fall', right?

[PlayerHader]

I've always thought the hop was something that a guy who isn't very comfortable as an OF did. This is coming from a guy who isn't very comfortable as an outfielder. I don't think it is cocky. Mostly because it looks so unathletic/amateurish.

[zurch1818]

How serious was the injury? Was he able to walk? Or did he get carted off the field?

 

He was helped off the field by another player like when in football or basketball when someone rolls an ankle really bad. I think it was theriot, not sure though.

[PaulRigdon]

Who was the outfielder who would slap his glove against his thigh a bunch of times before catching the ball? Or am I imagining things?

I believe you are thinking of Ricky Henderson...

 

[sbrylski]

Sorry, but what's cocky about that little hop? A lot of people have their little quirks. When I'm catching a routine fly I get under it, use two hands, but for some reason always keep my glove closed until a split second before the ball gets there - then chomp. Is that cocky too? (I usually play RF and bat 8th or 9th, nothing to be cocky about there.)

[TooLiveBrew]

I find him cocky, but am not just basing it on hopping in the OF. He'll be fine, I'd imagine, just a rolled ankle, right? Fwiw, he started this hop thing last season, so it's not like he's been doing it a long time.

[jason21nl]

I think its pretty cocky to do the little hop. It reminded me of the time one of the Gramaticas did his jump after a made FG then hurt himself.

[aracko]

I like to do the hop before I sit down in my cubicle at my FT Job.

[billyhallfan]

i remember last year when soriano hit a homer, i think off a padres pitcher, and he did his back step all the way up the first base line, and then flipped his bat...i remember jake peavy saying that it was wrong, and if he was pitching he would be getting a fastball in the ribs his next time up...i think it was peavy that said that, but it could have been someone else, i do remember that it was a big name pitcher...

[crewcrazy]

i remember last year when soriano hit a homer, i think off a padres pitcher, and he did his back step all the way up the first base line, and then flipped his bat...i remember jake peavy saying that it was wrong, and if he was pitching he would be getting a fastball in the ribs his next time up...i think it was peavy that said that, but it could have been someone else, i do remember that it was a big name pitcher...

Didn't that start the whole Chris Young/Derrek Lee mess?

I can't be the only person who thought of Bill Gramatica when I saw this happen. I don't think he was really hotdogging it, but it could be a sign that Soriano's legs are wearing down, especially when you look at his fairly serious hamstring issues last year and his declining SB numbers.

 

[brwrsfan]

Apparently it's a strained right calf, so it doesn't sound too serious. It's one thing to have a little quirk in the outfield like keeping your glove closed or tapping your leg, but there is very little reason to simple hop when you're about to catch a routine fly ball. In any other player, I probably would have just let it go, but the fact that he's incredibly arrogant on every homerun he hits (billyhallfan provided an excellent example), that it makes me think that the hop has way more to do with ego then it does timing or quirkiness.

 

While I'm on the HR subject, why is that guys like Soriano and Manny Ramirez can showboat and act cocky after homeruns (Soriano does a spin sometimes, throws the bat...Manny, well he just stands there at home plate until the ball leaves the yard and nothing seems to be said, but when Ryan Braun last year did a relatively minor thing by staring into his OWN dugout for a second or two, it became a huge issue about how cocky he is...and he wound up being beaned for it.

[Thurston Fluff]

Probably because Braun was a rookie. Not that it should matter all that much, hot dogging is hot dogging, but players seem to hate rookies acting the fool more than established players.

[Tbadder]

Good point. Double standards exist in every sport. That's part of what destroyed the NBA for me.

 

I think hot dogging creates brand recognition, which is really the point. Think of how the NFL wants celebrations but only certain kinds of celebration.

 

Coupled with that, we live in less humble times. I remember when athletes used to try and not draw attention to themselves. Now, it's required.

 

On the other hand, sports can be so conservative in the sense that everyone has to fit the mold. In that case hot dogging would seem like a small piece of individual expression.

 

Whatever it is, as long as it costs the Cubs players I don't care much.

[Menotti80]

hot dogging it... what a weird phrase

[naivin]

I will almost guarantee a stint on the DL. Obviously the calf will need to heal, but it looks to me like he got his ankle too. Pretty sure the Brewers will not be seeing Soriano when they head to Wrigley at the end of the month.

[TauPentaRei]

From the Trib, for what it's worth:

 

"...

Soriano began doing the hop when he made his conversion from second base to the outfield in spring training of 2006 with Washington. He had trouble making catches on routine flies, so he decided to add a little hop before making the catch to help with his concentration.

 

"I came up with that because every time in batting practice [when] I was waiting for a ball to come down I'd drop it," Soriano said in an interview last year. "I said to myself, 'I don't want to wait for the ball to come to me. I'll get it.' "

..."

[pretendastronaut]

NSBB seems to believe its going to be a DL stint.

[TooLiveBrew]

Here's The Disabled List Informer's take:

 

 

"Alfonso Soriano strained what appeared to be his right calf in tonight's game against the Reds. A shallow fly ball to left field off the bat of Ken Griffey, Jr. was put in play, and as Soriano did his ridiculous little hopping motion as he caught the ball, he came up lame.

 

He had to be assisted off the field, which, if you've ever watched sports, is usually not a good sign. This indicates that the strain was likely serious. Let's hope this wasn't the dreaded Achilles tendon tear - which can present initially like a serious calf strain. A calf strain of a serious nature would likely sideline Soriano for 3-4 weeks, while an Achilles tendon tear would end his season.

 

In any event, as a speed player, this injury really puts a dent in his fantasy value, as the calf muscles create the initial push-off when sprinting. Regardless, it does not look like he will avoid the disabled list at this time."

 

 

I'll check back there later, as Chris usually does solid follow-up pieces to his initial reactions.

 

 

Obviously the calf will need to heal, but it looks to me like he got his ankle too

 

I didn't get to see the play, unfortunately, but taking naivin's comment, along with the underscored portion of the above excerpt, and you wonder...