Geoff Jenkins has always been better than you

[endaround]

Feel free to move but I thought some might enjoy this:

 

http://lefarkins.blogspot.com/2008/04/impact-of-arbitrary-institutional.html

[hauser42]

I share the same birthday with one my most hated Brewers. I will always claim that Jenks stole money from the Brewers for his lack of playing ball during the bulk of the season, only to turn it on when the team was out of it and there was no pressure.

[endaround]

And you will always be wrong

[TauPentaRei]

this thing needs to get locked in a hurry.

 

there was bonus FOX coverage, wouldn't have seen it otherwise, yesterday of the Mets - Phillies, and sure enough nostalgia strikes when who but Geoff steps to the plate with the bases loaded and a chance to put down a division rival. Old 9-iron judiciously works the count to 3-1... knows that something has to come into the zone; juicy fastball! and the uppercut swing I've seen so too many times - looking as good as ever - results in strike 2. The righty Heilman, I believe, no gasser by any standard, grooves another fastball with the count full and just for good measure, 125 yards from the green, the same club comes out of the bag, the same K I've seen hundreds of times before.

 

but as long as I'm here, I contend that no Brewer ever did less with more. No Brewer improved less from year to year than he. No Brewer had fans duped on "loyalty kool-aid" more than he. No Brewer covered his yearly ineffectiveness with a SIZZLING 8 game stretch more deceptively than he.

 

I was really glad to see him yesterday.

[iluvlamp]

I didn't like Jenkins because he looked like Favre. That and the clubbing baby seals thing. Anyway he was a good guy and played hard. Nothing more you can ask for. (besides not swinging at balls in the dirt but what are you gonna do?)

[Gone]

I don't get it. Did some people think that when the Brewers gave Jenkins a big contract that he'd stop striking out? He's always been a guy with high amounts of strikeouts and looking back at his career I don't see any huge spike in Ks post contract.

 

I for one always have appreciated Jenkins. At the time of his signing the Brewers were not a good team and had not been in a very long time. The Crew had almost no chance of landing any kind of quality free agent without severely over spending for them (see Jeffrey Hammonds). Jenkins could have landed more money by leaving and most players in his shoes probably would have done that. Here's a guy that gave up the opportunity to go to a winning team while he was in his prime, gave up more money and was loyal to a Brewers team in which .500 was considered a really big accomplishment and people are finding a way to bash him?

[BrewCrewForever]

If anyone player stole money from the Brewers it was Jeffrey Hammonds. Not Geoff Jenkins.

[billyhallfan]

nobody stole money from the brewers, if someone offers me millions, and i accept it, that isn't stealing, no one stole...

[BrewCrewForever]

nobody stole money from the brewers, if someone offers me millions, and i accept it, that isn't stealing, no one stole...

All I'm saying is Hammonds signed a huge contract and never even came close to producing for the Brewers and was injured heavily during him team in a Brewers uni.

 

[logan82]

Would hoodwinked be a more appropriate term than stole?

[dlk9s]

Don't forget that Jenkins was a fine outfielder.

[tristarscoop]

Agreed. We didn't have anyone that matched his arm.

 

We always had a running joke about Jenkins' ill-timed and ineffectual "hot streaks." We're down by 8 and that's when Geoff hit the completely useless to us solo HR. We're 12 games back, but Geoff's got an 8 game hit streak - that kind of thing. Always made me smile.

[mothershipconnection]

The birthday cutoff was always a thorn in my side, as I was born at 9:00 pm on July 31st, meaning I was always the youngest player in my league (except leagues where you can play for 2 years). Fortunately, I was a very early bloomer and still often the biggest kid on my team, so my strength alone made up for the fact that I was younger and had little talent - until other kids caught up in size and then I was done.

[Houlie24x]

I was born July 21st as well and I hated being the youngest kid on the team, mainly because most of my friends were playing the age group behind me. My little league was big enough that there weren't many combined age groups up until 7th and 8th grade. Once 8th grade and High School came around I felt I was better than I would have been because I was always playing against older kids my whole life. Same goes for soccer, I think the cut off date is the same. Either way, I'm surprised the older kids are more likely to be better.

[Patrick425]

I don't remember what the cuttoff age was when I was a kid. However, most leagues now use May 1st as the cutoff date.

[RightFieldCoder]

I was born June 15th, which was the cutoff date. So I was the youngest of my age group. I was also a very late bloomer, which is why I stopped playing when I was 12. I always wish I would have stuck with it.

[Oldcity]

I was born in April so this doesn't really apply to me either way, but I find it pretty fascinating.

[jazzytrav]

Cutoff when I was a kid was September 1st, and my birthday was August 31st. So I was the youngest every year.