Did Bill Hall party too much?

[AJAY]

An article in JS Online talks about an anonymous MLB player telling ESPN Magazine that Bill Hall partied too much after signing his big contract with Milwaukee. These kind of reports really make me upset and wish we could get our money back.

 

The good news is that Ryan Braun was mentioned as having a great work ethic.

 

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/87601047.html

[Schlitz001]

Hall signed his contract in early February 2007, so it's reasonable that

he might have been celebrating during spring training that year, but

the hangover must have lasted over 3 years because Bill Hall has never really

the same player that he was in 2006. My guess is that Bill Hall is a below

average player who had one good year.

 

Plus there are a lot of players who have partied notoriously hard and

had great careers. David Wells was drunk while pitching and Dock Ellis

was tripping. And everyone knows about Babe Ruth. Obviously you have to know your limits and maybe Bill Hall just didn't.

[HiAndTight]

Hall signed his contract in early February 2007, so it's reasonable that he might have been celebrating during spring training that year, but the hangover must have lasted over 3 years because Bill Hall has never really the same player that he was in 2006. My guess is that Bill Hall is a below average player who had one good year.

 

Plus there are a lot of players who have partied notoriously hard and had great careers. David Wells was drunk while pitching and Dock Ellis was tripping. And everyone knows about Babe Ruth. Obviously you have to know your limits and maybe Bill Hall just didn't.

 

Well, he had two good years, but that's aside the point. Just trying to dispel the notion that he had one big year and the Brewers just jumped and gave him this big deal.

 

Anyway, there are the type of stories that get ME mad but for other reasons. It's truly a cowardly move. Don't blast a player and then hide yourself. I don't think Bill Hall partied too much and that's why he was 3 feet off on sliders. I think he, as you said, just simply wasn't-that-good. And others factors, maybe he pressed, whatever. He wasn't as bad as his last year here, but he very simply isn't worthy of the contract handed out.

[1992casey]

Never blindly believe what you read or hear in the media, especially when there's nothing tangible there to make one believe it's true.

[endaround]

The same player says ARod is so good because he works so hard. ARod of course is known to go to all night poker games (among other places).

[twobrewers]

I think you are all missing a key part of the story.

 

It was written by a major league star.

 

That star shared a story about Bill Hall. He also quoted his RBI totals from his great season and the next season. Then he went on to say Ryan Braun is one of the hardest working guys.

 

That is a very Brewer-centric piece. I'd say there is good money that a Brewer who wrote that article.

[bbrauch2000]

I have loved the Player X articles in ESPN the Magazine since they started. This was the first baseball article but I've found the football and basketball articles to be much more open than any interview you'd get with a random player. Getting some insight to what players are like outside the lines is awesome and I'd encourage people to read these articles without the preconceived notion that its garbage

[EinhornIsFinkle]

The Player X articles have been excellent and for a while I was suspecting that the football player X was Sharper.

[kramnoj]

"I heard a story about Bill Hall when he was with Milwaukee," writes the player. "He was coming off a career year in 2006 when he had 85 RBIs, 35 homers and a new $24 million contract. He showed up to camp pretty loose. He was having fun off the field, too. Word of his partying made the rounds and guys predicted he was due for a slump. Sure enough, his RBI total dropped to 63, he hit only 14 homers the next season and he was a disaster in the field. It started in spring and he never recovered"

 

That's from the linked piece. So, it's not presented as knowledge. It's presented as rumor that has been spread around. How long had the rumor made it's way before getting to Player X, and how many times did it get exaggerated in the process?

 

Secondly, he was predicted that he was due for a slump. Well, I think of a slump as shorter than a couple of years. Maybe they mean regression and they don't know the word.

[dadofandrew]

Who knows how good Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle might have been had they not "partied" so much.http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

 

As stated, Hall has not hit RHP for several seasons. Blaming his vision, work habits, and such may be popular things to do, but the truth is probably quite simple...he's never been able to lay off low and outside breaking stuff, and the league eventually figured it out.

 

That said, he can still play defense and hit LHP, so it is possible the Brewers gave up on him because of other factors, as they are still paying for him.

[sheethead]

Personally, I think Bill Hall's biggest problem is he constantly tries to hit home runs. He's gone all or nothing, and nothing is generally the net of that approach.

[panthernick]

I can tell you from someone who was out at the bars a lot downtown during this time Bill Hall was the most seen Brewer around town in the clubs. That being said, I heard time and time again that he was very approachable to fans at the bars and whatnot.

[Bikeage77]

I can only think back to a certain thread while Billy was tearing it up....

 

"Bill Hall doesn't party too hard, Bill Hall evens the playing field for everyone else"

 

Sadly, that thread probably won't be too much fun to go back and read now. I loved Billy as a player, and hope he can somehow pick up with a team that needs a starter and won't be a career backup.

[mothershipconnection]

If we assume it's true, we'd have a hard time judging which direction the causal arrow points. When I'm having a rough time, I'm most likely to go to the bars, but drinking didn't cause the problem, it's what I did to go blow off steam when things were annoying. Hall may indeed have been partying a lot, but the probability may have increased when he started sucking at his job.

[jazzytrav]

So when does someone show up in this thread and say Bill Hall hit on her and told her his bat was dead?

 

Any mention of athletes partying too much seems pointless to me unless there's an arrest involved or they shoot someone (or themself...lookin at you Plax). Between blaming his partying or blaming his pick-a-position every year, I'll take the latter.

[Diskono]

Any mention of athletes partying too much seems pointless to me unless there's an arrest involved or they shoot someone

Yeah, definitely. To me, these stories basically just say "look, this pro athlete does things that normal people do!" and we're supposed be shocked by it.

[Invader3K]

Plus, the term "partying" is thrown around way too much. There's a pretty big difference between going out and having a couple beers, or staying out 'til 3 AM at strip clubs, doing drugs, etc. (note that I'm not saying Hall did anything like that).

[mattsr0625]

i can say for a fact bill hall was a regular at martini mikes. when he got hurt back in 07 he was always out downtown. but he was also a very nice guy.

[3Putt]

Here's something I do know. Hall was one of the best at turning a triple into a double or a double into a single. I never saw anyone dog it so badly getting down the line. Check out the trend on SB's also. Hangover or not, you've got to give it your best shot once you step on the field. I couldn't be happier to see him gone. I only wish he'd have stayed in the NL so I could watch him flail at breaking balls in the dirt vs Brewer pitching.

[tomwopat]

[Baldkin]

If poor performance in day games is any indication, the entire team partied too much last year.

BA/OBP/SLG

Day: .226/.308/.387 (~1800 ABs)

Night .280/.357/.445 (~3700 ABs)

[HiAndTight]

Here's something I do know. Hall was one of the best at turning a triple into a double or a double into a single. I never saw anyone dog it so badly getting down the line. Check out the trend on SB's also. Hangover or not, you've got to give it your best shot once you step on the field. I couldn't be happier to see him gone. I only wish he'd have stayed in the NL so I could watch him flail at breaking balls in the dirt vs Brewer pitching.

Is this the part where we just declare Bill Hall all that is wrong with Pro-Sports?

 

Bill Hall's problem was not from a lack of effort. It was IN MY OPINION largely from a stubborness to adjust and change the type of player he is...of course that is also based largely on conjecture.

 

 

 

 

[rluzinski]

An anonymous player reporting anonymous, second hand knowledge? Good stuff.

[Dollarbill13]

Anyone have guesses on who Player X could be? Based on reading his past blogs, the following information seems to be implied:

 

- Current starter (hitter, not pitcher)

- Has a family

- Received a long-term contract or nice signing bonus early

- Seems to know Heath Bell personally

- His backup is set to make the team

- Good deal of knowledge about Ryan Braun, Bill Hall, Alex Rodriguez, Roger Clemens, Matt Holliday

- Has played in both the Cactus and Grapefruit leagues

- Has played for more than one MLB team

- American born

[EdgarDiazRocks]

An anonymous player reporting anonymous, second hand knowledge? Good stuff.

Even better, ripping a single guy in his mid/late twenties for celebrating the fact that he's just been handed $20 million. I know I would have headed right to the gym if i were in his shoes.