Because my brain is turning to mush.
Now I’ll preface this by saying I don’t know Javy personally.
I don’t know how he is around other people.
His teammates may love him dearly.
Let me just say that the “You couldn’t do any better” argument is nonsense.
Sports, much like any other art form, is open to criticism.
Sports are a public forum.
These guys are paid to be critiqued.
That’s why sports media exists.
I naturally responded by saying I am better at my job than Javier Baez.
Is it petty as fuck for me to write a blog about this?
Probably, but I like doing my job.
This is not the first time I’ve been called out for this.
The answer, for the record, is “yes.”
And this is coming from the least confident person at this company.
It’s not me saying that Javier Baez wasn’t elite at his peak.
Javier Baez in 2018?
That guy was a flat-out stud.
I’m not talking about the Javier Baez that was a star for the Cubs.
I can put up with that.
This is more of a “better by default” argument.
There are 162 qualified hitters in Major League Baseball right now.
Javier Baez, in terms of OPS, is 160th.
That means he is in his sport’s bottom 0.18% of hitters.
Would I rather be in tremendous physical shape and play baseball for a living?
But this is not an argument about whose life is better.
It’s about who is currently better at their job.
I have this inane ability whenever I make a mistake to do everything I can to correct it.
This is something called “human nature.”
Has Javy reached a point in his career that 99% of baseball players never reach?
It’s not a matter of personal accomplishment.
It’s a matter of who is better right now.
That guy probably earns minimum wage, but he’s the fucking Aaron Judge of popcorn makers.
He will never have the opportunities that others get but good on him.
He’s working; I respect that.
I respect the grinders.
All this stuff is fluid.
I’ll change my stance if Javy Baez goes on a tear for the next two months.
We live under this assumption that opinions must be set in stone when they don’t have to be.
It also shows how miserable it is being a Detroit Sports fan.
This is the cross we have to bear.
