I’ve always been confused by the notion that mediocre players somehow deserve extra credit for being on championship teams, which is a fairly prevalent cliche in all sports.
You’ll see a random role player referred to as “a winner” all the time thanks to his having great teammates--count the ringzzz and all that--but this note about Dusty Baker and the Reds’ bullpen depth from John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer takes it to another level:Baker looked up that roster board in his office. “You’ve a guy up there that pitched in the World Series last year and a guy who almost threw a perfect game on as non-roster players.”
Baker was referring Clay Hensley, who was on the Giants last year, and Armando Galarraga, who just missed a perfect game two years ago.
Clay Hensley had a 4.62 ERA for the Giants last season, allowing 80 baserunners in 51 innings, so the idea that his pitching in the World Series somehow makes him a better player seems absurd. Oh, and also: Clay Hensley did not pitch in the World Series. Or any of the Giants’ playoff games. In fact, they left him off the playoff roster entirely, presumably because he didn’t pitch well.
This isn’t a big deal or anything, obviously, but just saying.
