An Apology to Natto RE: Durham

by thehavenot on Jun 6, 2008 7:28 PM PDT Comment 24 comments

Dear Natto,

I have, as has many here at the MCC, been using Ray Durham as the butt of some of our many jokes and quips. It's the nature of the MCC. Someone sucks, even for a short period, and we turn on him. We constantly remind everyone else that we hate the player in question when they get into the dog house.

So when a player sucks for an entire season, such as Ray, he's got no chance. Even when he is doing well, we can not stop the abuse. It has been ingrained into us.

I usually resist such things when they are unwarranted (such as for Tyler Walker and Vinnie Chulk). But Ray was bad for so long that I couldn't help myself.

Well, now I must man up and face the music. Ray Durham does not suck any more. I don't know how it happened but Ray Durham is hitting again. He's got nearly a .300 batting average and nearly a .400 OBP in June.

I am quite happy to say sorry for ragging on your boy. However it happened, it's definitely a good thing. If they trade him. If they decide to keep him because of his production I will be annoyed.

I consider crow to be a delicacy in this case. I have indeed sucked it. But I am no longer a Durham-hater.

This FanPost is reader-generated, and it does not necessarily reflect the views of McCovey Chronicles. If the author uses filler to achieve the minimum word requirement, a moderator may edit the FanPost for his or her own amusement.

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Very big of you good sir. . .

Better to eat crow when it is warm and fresh than cold and hard. . .

For WilltheThrill, this is Jon Miller saying goodnight. . . .

by WilltheThrill on Jun 6, 2008 7:33 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

When is Crow cold and hard?

Do some people put crow in the fridge?

Only 913 games until the end of Zito's contract

by thehavenot on Jun 6, 2008 7:52 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

You might have leftovers.

My Dave Righetti is better than your Dave Righetti.

by howtheyscored on Jun 6, 2008 8:07 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I bet the Giants wish there was leftover Crow

They so would have drafted him with their second pick.

Only 911 games until the end of Zito's contract

by thehavenot on Jun 6, 2008 8:16 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I still hate Ray Durham

but I don’t know why… I also despise Vinnie Chulk…

by boonitez on Jun 6, 2008 7:34 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

You are wise beyond your years.

Your 2011 SF Giants: the 2008 Augusta Greenjackets!

by Lyle on Jun 7, 2008 11:56 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Funny about Durham

His OPS+ numbers with the Giants:

111, 117, 104, 127, 65, 105

That one year did an absolutely amazing job of turning everyone against Durham. Poor guy. Of course, if he had played better defense he could hit like Dreamy and be loved.

by North Side Chicago Expatriate Giants Fan on Jun 6, 2008 7:45 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, and the defense is still pretty bad.

I still hate him when the Giants are in the field.

Only 913 games until the end of Zito's contract

by thehavenot on Jun 6, 2008 7:51 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

To be honest

To be honest, many Giants fans were ready to give up on Ray when he got off to a poor start in 2006 before being injured. But he then bounced back to post the second-highest OPS of any second baseman (behind only Chase Utley).

I like Ray, but he likely is hitting over his head. His career BABIP is a healthy .309, but that figure is dwarfed by his .367 this season. It would be fortunate if a contender lost its second baseman so Ray could be traded before his batting average inevitably comes back down toward reality.

By the way, some consider Ray to be a laggard, but he got my attention in a positive way when he lost a game with key late-inning error—and then said the next day that he hadn’t been able to sleep that night. Do the rest of you see him as Day-to-Day Ray, or as a Ray of Sunshine?

by sharksrog on Jun 8, 2008 5:05 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

shiny shiny!!1

Billy Hayes: Nine more big-league plate appearances than you.

by delorean on Jun 6, 2008 7:57 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Hehe… butt….

My Dave Righetti is better than your Dave Righetti.

by howtheyscored on Jun 6, 2008 8:07 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Hehe… sucks…

Only 911 games until the end of Zito's contract

by thehavenot on Jun 6, 2008 8:17 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

You betta reco'niiiize, boyeeee!

This seems like as good as any other time to bring this up again: http://forums.fark.com/cgi/fark/comments.pl?IDLink=2138375

Everybody Loves Durham
comics | cartoons | Nattowear

by Natto on Jun 6, 2008 11:09 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Too bad most of the image links are broken now. There were some good ones.

Everybody Loves Durham
comics | cartoons | Nattowear

by Natto on Jun 6, 2008 11:14 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

can you imaine the injuries Ray Ray would suffer from this? He would be in a body cast for years after this fall.

by tyrannoman on Jun 7, 2008 1:20 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I was hoping I'd get to refer back to this post

http://www.mccoveychronicles.com/2008/3/14/269628/community-projection-ray-d#1273425

by fwoty oz on Jun 6, 2008 11:40 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, my .240/.309/.369 prediction is looking pretty good right now.

I’m so smart.

If you like things that are funny, perhaps you will enjoy ChatterBalks Dot Com?

by groug on Jun 6, 2008 11:49 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

He was supposedly unable to play last night, told them at the last minute he could go, and he had three hits. The problem with Ray last year was that he was old and he sucked. This year he’s just old. On this team, it’s still a problem and a reason not to like him. I wanted to see more Velez, although he wasn’t very good, now I want to see more Denker.

Brian Sabean's new dad: Firm believer in corporal punishment

by rxmeister on Jun 7, 2008 5:12 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Hence my desire that we trade him

Only 911 games until the end of Zito's contract

by thehavenot on Jun 7, 2008 11:17 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Denker

Travis can hit—but he’s not very good in the field. Since I believe most good teams have a utiilty infielder who can hit and one who can field, I think Travis could fill the former role.

by sharksrog on Jun 8, 2008 5:07 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Sabean's "We're contenders!" fantasy notwithstanding,

What disturbs me about Ray (aside from his pathetic range and fielding) is that he (along with Aurilia and Roberts) embodies the demise of this franchise under the Magowan/Sabean watch, i.e. an overpaid, aging veteran with declining skills being trotted out daily while the franchise languishes.

Durham, Aurilia, Roberts. What other GM in baseball would intentionally assemble a team around THIS?

God, the more I think of it the more convinced I am that the Peter Principle is intact and operating on all cylinders in the Giants organization, the principle that states that in any organization people rise to the level of their incompetence.

So, good for Ray that he’s hitting. And what, exactly does this do for the Giants’ future?

Oh, that’s right! NOTHING!

Gee BS, you’re the BEST GM in all of baseball!

by Sabean's_Folly on Jun 7, 2008 6:47 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Yes, true

This is why I added the caveat that they trade him. If they keep him around for the rest of the year, I will be supremely annoyed.

But I won’t be on the “Ray sucks” wagon any more. The best thing about this resurgence is that he will probably look attractive to other teams at the deadline. Let’s get something for him.

Only 911 games until the end of Zito's contract

by thehavenot on Jun 7, 2008 11:19 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs