so what's going to happen to vladimir guerrero?!
vladimir guerrero, arguably the best kept secret in baseball, is not going back to the los angeles angels of anaheim. having signed hideki matsui to be their DH/maybe-an-outfielder-sometime, where does this leave vlad?!
maybe you don't know much about vladimir guerrero, so here's a good article on vlad from 2007: http://lang.sbsun.com/blogs/inthiscorner/2007/07/why-vlad-guerrero-isnt-talked-about.html
and then from the baseballprimer/think-factory blogs, i love this line, cuz do remember that one of vlad's nicknames is "vlad the impaler" and when you think of vlad "the fifth" dracul, aka the guy who would be the guy that the legend of count dracula and vampires were based off, it tickles you to hear quotes like this: " My impression of him from fans of other teams is that Vlad rules through fear -- nobody wants to see him bat against them"
in fact if you wanna hear stories about vlad, check this out: http://www.baseballthinkfactory.org/files/newsstand/discussion/sb_blog_why_vlad_guerrero_isnt_talked_about_more/
i was at that june 8, 2002 game here in chicago that a guy mentions 1/2 or 2/3 way down. keith foulke threw vlad a first pitch fastball on the inner half of the plate, and vlad damn near hit a robert taylor home. then scott stewart came and nailed down the save 2-1 expos i believe and BLAM. that's a memory for a lifetime.
here, i'll pull one out of the lot for you, this is from a guy named "phillipe" who we can assume is from montreal:
When he was in Montreal, most articles written about Guerrero pointed out he was a very shy person. He comes from the Dominican equivalent of hillbilly country, has had only a very basic education, and doesn't like the big cities. He loves to play baseball, but doesn't like the attention that comes with it. He's perhaps underplaying his ability to speak English, but he has also probably not found it necessary to learn much more than the basics: he does not go out much, and is not particularly curious about the world outside of the chalk lines. He brought his mother with him to Montreal to cook for him and give him a comfortable bubble to live in, because he doesn't want to be bothered adapting to modern North American life.
Stories abounded that he actually liked Montreal very much, because the media did not bother him and the fans did not ask more of him than he could give. He wanted to stay, but MLB would not allow the Expos to make a serious contract offer. The Angels are a perfect situation for him, because it allows him to continue doing what he likes, without further obligations.
I've heard one interview of him, conducted in Spanish by Claude Raymond, the former pitcher, broadcaster and Expo coach. Vlad came out as a person who loved the game, but did not have much insight to express. He seems to take very much an instinctive approach to the game. That explains his baserunning blunders to some extent: to him, reaching the next base is the point of the game, and he will try to do it as much as possible, never mind the percentages. Most of his managers have realized that giving him some leeway there, even if it costs the occasional out, puts Vlad in the right frame of mind to perform the rest of his game.
The last time I saw him play live, he crushed a home run off Dan Wheeler to complete a cycle against the Mets in September of 2003. Everyone in the stands knew he would be gunning for the fences, but there was no way to stop him... I remember another time watching him hit a foul ball on a monstrous swing, and a fan next to me saying "this guy is worth the price of the ticket by himself".
here's another montreal guy
When my Dad went with us to see the Expos around 2000, he said the Vlad had the most natural talent of any ballplayer he'd ever seen. This is a guy who grew up going to watch Mantle, Berra, Maris, etc.
During high school I lost interest in the game. When I moved to Montreal, lured by the 5$ (later $2) tickets, I began to go regularly. The Big O was a lot more fun than how it's usually portrayed, and there were lots of fun players to watch even on a bad team (Vidro, Vasquez, Cabrera), but Vlad was the show.
Two of my favourite memories of watching him play:
Seeing him bail out on a pitch intended to hit him up and and in and hitting the ball over the LF wall.
One Expos-Phillies game in which the Phils rallied to tie the game of Ugueth Urbina in the top of the ninth. Still tied in the tenth, Vidro doubles. Bowa elects to let Rheal Cormier pitch to Vlad. All 6000 of us knew what was coming, and sure enough Vlad hit a laser beam to centre to win the game.
He was just fun to watch every single time. Those struggling teams, in a usually empty park, derided by the US media at every turn, helped me rediscover my love for baseball, and Vladdy was a big part of that. That's one reason why I'll always have a soft spot for the Angels as long as he and Cabrera are there. Thanks, Vlad.
and then of course
I know that with modern technology (I am an MLB.tv subscriber) I can pretty much see any player whenever I want to, but I still consider it a blessing to be "able" to follow Vlad every day, and for my team. It's not only that he's a legitimately great player, and without him our team wouldn't be much of anything: it's the singularity of his style, the reckless childlike abandon and physical exuberance of his play. The whole "he plays like a kid" thing can be overblown at times, but my impression of Vlad is that he's just out there to have fun, and the way he has fun is by kicking serious ass. And yet there's nothing about him that comes across as "showy" or arrogant.
He plays the game the way we all wanted to when we were little kids.
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but now he's 35 he has a bad knee and he sucks and yeah.
the white sox?! the rangers?! the yankees!? THE FUCKING METS?!@
we shall see. hopefully i don't have to get new hats... i obviously have whitesox hats and i have a camo mets hat from military appreciation day on sept 13, 2008.
