I've had a chance to re-watch Seaver on Costas, and now that I have some "professional distance" from the interview, I have to say that, as great a career as GTS has had, the overwhelming emotions that came out of the show was a cross between sadness and resentment...sadness that the trade happened, resentment still towards M. Donald Grant that he made it happen...sadness for the loss of former manager, Gil Hodges...and resentment, MINE, that Gil didn't make it into the HOF yet again!! (More on this over-sight in part 3.)
Listening to Seaver and Costas discussing his pitching mechanics, you can't help but wonder why Seaver was never a top-flight Pitching Coach, Manager or General Manager, particularly for the Mets; seeing his resentment eke out, you realize at least one reason for this. Let's face it- Tom was never lauded for his work with young kids, and it would seem he's not one to tolerate fools lightly. He's incredibly intelligent, and sometimes that can create a "too much of a good thing" situation when overwhelming players who either aren't as committed or as intelligent. At this point, Seaver is completely committed to his wine-making, and by all accounts, the "fruit" of his vines has resulted in a good beginning to his new career. However, I can't help but wonder how much more successfully this once pitching-centric organization could have operated with Seaver at least in charge of pitching development.
One last thing from the Costas interview- it was great to see how excited Seaver became when Costas mentioned Christy Mathewson, former NY Giants' Hall-of-Fame pitcher, of whom Seaver never saw game-film of until long after he had retired. Costas compared their motions and saw great similarities in how they each fired the ball over the plate. Seaver, a huge fan of the game and one who has certainly boned up on the games' history, was truly flattered at the comparison and, after Costas played a small clip of film that was recently found of Christy winding up, the mechanical comparisons became valid.
One final Seaver note: a few weeks ago, Steven Travers biography of Seaver was released, entitled "The Last Icon: Tom Seaver and His Times." My annual book review will be posted in February, as usual, so here's a brief review. If you've never seen Seaver pitch, or have never read much about him or his stellar career, the book is a good entry point. However, it's filled with typos, and the author, obviously enamored of his subject (editor's note: so am I, obviously), repeats himself over and over in his effusive praise for GTS. Rating- 2 home plates out of 4.
Part 3: Gil Hodges, My Grandfather and Nolan Ryan
One last thing from the Costas interview- it was great to see how excited Seaver became when Costas mentioned Christy Mathewson, former NY Giants' Hall-of-Fame pitcher, of whom Seaver never saw game-film of until long after he had retired. Costas compared their motions and saw great similarities in how they each fired the ball over the plate. Seaver, a huge fan of the game and one who has certainly boned up on the games' history, was truly flattered at the comparison and, after Costas played a small clip of film that was recently found of Christy winding up, the mechanical comparisons became valid.
One final Seaver note: a few weeks ago, Steven Travers biography of Seaver was released, entitled "The Last Icon: Tom Seaver and His Times." My annual book review will be posted in February, as usual, so here's a brief review. If you've never seen Seaver pitch, or have never read much about him or his stellar career, the book is a good entry point. However, it's filled with typos, and the author, obviously enamored of his subject (editor's note: so am I, obviously), repeats himself over and over in his effusive praise for GTS. Rating- 2 home plates out of 4.
Part 3: Gil Hodges, My Grandfather and Nolan Ryan
No comments:
Post a Comment