Zumaya contrite about struggles

[RSS Feeder]

Zumaya contrite about struggles
Posted by Jason Beck on Thu, 26 Apr 2007 18:57:00 EDT.

Joel Zumaya lives big, from his big body and big fastball to his big curve. With Jimi Hendrix blaring at Comerica Park, he makes a big entrance into big games, during which he usually plays a big role. On Wednesday, Zumaya said, his big unraveling came in part because he got a big head.

More... (http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070426&content_id=1932145&vkey=news_det&fext=.jsp&c_id=det&partnered=rss_det)

[Corky]

Contrite? I am impressed with your vocabulary Feeder! :embar: :silly:

[Conner_Banks]

Big head? Hopefully Leyland can take away his Guitar Hero and tell him he's no longer a star.

All kidding aside, we need him to be stellar this year. I think the world of this kid and I think he will get focused.

[Tramfan]

... just another part of the growing curve. No worries.

[Yoda]

Regardless of what he says, his problems were mostly mechanical. He needs to go back to throwing from over the top. I'm not sure why pitchers struggle with this, but some just do from time-to-time. I'm sure he'll have it fixed in a couple days.

[campusano07]

I don't see why he apologized for barking at the umpire.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070426/SPORTS02/70426062

I'm sorry but this has to stem from the whole Imus thing. What? Now a player can't whine and complain to a umpire?

BREAKING NEWS....
LOU PINELLA TO MISS THE NEXT 100 CUBS GAMES DUE TO WRITING APOLOGIES TO ALL THE UMPS HE'S OFFENDED.

Give me a abreak.

[sloan]

the guy is honest about being a 'jackass' and overconfident. i like that in a person.

[A.J.K.]

it's starting to annoy me how everyone says he comes out to Jimi Hendrix. It's his song, sure, but he comes out to the Stevie Ray Vaughan version.

[ypsieast]

I don't see why he apologized for barking at the umpire.


Probably because every time he pitches there's another umpire calling balls and strikes. Sometimes it will be the same ump. It won't make pitching any easier if his rep is in question with "blue".

[Oblong]

it's starting to annoy me how everyone says he comes out to Jimi Hendrix. It's his song, sure, but he comes out to the Stevie Ray Vaughan version.


Are you sure about that?

[Yoda]

Are you sure about that?

I wondered about that too. I don't get to hear it in person but from what I've heard on TV, it sounds like the Hendrix version. It's hard to tell though.

[thewave84]

I am just happy to hear that there isn't any mention of arm soreness.

[A.J.K.]

Yes, I'm absolutely positive.

[Yoda]

This is all I could find on youtube, you can hear the last bit of it. I can't tell which one it is.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3Oh4QvcS04&mode=related&search=

Yeah, I'm positive this is Jimi's version. You can hear it at the end of the clip as well.

[Tyrus]

You've got to applaud Joel for being so humble, and for admitting he acted like a jerk. I think this shows a lot about his character.

[Oblong]

The only version of the SRV that I have is a live one so I can't really tell. But I'm 85% sure I can recall hearing Jimi's voice at the stadium.

[kwales]

I have a feeling that Leyland or one of his own teammates had a chat with him about his outburst.

It was good to see though that he admitted he went off the deep end, and acknowledges that it wasn't the right thing to do. That's all part of maturing.

[Zakk_Wylde]

The only version of the SRV that I have is a live one so I can't really tell. But I'm 85% sure I can recall hearing Jimi's voice at the stadium.

I agree with this. Every once in a while they let it play to "Well I'm standin' next to a Mountain ...." and I am almost positive I remember hearing Jimi's voice. I think SRV's best known cover of Voodoo Child (Slight Return) was from Austin City Limits, but there was also a studio version on the Couldn't Stand The Weather album. I haven't listened to that disc in a while, and I'm gonna pop it in when I get home to compare with the Youtube clip.

But off the top of my head, from the clip Yoda posted, when E minor pentatonic lead kicks in, it definitely sounded like it was played by Jimi's strat. SRV's always had a much tinnier tone, as if he picks closer to the bridge. The trademark SRV guitar tone can be heard in all his studio and live recordings alike, and I really don't hear it in the clip Yoda posted. It sounds all Jimi to me.

[BringbackBrocail]

I don't see why he apologized for barking at the umpire.

.



I read the article last night, and I thought he apologized specifically for jawing while still on the mound. If a pitcher thinks he's getting squeezed, I don't have a huge problem with him saying something on his way out of the game as he's walking towards the dugout. But you can't be barking obscenities at the ump from the pitchers mound to the point where it's heard at home plate. You see guys scream into their glove with their back to home plate, or to almost swing at the ball being thrown out to them with their glove to show disgust, but you can't just start cussing out an ump when you don't like his call.

Whether that's fair or not can be argued, but I've always just assumed it as another unnofficial rule of the game. It's also counterproducitve for a guy who was struggling with his control. If a pitcher thinks screaming obscenities at the ump from out on the mound is going to expand the guys strike zone, he's nuts. Quite frankly he didn't deserve any real close calls going his way that night anyway with the control he was showing out there.

I'm glad to see Zumaya show a bit of humility here. I love the guy, but it was hard not to think he was getting a bit of a big head. He's so young, maybe every now and again it's good for him to experience things like this to help keep him grounded. As he said, as good of an arm as he may have, the guy still has plenty to learn in this league.