Comments on: The God of Hell Fire

By: Yankster

Yankster — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 20:48:38 +0000

[0] In Torres’ Yankees book there’s a story about how Alex went over to Jeter’s house after a game and looked for a baseball game on TV. He asked Jeter where’s your cable baseball package? And Jeter just looks at him. Why would I have the baseball package?

If anyone is NOT all about baseball it’s Jeter. ARod wakes, eats, and sleeps baseball and see how marketable his story is. Jeter seems to have some balance and perspective – the exact opposite of what Pearlman says.

A classmate of mine at Michigan was friends with Jeter in the several months he spent there before getting drafted (I’m exactly Jeter’s age), and he said he was just a modest guy that seemed to play right on the field but was a fun kind of quiet guy off the field.

It’s so different than Pearlman’s take that I have a hard time thinking Pearlman has any idea what he’s talking about. If Clemens isn’t “all about baseball” I don’t know who is. It’s being “all about baseball” that caused Clemens and A-Rod to make bad decisions in the first place.

By: bp1

bp1 — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 19:32:39 +0000

Great title, Alex. I thought of Roger and the ointment he used to get applied to his nether regions. God of Hell Fire indeed, lol.

[8] Word. Man oh man.

By: Just Fair

Just Fair — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 19:12:18 +0000

I wonder what my life would be like if it was as uninteresting as Jeter’s. : )

By: williamnyy23

williamnyy23 — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 19:00:11 +0000

[5] Cashman has denied making that remark; Pearlman hasn’t provided proof. That probably sums up much of the book.

[6] It was an inane parallel.

By: Ken_P

Ken_P — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 18:44:09 +0000

The thing that bugged me most about it was the parallels he tries to draw between steroids and plagiarism. A player on steroids is (at best) augmenting his own abilities, not creating new ones or stealing from someone else. If there was a magic potion that could turn a mediocre pitcher into Roger Clemens, there would be a lot more Roger Clemens’ in the league. Felix Heredia took steroids, and he was still Felix Heredia.

By: rbj

rbj — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 18:31:15 +0000

[1] Part of it is why some aactors want to play the villains. They’re much more interesting characters.

As for PEDs, if the Cashman quote is true, along with the Lou Merloni one about the Red Sox doctor saying “here’s how to use them”, then PED use & knowledge was so much more pervasive than anyone this side of Jose Canseco has let on. It’s almost unfair to criticize some players for doing what the culture of baseball at the time was telling them to do, with no voices on the other side saying “no.” And that’s not even getting into other sports, especially football (don’t even try telling me all those guys are 100% natural.)

By: Bud Wisenheimer

Bud Wisenheimer — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 18:09:22 +0000

The other thing about the self righteous sanctimonious tone in the interview when it comes to “screw your era” is this, Jayson Blair stole shit and made shit up, so should I assume that Pearlman is also making shit up? Especially when he says that Clemens used PED, when that has never been proven. I mean, I’m not gonna claim he didn’t but can we state that as fact yet? Or is this just another case of a writer making something up?

See how that works?

By: williamnyy23

williamnyy23 — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 18:06:29 +0000

Why are guys like Pearlman interested in writing about Clemens and Bonds…hmmm….let’s see? How about to make money?

I have very little respect for Pearlman (it seems like SI is collecting a stable of yellow journalism), so it’s not worth commenting too much on his opinions.

I will point out, however, that if Pearlman’s analysis of Clemens last four years in Boston are an example of his overall approach to the book, then it is probably even worse I thought.

“His last four years with Boston he was 40-39, oft-injured, overweight and down in velocity” might seem like a compelling argument to Pearlman, but maybe one of his editors should have noted that his ERA+ in two of those final three years was 177 (1st in AL) and 139 (5th in AL). He also led the league in Ks in 1996 and was top-10 in inning in 1994 and 1996.

By: Bud Wisenheimer

Bud Wisenheimer — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 18:05:32 +0000

It’s not sad, it’s human nature. all great theatre or literature is great because it has conflict. Where’s the compelling conflict with Jeter? Nowhere.

The great Jeter book will be written if it turns out that he has a basement full of dead hitchhikers after he retires, and that the boy scout image was this huge charade.

By: BuckFoston

BuckFoston — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 17:41:20 +0000

It’s sad that people would prefer to read about Clemns rather Jeter. It’s only our fault. We should never buy or support those that set a bad example. Let me know when you write the book about Jeter, until then I’ll keep my money in my pocket.