The Real Starlin Castro

In some respects I hope that Starlin Castro is the next Andruw Jones.  First of all hitting 433 homeruns so far is pretty cool (as long as they weren’t chemically assisted).  Ten consecutive Gold Gloves makes a fan salivate, especially if it came from a shortstop.  But perhaps the piece de resistance is the fact that Jones hit two homeruns in the World Series for the team that drafted him and promoted him from the minors.  As a long suffering Cubs fan, the thought of Castro hitting two homeruns for the Cubs in a World Series is beyond comprehension.  So based on the above, I wouldn’t mind it if Castro was the Cubs version of Andruw Jones.

Upon further review, there are some striking similarities.  Both Castro and Jones had their first full year in the majors at age 20.  They both finished 5^th in the Rookie of the Year voting.  After three years in the majors Castro has 511 hits, Jones had 413 hits.  Castro had 57 steals to Jones 71 and Castro has a .336 OBP compared to Jones having a .339 OBP after three years.

Unfortunately it doesn’t end there.  Despite winning ten consecutive Gold Glove Awards, Jones was, on multiple occasions, pulled during a game and even DURING AN INNING for lackadaisical effort.  Castro has the same tendencies.  The first one is well known, because Castro decided to completely ignore a couple of pitches on a nationally televised game.  Bobby Valentine, before he went to Boston to deconstruct the Red Sox, went to great lengths to deconstruct Castro’s performance during the at bat.  Castro, apparently thinking of an out he made while batting, was playing shortstop and turned his back to the plate while Ryan Dempster was in the middle of his windup.  Many Chicagoans jumped on Valentine’s case for embarrassing Castro.  While I can’t stand Valentine, he wasn’t wrong.  Castro completely exposed his team while in the field and then-manager Mike Quade should have run out the backup shortstop and pulled Castro before Dempster threw another pitch.  The fortunate part about that play was that the ball was never put in play and Castro resumed paying attention with the next pitch.

This season he wasn’t so lucky.  The Cubs were in Houston last Tuesday.  Yes the Astros and Cubs are playing for the vaunted “Please Don’t Let Us Lose 100 Games Award” and so the game was basically meaningless.  But no game is really meaningless.  The Cubs were on a four game winning streak (in fact they won the following two games as well, so a win here gives them a nice seven game run).  Guys are playing for their job next year; managers are trying to instill a certain ethic expected of their team; etc.  With the Cubs trailing 1-0 in the top of the sixth, here’s what happened.

Starlin Castro led off with a single to center.  Steve Clevenger struck out swinging.  With one out and Castro on first Dave Sappelt doubled to right putting Castro on third.  Then the braindead kicked in.  Darwin Barney lifted a flyball to center deep enough to score Castro.  Sappelt thought it was deep enough for him to get to third.  Turns out he was wrong.  He was thrown out at third for an inning ending unconventional double play.  Not a big deal until you see the replay that shows Castro cadillacing his way home and actually looking over his shoulder to watch the play at third.  In doing so he slowed himself down enough that he didn’t cross the plate before Sappelt was tagged at third, therefore the run didn’t score.  Cubs lose 1-0.

Will Castro grow up?  He’s 22, so yes he has some maturing to do.  But at age 22 many people are college graduates and working in Corporate America.  It’s not asking too much for a 22 year old to play (mind you PLAY – not WORK) a game he’s been playing for probably 15 years to the fullest of his ability.

I love Starlin Castro.  Love him to the tune of a four year, .25 contract in my fantasy league.  And maybe he’s extra irritating because he’s both on my favorite major league team and my fantasy team.  Maybe he’s extra irritating because the Cubs broadcast all 162 games on television so I can see each of his mistakes where if he played for the Orioles or Padres I’d only see the really stupid mistakes that make the highlight reels.  Maybe it’s because I just finished ten years of Aramis Ramirez dogging it around the bases and in the field and I’m looking for a fresh, revitalized star that gives his all.

And maybe, just maybe that’s what Castro is and I will end up remembering him more for his spectacular bat and not being pulled off the field in the middle of an inning.

Getting Called Up To The Big Leagues

“Have you had skin cancer before?”  And with that question, my battle against cancer began.  To be honest, it wasn't really much of a battle.  I have friends, clients and family members that have fought against cancer.  They have lost body parts, undergone extensive radiation and chemotherapy and been part of experimental drug treatments.  These people have been to war.

My battle was more like a squirt gun fight.  Basal Cell Carcinoma is, in fact, a form of skin cancer.  But as I was told by the dermatologist it’s the best kind to have.  Kind of like being given a dining choice of sautéed liver, live slugs and rare bird droppings of Indonesia.  While the fried liver is at least the most healthy, you really wouldn’t want any of them.

The fight was basically over before the bell rang.  A 30 minute procedure to remove a chunk of my back roughly the size of a large marble and it was done.  [I will, however, have a new and empathetic view of the pumpkin this Halloween.]  Sure there were follow up visits to remove stitches and do a full body examination to make sure no more Basal Cells were lurking elsewhere.  But basically that was it.

So now I guess I’m in the community of cancer survivors.  But it really feels like I’m saying “I’m a member of the 2004 World Champion Red Sox” when in fact, yes, I was on the team - but as a back-up catcher with 24 at bats and was sent down in August.

It all started innocently enough with a somewhat routine visit to the dermatologist.  I say somewhat routine in that I had never been to the dermatologist before.  I was there for a thing on my back that had been there for over a year.  It was a source of entertainment for the family as we affectionately called it “The Lesion”.  It itched, it freaked the kids out (in a good way) and basically added to the amusement my body brings to the family (think Shrek without the green hue and ears on top of the head).

My primary physician said it was most likely an open wound but since it hadn’t healed itself over the course of a couple of months I should go to the dermatologist.  He was reasonably certain it wasn’t cancer.

The dermatologist said that whatever had been there was pretty much gone and it just needed to heal.  However, to be on the safe side, she was going to slice off a biopsy of the surrounding tissue and have it analyzed.

Had either health professional been as blasé about this as I had been for more than a year, it would never have been diagnosed.

*Side note – previously I had visited doctors for various leg, shoulder and other body ailments, which ended in a “there’s nothing there” diagnosis.  So rather than waste time, pay the co-pay and be poked and prodded, I chose to ignore and wait for the healing to begin.  All this despite my wife telling me for a year, “You should really have that thing checked out.”

A few days after the biopsy the call came and the rest is 2004 Boston Red Sox World Series history.

In a weird spin away from normal major league baseball, I’m hoping I don’t get called up to the majors again.

Take from this what you will.  I don’t think there’s a deep(er) message.  Maybe just don’t think you’re crying wolf even if in the past something was nothing.  This time it might be something, if nothing more than fried liver.