One real underdog makes good: DreamWeaver

A few years ago I became very interested in baseball. A close friend was having a severe depressive episode and all she would respond to were discussions about the sport, so I started paying attention. It filled a major gap for me as well, as before Air America and my awareness of alternative networks like the Head On Radio Network, I would come home from my evening teaching job to the silence of an old-fashioned Brooklyn neighborhood and my cats. In came the world of AM Sports Talk Radio, with overnight debates between self-proclaimed "Die-hards" for one team or another. Just the passion in their voices was enough to get my attention. And my first cat, god rest his soul, Fred became a devotee of WFAN radio. If I switched the dial to turn on National Public Radio, he gave me a look that indicated he might become instantly ill. Sports Talk and Opera were Fred's favorite things, and it is not hard to see why as both involve arias of pain and exultation. And, I became equally fanatic, even risking ongoing arguments with Karen over the role of baseball as a kind of opiate of the masses in order to catch a glimpse of the game. No matter how much she deplored the idea, she subscribed to the Yankees' YES network so that I might indulge what she saw as my churlish passivity.


I've become particularly aware over the years of various underdog figures in baseball, as well. I do not mean teams like the Cubs or the Mets. Those are teams with seemingly historical curses, which in reality, are the results of poor planning, choices and coaching. A team that hires Dusty Baker after his mismanagement of the San Francisco Giants deserves what it gets. The same thing for a team which consistently attacks some of its steadiest players and which trades off one player for one of equal of lesser value. I love Outfielder Carlos Beltran, but look over at the Oakland Athletics and you will find ex-Met Jay Payton with similar numbers and less of the hype. I know, I know, Carlos Beltran sells a lot of T-Shirts. There is something about a Mets fan that loves some players and hates others without real regard to the overall consistency of a player. Anyway, I'm happy the Mets are in the playoffs and they deserve to be. Omar Minaya, the General Manager, made good choices and Willie Randolph is a good manager. Plus, that is probably the best hitting, and most in-sync team in baseball. I hope they win the World Series, or at least give my team, the Yankees, a good fight.

To me, an underdog is someone who consistently goes unrewarded for good work. Or someone whose potential keeps being mismanaged. Such was the case of Jeff Weaver. The Detroit Tigers loved him, but traded him to the Yankees which at the time, seemed to be the logical next step of his career. Our pitching coaches didn't know what to do with him: he was too unpolished to just need the tweaking and coaxing that the mostly veteran staff required. We traded him to the Dodgers where he had more room to develop. Finally, he was traded to St. Louis, a team with a careful--almost too careful coaching staff and patience. And alas, Jeff Weaver finally connected, pitching five shut out innings in his first playoff win. For years, I wore his shirt and people chided me for extolling the virtues of potential over product. What sport, or world can live without nurturing those with potential? Go, DreamWeaver! You proved yourself, at last.

Who are some other underdogs in my book:
Endy Chavez, NY Mets: If he took Beltran's place, would you notice? Meanwhile, he makes much less money and is always coming up with amazing catches and hits in the clutch.
Steve Trachsel, NY Mets: Steady Steve. For years now, the Mets have been able to rely on him for around 15 wins. Yet, every year, they second-guess him. The rub, of course is, he does best when his routine goes uninterrupted. So, the second-guessing becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy -- move his scheduled pitching day over a day or two and you throw him off. A lot of great pitchers are THIS methodical. Mike Mussina and Randy Johnson, two fantastic pitchers, come to mind. So, if he doesn't do well after 12 days rest, don't blame him. We all know that MORE THAN USUAL anything for Steve is not necessarily a good thing.
Aaron Guiel, NY Yankees-- Need a hit? Call him off the bench. Try that with Andy Phillips who is just lucky enough to be younger, and you won't be as lucky as often.
Brian Roberts, Baltimore Orioles--An all-star who no one ever brings up in conversations. It's not his fault he's on a mismanaged team. Every time he comes up to bat in a game against the Yankees he's trouble.
David Eckstein, St. Louis Cardnals--Well, he's finally getting his deserved notice, but for a long time he just happened to be key in almost every win. Another good pick-up for the Cardinals.
Frank Catalanotto, Toronto Blue Jays -- Someone get him out of Toronto, already! He's consistently excellent and he has also terrorized the Yankees for years.
Shawn Chacon--He's not a pretty pitcher, but he manages the risks he takes. He WAS stupid to try to pitch with a torn ACL in his knee and NOT TELL ANYONE. I look forward to watching him when he heals. Prediction: He'll pitch well next season and the Pirates will trade him to a better team.
Aaron Small -- We used you and then we sent you down to the minors. You deserved better. I hope you come back.
Aaron Heilman -- Nearly flawless a lot of the time, but if he makes a mistake the Mets seem to lose total faith. Can we (the Yankees) have him? He can close, he can relieve and he can probably start. I'll give you Kyle Farnsworth for him, anyday.
Esteban Loiza -- He does great for the Yankees in the playoffs and we trade him. Who's sorry now? For more on him and good writing on baseball go to www.outofthebullpen.mlblogs.com


Underdogs outside of Baseball
Sam Seder -- The gruffest voice in radio that you'll ever love.
Al Gore-- I could just use him as the definition of underdog.
Cherry Jones -- As great an actress as we see in every year in NY on or Off - Broadway. The rest of the country deserves to see her.
Christa Kirby--A fantastic actress who deserves a career beyond Off-Broadway.
Cynthia McKinney-- Proved that honesty in politics is sometimes career- ending.
The late Ed Stancyk -- One of few true fighters against corruption.
Mark Green -- A caustic, but hard-working NY politician who seems to have missed his time. In the 2001 election for Mayor, he was literally double-crossed by Fernando Ferrer. Ferrer ran as an Independent and then shortly before the election, through his support and votes to the Republican Mike Bloomberg. Then Ferrer had the nerve to run again for the Democratic nomination for Mayor. I wish NY'ers had better memories. Ferrer doesn't deserve to run for office again. I'll never forget that he ate breakfast with Bloomberg on the day of the election. His constituency of under-represented minorities and the poor and working class of the Bronx were given no promises by and Bloomberg has kept his word and delivered nothing to them.
Mike Malloy -- tons of on-air personalities copy his aggressive radio style, few posess his honesty. And he remains without a radio station after Air America foolishly let him go.
Elizabeth Holtzman -- a brilliant woman cheated by the 1981 election for Senator in NY.



Add your own underdogs, if you like. I'm always looking to support someone whose talent is unrecognized with, at least, a nod of recognition.