Sunday Quick Hits - Austin Kearns Is More Annoying Than I Remembered

by JD Arney on Mar 11, 2007 12:59 AM EST in News

Austin Kearns

JinAZ takes a look at the 2006 Reds pitching staff. I agree with him on Claussen, it's funny how much everyone was counting on him after a pretty decent 2005, which makes the speed with which he was forgotten remarkable.
Curt Schilling now has a blog, which I think was pretty inevitable. Could be interesting, we'll see.
Austin Kearns comes across like a spoiled rich kid in this article.
I might be naive, but I'm genuinely hoping that Brook Jacoby will be able to turn things around for Adam Dunn.
I didn't even realize Gabe Kapler had retired, let alone that he's now managing a minor league team. He's only 31.

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Spoiled Rich Kid?

Honestly, I have no idea where you drew that conclusion from the article. Kearns said he had been spoiled by playing so close to family, but I certainly didn't take that literally, or draw any conclusion about his sense of entitlement (let alone his net worth).

Kapler actually comes across as having that special Boston 2004 sense of spoiled, retiring because he couldn't bear to play for any team other than the Sacred Sox. I wonder if there is PED testing for minor league managers

by cggarb on Mar 11, 2007 1:30 PM EDT reply actions

Not seeing the spoiled rich kid.

But Kearns does come off as a terd. Reading the article actually made me glad he is not with the Reds. Can't quite put my finger on it but something about Kearns always rubbed me the wrong way, and this article reaffirms the thought.

by rose2hall on Mar 11, 2007 1:44 PM EDT reply actions

Opposite feelings on Dunn.

The reasons I like Dunn.

He will plow over the catcher even when up by ten runs, and then let you throw at him twice before charging the mound.
I don't know anyone else in baseball that can be humble enough to drop his head and trot after hitting a 500+ ft. shot or a game winning grand-slam.
You can insult him through the press (see Schmidt, Mike) and instead of getting pissed, he agrees with you.
He is country strong.
Does what he is told without complaint. Even if this means switching to first base in spring training and then switching back to LF a few days before the season begins. Also includes listening to whichever hitting coach is currently employed by the Reds.
He is friggin hilarious and looks like Will Ferrel.
Never takes a day off. Plays through pain, including broken hand.

Fill in numbers 8, 9, 10, fellow RRs

by rose2hall on Mar 11, 2007 2:01 PM EDT up reply actions

Don't expect much of a response

I've posted similar lists twice, and everybody just seems to breeze right past them and post that he's fat and lazy and strikes out too much.

8. The Banana Phone call to Marty. Best moment of inspired wackiness since Tom Browning on top of the apartments across Waveland Ave. drinking a beer with a bunch of Cubs' fans.

"Karma - there it was. The meaning of life, straight from Carson Daly's lips to my morphine-laced ears." -Earl Hickey

by BLee2525 on Mar 11, 2007 3:46 PM EDT up reply actions

re

career OBP of .380, career OPS+ of 128, 3 straight 40-home run seasons.
Marty, are you wearing pants? (deserves two mentions)

And in the end the love you take is equal to the love you make.

by boobs on Mar 11, 2007 3:54 PM EDT up reply actions

where can I read more

about this banana phone and Marty's lack of pants?

by rose2hall on Mar 11, 2007 4:41 PM EDT up reply actions

Here's a transcript

Courtesy of Sister Daedalus

That was the most hilarious rain delay ever.

Reds fandom: A study in futility and masochism.

by Ash on Mar 11, 2007 5:49 PM EDT up reply actions

And it also happens to be

the night when "Suck it, Duaner!" was born.

Reds fandom: A study in futility and masochism.

by Ash on Mar 11, 2007 5:56 PM EDT up reply actions

Actually

I wrote a long response in the last Dunn/Schmidt diary where I came down in the middle of the Dunn debate. I agreed with your 10 points but had other things to say as well. Sorry I'm not technically savvy enough to link here.

And nobody responded to my post. Which I assumed meant that everybody was bored with the discussion, or that I had put everybody to sleep.

by ctnyc on Mar 11, 2007 8:20 PM EDT up reply actions

Not trying to hijack the thread

but since you took all that time to give me a good response, I feel compelled to respond in kind. The statute of limitations has been enforced on the previous thread, so I have to do it here.

I agree that the Dunn debate has gone the way of politics in this country; no middle ground. I think much of that is due to the fact that Dunn himself is such a study in extremes. My post was meant to be a general response to the line of thinking you were towing, not a point-by-point critique of your post. I apologize if I attributed any position to you that you don't actually hold. I will say that I agree with your thesis entirely, but I will also note that the same could be said of any player that has ever played the game.

My biggest problem is that Dunn is the ONLY player on the Reds who is discussed more often in the context of his flaws than in the context of his value. I point out Freel and Arroyo simply to illustrate that point. It would be ridiculous to ignore Freel's on-base skills and the havoc he wreaks on the basepaths and focus solely on his caught stealing numbers and lack of power, but that's typically what people do when discussing Dunn. It would be ridiculous to ignore the fantastic season Arroyo had and harp on the fact that he gave up a bunch of homers, but that's typically what people do when discussing Dunn. In your response, you indicate that I think Dunn should be absolved of criticism; that is not the case. I just get sick and tired of people like Marty Brennaman spending several minutes harping on strikeouts, then saying things like "I get tired of people saying he hits 40 home runs and drives in 100 runs." NOBODY can succeed when they are evaluated solely with regard to their weaknesses.

"Karma - there it was. The meaning of life, straight from Carson Daly's lips to my morphine-laced ears." -Earl Hickey

by BLee2525 on Mar 11, 2007 10:32 PM EDT up reply actions

Well done

pat yourself on the back.

Seriously.

Take your hand and tap it to your back three times.

Now, smile and know that I appreciated your comment.

by rose2hall on Mar 11, 2007 11:39 PM EDT up reply actions

I see what you're saying

and pretty much agree with your points. I don't think we were ever really disagreeing on any major level. And thanks for taking to the time to read and respond (nice to know my rambling wasn't in vain).

by ctnyc on Mar 12, 2007 12:19 PM EDT up reply actions

nice thing about baseball,

all that stuff was last year, he has a clean slate this year, I hope the best for Dunn, and all of us fans.

GO REDS!

by ewquinn on Mar 15, 2007 5:53 PM EDT up reply actions

He didn't come across as spoiled to me.

His father was the only one with the negative comments.

It seems that both might be a little bitter about the trade.

Which I completely understand because I am bitter about the trade.

Nobody listens to Andrew

by nlt-andrew68 on Mar 11, 2007 2:30 PM EDT reply actions

Agreed

And even his father's comments are understandable. It's his kid, of course he feels protective.

It's a parent's prerogative to say things that make their kids wish they'd just zip it. Luckily for most of us, our parents don't get say them to the national media...

All Things Bubba: Because how can you not love a baseball player named "Bubba"?

by BubbaFan on Mar 11, 2007 8:09 PM EDT up reply actions

Kearns

Didn't see the rich kid, although he does kinda seem like a baby. I just didn't get the point of the whole article.

by Brian B on Mar 11, 2007 2:31 PM EDT reply actions

Weird

From that article, I got the impression that Kearns is a dedicated "baseball rat" who loves the game, wants to win, and who sets high expectations for himself.

In short- exactly the kind of player Reds fans should have been in love with while he was in Cincinnati.

by Reds123 on Mar 11, 2007 2:50 PM EDT reply actions

Really?

I have never seen Kearns as the type that wants to win. He got pretty lazy for a while in Cincy and seemed to have lost his focus.

by rose2hall on Mar 11, 2007 3:40 PM EDT up reply actions

Hmn

Seems to me that when you're playing baseball games when you can't even lift your arm you've got the right kind of character.

In my estimation, Austin Kearns was one of the most mishandled Reds in history. Freak injuries, constantly tried to play through pain. You're entitled to your opinion (as is the awful Cinci media and broadcasting crew), but I saw nothing from Kearns to indicate that he was anything resembling a "lazy" player while in Cinci.

by Reds123 on Mar 11, 2007 7:16 PM EDT up reply actions

Not lazy his whole stay in Cincy

But 2005(I think that's right then again I am half asleep), the year he came to Spring training overweight, and showed little work ethic. Don't say I am wrong because I viewed it with my own eyes. A chubby, fro-wearing Kearns, who seemed half asleep during workouts. I never had anything against Kearns before watching him during that spring training. His work ethic just annoyed me.

Then again all of his actions could have just been in regard to the upper managment he hated, Dan O'Brien and Dave Miley. But who knows, he was just a diffrent player from that spring and on.

by rose2hall on Mar 11, 2007 11:50 PM EDT up reply actions

weight gain

I always mention this when the subject comes up, because it gets forgotten. Reds brass told Kearns to put on weight. They thought he could better avoid injury if he carried a little more.

Now obviously Kearns went about that in a bad way. He just looked chubby. But the Reds organization has a horrible track record recently on handling these type of issues.

As to the injuries, when a player tries to play through pain it's the medical staff's job to put a stop to that. At one point Kremchek, having performed a thorough stick-examination, called Kearns out in the press for being soft. Kearns took an absolute beating on 700 for a couple days. And then it was revealed he needed major shoulder surgery.

I agree with the sentiment above that Kearns was horribly mishandled in Cincinnati.

by Red Menace on Mar 12, 2007 12:52 AM EDT up reply actions

Yep...

If you have a shoulder issue and your name is Sean Casey, you get a complete pass- for multiple seasons. But if you're a young guy like Kearns you're going to get a blunt object to the head from the Cinci media and broadcasting crew.

For me, it was quite refreshing to read an article that was looking for things a player has done right rather than what he's done wrong.

by Reds123 on Mar 12, 2007 3:41 AM EDT up reply actions

Wow

You don't often hear about outfielders being told to gain weight. Even if it's all muscle, it can be a problem, making the athlete too stiff, too slow, etc.

All Things Bubba: Because how can you not love a baseball player named "Bubba"?

by BubbaFan on Mar 12, 2007 6:35 AM EDT up reply actions