The Team vs. The Player

Posted by John on November 9, 2009 under John | 3 Comments to Read

As a young boy who was slowly falling in love with the game of baseball I found myself really focused on my favorite players and the stars of the game. For me it was always Kirby Puckett and Ken Griffey Jr. I never strayed away from the Twins as my favorite team, but there were phases of Frank Thomas, Cal Ripken Jr., Jeff Bagwell, and Darin Erstad (yes, Darin Erstad).

Today I continue my unwavering love for the Minnesota Twins but don’t find myself as enamored with specific players like I used to. Even our own players. Of course I love Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau, Denard Span is really growing on me, and I’ve liked Kevin Slowey since I spoke with him last March. Yet if the Twins made a trade involving these players that made the team better at the end of the day I would not suffer much sadness or frustration (except Mauer because there is no trade that makes the Twins better with Mauer leaving).

I’d like to think this is because in my older, wiser age I am more committed to the team than the individual player. Perhaps, it’s because I moved out of my baseball card trading days which were dominated by collecting certain All-Stars and having the best players. Or did I lose my trust in players because of the steroids scandal that left many of the stars of my childhood tainted?

I can’t seem to put my finger on it at the moment, but I’m curious if anyone else feels the same way? This revelation came to me last week with the Twins announcement to trade Carlos Gomez for JJ Hardy. For the past two years there were moments when I got caught up in the Gomez craze and thougtht, “Hey, this kid could be something special or at least he’s electrifying to watch.” I never went as far to purchase that Gomez t-shirt, but I had high hopes for the kid. However, when the trade was announced I never looked back at Carlos crossing the border into Wisconsin. I was excited to have a player like Hardy and truly believed the team was better that evening than it was the day before.

The presence of baseball heroes and stars is essential for the game, especially in terms of marketing. Yeah the longball helped revitalize baseball in the late 90’s, but it was really the chase between two lovable characters like Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa (who by the way is becoming white) that filled stadiums across America. There are many exciting young players in the game today that catch my attention. Those worth being mentioned include Hanley Ramirez, Tim Lincecum, Grady Sizemore, Zach Greinke, Justin Upton, Albert Pujols, and of course our own Joe Mauer.

However, I’m happy to be invested in the team concept and knowing that although a player like Joe Mauer could someday (GASP!) leave the team, at least the Minnesota Twins will still be there. Well, at least until contraction rolls around again.

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