in God we trust, all others must show data
I did not always dislike Lo Duca. At one point he was a Minor cheap nhl jerseysLeague guy who consistently put up good numbers, both offensively and defensively, who did not seem like he was going to get a shot. I was glad when he did get a chance in the Majors. But my take on Lo Duca began to change when he was given credit for a bunch of things in which he may or may not have deserved.
There's a saying -- in God we trust, all others must show data. I am a numbers guy. I like to see cold hard facts. If you tell me that Paul Lo Duca is a good ball player, I want to be able to look at the statistical record for confirmation of that. I want to see good on-base skills or good power numbers or good defensive metrics.
The Mitchell Report is out and now we get to digest the results of MLB's in-house report on performance-enhancing drugs. The big name listed in the report is Roger Clemens and everyone will focus on him. It's good that Barry Bonds, the one who has borne the brunt of most fans' hatred of steroids, will have some company now.
But I'd like to take the time to focus on a jerseyslesser player - Paul Lo Duca. While no one is surprised that the Mitchell Report fingered Clemens (I guess throwing the bat at Mike Piazza can now be described as "Roid Rage"), seeing Lo Duca's name among the list of users is both surprising and welcome. Call it Schadenfreude if you will, but I was glad to see "Mr. Intangibles" named.
And the second reason was that certain writers in Los Angeles, such as Bill Plaschke and T.J. Simers, who held a personal grudge against Dodgers general manager Paul DePodesta and they did everything in their power to run mlb jerseys for salehim out of town. When the Dodgers traded Lo Duca as part of a package to acquire Brad Penny, the L.A. writers went on the attack.
They lampooned DePodesta for trading Lo Duca, "the heart and soul" of the team. And to make matters worse, Penny got hurt immediately and did not contribute to the Dodgers, making it even easier to ridicule thechristian louboutin cheap trade. Yet somehow the Dodgers made the playoffs that season, even missing their "heart and soul". Imagine that!
I."
Lo Duca has a surprisingly effective 2006 and then a more traditional season in 2007 for the Mets. But his statistical record is there in the open for everyone to see. Let's take a second to talk about some of the otherwholesale mlb jerseys contributions made by this quality leader.
It seems our pal has had some trouble with gambling debts. This is from August of 2006: "A report in The Daily News said that at least twice in the past two years illegal bookmakers had taken steps to get Lo Duca to pay his gambling debts."
t takes a minute to acquire a reputation and a lifetime to lose it.
When the Mets acquired Lo Duca, general manager Omar Minaya said of his new catcher, "This guy's a gamer. This guy's a guy that is going to give you that leadership quality, not only on the field but also in the clubhouse
Our man with the intangibles also has a preference for younger women. Also from August of 2006: "Mets catcher Paul Lo Duca's troubles increased Wednesday when a 19-year-old Long Island girl told a New York paper she had been having an affair with the catcher."
The woman went on to say that she did not know that Lo Duca was married until she read about his impending divorce in the paper. The reason Lo Duca's wife filed papers? Infidelity.
But he's a rock in the clubhouse, discount christian louboutinright? Here's what old heart and soul said in June of this year when he, rather than some of the Latins on the club, was asked for an interview: "Some of these guys gotta start talking. They speak English, believe me."
Lo Duca was a free agent after the season and the Mets showed little interest in bringing him back. Instead, he signed a one-year contract with the Nationals. General manager Jim Bowden left no doubt why he signed the catcher
"He wants to be there with the game on the line. He puts the ball in play and he is a winner, and that's why he is here. We are ready to start winning. We are opening up a new ballpark and its time to win."
Sources:
AP: Mets get their catcher - Paul Lo Duca
New York Times: Mets Support Lo Duca as Gambling Stories Swirl
MSNBC: Teen says she had affair with Mets' Lo Duca
New York Daily News: Lo Duca Tired of Doing Talking
Nationals Official Site: Nats sign backstop Lo Duca
