Kitsap Sun on Bloomquist
DMZ · January 22, 2008 at 2:58 pm · Filed Under Mariners
On the flip side, he’s disdained by a very active Mariner blogging community, which pokes fun at Bloomquist because of his lack of power and overall offensive production. Among his nicknames: “Ballgame,” “The Ignitor,” “Princess Willie” and “Willie Boom-Boom.”
Willie Ballgame might not be a favorite of those number-loving cybergeeks, but he’s earned the respect of those who count.
“disdained by”?
Isn’t “Willie Boom-Boom” a Rick Rizzs creation?
Nice name-calling. That’s some quality journalism. Way to cover the story.
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“those who count”? Like the Kitsap Sun??? Try the people who buy (or choose not to buy) tickets…and are also capable of figuring out how to turn on a computer.
Quoting Princess Willie:
There’s been times in my six years when I thought I deserved a shot. I don’t think I’ve gotten a legitimate shot but that’s the nature of the beast.
Short memory no? August through September 2006 he played almost every game.
Kitsap Sun is a terrible paper. Plus they are biased because Willie is the only thing to come out of that county besides crops and chewed up tobacco.
I don’t think I’ve gotten a legitimate shot
1090 career at bats.
.261/.313/.329
Well, if it makes you feel better, Peter Gammons mentioned this blog by name (though did not indicate he has time to read it):
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=3206971&type=blogEntry
I like Gammons, though I HATE (as somebody at LL mentioned) that his stuff is all Insider now. I won’t pay to read what I can get for free, in most cases, when it comes to baseball (with a few key exceptions).
I’m not sure why we should care what the Kitsap Sun says, except to laugh a bit at how they don’t understand what this site is saying about Willie.
Quoting Hargrove: “We all should have a little Willie Bloomquist in us”
Maybe there were compromising photos after all…….
“Willie Ballgame might not be a favorite of those number-loving cybergeeks, but he’s earned the respect of those of us who must use our fingers to count.”
The editor missed a few words. I fixed it for ‘em.
What, no mention of the “Willie Fuckin’ Bloomquist” nickname?
And of course I don’t think anyone actually feels disdain for Bloomquist; just for the managers that give him too many at bats.
Dear Kitsap Sun:
I probably bash Mr. Bloomquist as much as anyone on this site, if not more, so I am definitely one of the “number-loving cybergeeks” you so lovingly refer to.
So, to clarify my ACTUAL position on our beloved Princess Willie:
I love that he plays the game hard; I love that he’s willing to be so flexible about how the team uses him. If I were showing a young player how to put their best effort out on the field, Willie is one of the people I would point to.
However, he just does not have enough baseball skills to warrant a more prominent role in the Mariners organization, or any other. He can passably play defense at multiple positions, but cannot offer sufficient offensive production to justify regular playing time at any of them.
In addition, his positive example that I refer to above diminishes every time he complains about not having been given sufficient opportunity to prove what he could do given more playing time; he has been given this opportunity, despite his claims, and it only goes to show that he does not, in fact, have enough talent to be an everyday player.
Mr. Bloomquist only brings value to the Seattle Mariners when he puts the team’s needs ahead of his own aspirations, much like any other player; he has done a much better job in this regard over the last season or so, and you do him a disservice by trying to stir up this “controversy” again to help find writing material for a slow offseason.
Warm regards,
Jeff Nye
President, Princess Willie Fan Club
You are right Matthew. Nobody faults Willie for thinking he should play all the time and wanting to stay in the majors as long as he can. Hell, I don’t even blame him for thinking he is better than he really is – most of us probably think that way about ourselves many times.
No, what we can’t stand, and take issue with, is misuse of WFB. When used in his proper role, most of us agree he’s a useful last guy on the active roster kind of player for a pinch-run or to rest a guy now and then. A manager that looks at him as a legitimate starter (that seems to have faded), or a real option to back up somebody in a long-term injury situation, is crazy. Not only is he not adequate to do either, using him in that role has meant reduced flexibility for the team in late-inning situations for the last couple of years.
It’s funny though, in an effort to defend Willie against blog chatter, they’ve just created a whole lot more of what they dislike. It’s like having a mom come to school and tell the bullies to stop picking on her son.
Yeah, that Kitsap Sun sucks.
Oh, wait. I work for them.
D’oh.
I won’t defend (or attack) the article, but what really ought to inspire outrage is Willie’s inflated opinion of his abilities and value.
There’s too much in there to make fun of.
What the Mariner blogging community has disdain for is a very select list: inept ownership, blatant mismanagement, ignorant fans and possibly the Kitsap Sun.
Did I forget something?
Willie’s an athlete; if he were utterly modest and self-effacing, and still possessed his limited skillset, he’d never have made the major leagues.
Ya see – Willie aspires to be Roberto Clemente, but hits like Willie Bloomquist. If he only aspired to be Willie Bloomquist… how badly would he hit?
So, props to Mr B for the hustle and stolen bases and the defensive flexibility, and a big cup of STFU to the local press.
Oh, that is the funniest thing I have read in weeks.
Do you think the new USSM logo drove them over the edge?
Great work, Graham. Look what you’ve done.
People–ESPN Insider costs $7/month. That’s a beer-and-a-half a month. Totally worth it, for Gammons alone.
You owe me a new monitor.
I don’t dislike Willie, and I doubt the majority of the rest of us ‘cybergeeks’ do. What I object against is the amount of AB’s he gets. As a pinch-running and defensive replacement, he is above average. He performs the utility role adequately. He is nothing more than this.
16
ESPN Insider is also free during the life of your ESPN the Magazine subscription. I rarely even read the mag but my grandmother renews my subscription every birthday. Gammons and Olney are the only two guys I check out on a daily basis and the free Scouts Inc. content is gravy during football season.
I like to call him Scrappy myself.
I like beer too much to dignify that comment, Seth. ESPN isn’t getting my cash. THT Annual, however, is worth the beer money (less than $2 a month if broken down), though.
Now if they gave Ballgame a page in the Insider . .
#3: Actually, Kitsap has produced several major-league ballplayers, including Aaron Sele, Brook Jacoby and Jason Ellison. There’s also NBA player Marvin Williams and several past and present NFL players, like Benji Olson and Bryan Hinkle.
I’m not paying **** for Insider. I’ve been angry ever since Neyer went pay only.
Yeah, Graham. Nice work on the pony. Thom shouldn’t have been reading the blog at work apparently.
…those number-loving cybergeeks
That’s my favorite insult from more…traditional minded baseball fans. If wanting my team to be as successful as possible and not to pander to the whims of overpaid and under-talented vets makes me a nerd than bust out the old D&D playes guide, dude.
Quoting Hargrove: “We all should have a little Willie Bloomquist in us”
The jokes just write themselves for that one.
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I didn’t think ESPN wrote about anything but Tom Brady, anymore.
What, no mention of the “Willie F**in’ Bloomquist” nickname?
Huh. And here all along the “F” stood for “Fogerty”…
Thom, don’t forget Kevin Sargent
Meh. I left my comment. I took more exception with the name calling than anything else. Well, the fact that he paints us as rabid Willie Bloomquist haters makes one bristle as well… Heck, I even have the mans autograph!
Wait, we love Willie Ballgame.
That’s why he’s on the USS Mariner’s Logo of Positivity.
Who would be those “people who count?”
Chuck Armstrong? Bill Bavasi? Howard Lincoln? The Moose?
Ummmmmmmmmm, ya. . .
At least Mark Mclemore could HIT A BASEBALL. . .
Whoever wrote that piece for the Kitsap Sun should be embarrassed. They completely missed the point. Willy and his puny numbers are the unfortunate symbols of organizational ineptitude. To curse Willy when his name appears in the lineup card is to surf the Kismet ripple of doom which ensues thereafter. Nobody hates Willy for being Willy.
I can’t help but point out what Gammons said in the article linked at 5 above:
It’s amazing how many club officials read USS Mariner (Seattle)
Gammons apparently hangs out with these people, so he ought to know, but I haven’t seen much sign of club officials reading USS Mariner, unless maybe it’s club officials from some other club (maybe Andy MacPhail?).
Just wondering, who came up with Princess Willie as a nickname?
Huh, that article isn’t from The Onion?
The sad thing is, Willie isn’t really even that nice of a guy. Having dealt with him in person a few times, his attitude about playing time is pretty much his attitude about everything else. He’s too good to be doing whatever it is he’s doing, and it’s all someone else’s fault.
It’s funny to me that Chuck Stark would list “Ballgame,” “The Ignitor,” and “Willie Boom-Boom” in the same category as “Princess Willie.” From what I can tell, Ballgame is generally considered in the same light as “gamer,” which would seem to be something that Willie professes to be. “The Ignitor” is only an insulting nickname because everyone, apparently even his detractors, understands that he couldn’t start a fire if we gave him a zippo and a stick of dynamite. Similarly, “Willie Boom-Boom” is only an insulting nickname if you acknowledge that he has no power.
Mat –
My understanding was “Ballgame” was short for “…and that’s the ballgame” from the announcers as Willie flies out to the warning track or grounds out to first base…
#35 Totally agree. I’ve dealt with him several times over the years while covering the M’s and he’s totally full of himself.
He thinks he’s a big deal, but truthfully, the only reason he wants to be a starting player (other than the $$$$) is because of
the better quality of tail he’d get on the road if he weren’t a freaking scrub…
My understanding was “Ballgame” was short for “…and that’s the ballgame” from the announcers as Willie flies out to the warning track or grounds out to first base…
That seems like a reasonable way to give the nickname a negative connotation, but basically every other time I’ve heard the nickname invoked it seems to imply that the player “plays the game the right way” and that sort of thing. Perhaps it’s been turned on its head, but I would have to think that a casual fan reading that sentence would wonder how “Willie Ballgame” was an insult.
because of the better quality of tail he’d get on the road if he weren’t a freaking scrub…
Oh SNAP! His wife is pretty hot, too… I’ll pinch hit for him anytime!
WRT “Willie Ballgame” – I’ve always read it in a sarcastic tone of voice, myself. I did witness his grand salami against the Rays a few years ago though. So he’s got home run power!!!!!111one!
Jimmie
I read the article. This blog wasn’t mentioned by name. Let it slide, for chrissakes, it’s not supposed to be the Wall Street Journal. It’s a LOCAL paper. A lot of people from over here take the ferry to see the games, and it’s nice to have a local connection. Oh, and #3, Tara and Dana Kirk are also from Bremertonand they are currently world class swimmers and Olympians.
Oh yeah #3, also Jason Hammel.
I like how Willie plays. Rag the manager if Willie gets too many ABs.
I always thought being called “Ballgame” was a compliment; that you played hard. Speaking of confident (or arrogant) professional athletes, Didn’t Jim Bouton write that Ted Williams called himself “Ballgame?” As in “I’m Teddy Fucking Ballgame of the Major Fucking Leagues.” Line drive.
At least they didn’t compare you to syphilis.
Dear Chuck,
Your off-hand deprecation betrays your lack of investigative journalism. It’s fortunate for you that your already have a platform for your writing. Were you to make yourself heard here, I imagine your voice would bleat ineffectually against the empirical, logical evaluation of the ballclub you find here. It’s probably best your harmless and desultory argumentation is confined to your minor media, while greater minds can assay true merit and deliver conclusions from fact. And influence a far greater swath of Marinerdom than you could.
And Todd Linden.
I just forwarded that to Chuck. He’s chuckling.
Ha! I’m found guilty of one count of reckless deprecation and two counts of snide snubbing.
Well…’greater minds’ doesn’t include me.
It’s not a bad piece aside from the slight, and the lack of discussion about why WB shouldn’t have a larger role.
I don’t remember who first coined “Princess Willie”, but I’m reasonably sure that I added it to the Wikipedia article.
didn’t Jim Bouton write that Ted Williams called himself “Ballgame?” As in “I’m Teddy Fucking Ballgame of the Major Fucking Leagues.” Line drive.
When you’re one of the 2 or 3 greatest hitters to ever to play you can call yourself whatever you want.
I agree about Bloomquist’s hustle. I, and a lot of fans appreciate it. That doesn’t mean he should be getting more than 100 ABs a year though.
I, too, would like to see Willie Ballgame become another Edgar. I would also like to see him become another Isaac Newton, Abraham Lincoln, and Billie Holiday. More playing time is not likely to induce any of these transformations.