So by now you've probably heard about Yuni's benching. The organization is upset with his poor work ethic and lack of drive, and they're prepared to sit him or demote him until things get better. I just want to focus on one quote in particular. From LaRue's piece:
Betancourt, who has had meetings with his manager and coaches all season, insists he's doing nothing different now than ever.
"I've been doing the same routine for years," Betancourt said. "I can't control the lineup. I'm doing whatever I've done in the past."
Read that quote. Now read it again. In the first sentence alone, two things are made clear:
Betancourt...insists he's doing nothing different now than ever.
Self-awareness this bad should send people to prison. I can barely fathom the levels of arrogance and obliviousness necessary for one one to believe that, despite countless meetings with bosses who want you to change, you've been doing things right all along. Jeff Weaver made adjustments. Horacio Ramirez made adjustments. Carlos Silva made adjustments. Yuniesky Betancourt hasn't made adjustments. He has consciously and deliberately eluded change, and by remaining the same player he's always been, he's turned into a worse one.
Not that he knows it. If you ask Yuni, he's still the same guy. After all, if he's not preparing differently, then he shouldn't be playing differently, right? Fleeting flirtation with patience aside, Yuni doesn't think anything's changed, and it can be a million times more difficult to convince a player with that mindset that something is wrong and needs to be fixed.
Player X: You wanted to see me, coach?
Coach: Hey. Yeah. I wanted to talk to you about your plate discipline.
Player X: What about it, coach?
Coach: It's not where I'd like it to be. I think a little improvement in your eye could really elevate your game to the next level.
Player X: I know what you mean, coach. I've been swinging at too many bad pitches. I really need to get better.
Coach: Glad to hear it.
Player X: I'll spend extra time in the cages. Hope that pitching machine doesn't throw any Pedro changeups! Ha ha!
Coach: Ha ha!
Player Y: what
Coach: Hey. Yeah. I wanted to talk to you about your plate discipline.
Player Y: what I'm fine
Coach: No, you're not.
Player Y: yes I am
Coach: No, you're really not.
Player Y: look we can sit here and argue until the cows come home but I don't see the point because I'm right and you're wrong
Coach: You're wrong and you're benched.
Player Y: you can't bench a superstar
Coach: I wouldn't dream of it.
Player Y:
Coach:
Player Y: hey look over there a giant spider! look out it's gonna get you!
Coach: What? I don't see a-
Coach:
Coach: Hello?
Yuni's broken. That much has been obvious for at least a calendar year. Yuni's broken, and the team is now punishing him for his lack of growth. Yuni, though, doesn't understand why this is happening all of a sudden, which can't bode well for how this whole episode turns out. The team will hope that a benching or demotion finally wakes him up and gets him to put forth a little more effort, but if Yuni can sit through dozens of face-to-face meetings and not figure out that something is wrong, I'm not sure anything'll be accomplished by taking discipline to the next step. Some people just don't get it. Though I occasionally feel guilty for writing off most professional athletes as complete idiots, Yuni's done nothing to shed the label.
Betancourt...insists he's doing nothing different now than ever.
Unbelievable.
0 recs | 137 comments
I understand that it takes a certain level of arrogance to be a top-flight professional athlete
but the level of arrogance shown by Yuni in not even pondering the possibility that he could work harder and get better is absolutely breathtaking.
pdb - June 10, 2009
He seemed like a really self-absorbed asshole in that Vanity Fair article.
Eyebrows - June 10, 2009
There was a Vanity Fair article about Yuni?
katal - June 10, 2009
Sure answer.
I can’t wait to read this!
katal - June 10, 2009
It's a great article.
Not about Yuni specifically, but they do talk about how he screwed over the guy who got him to the US.
Eyebrows - June 10, 2009
What a depressing article.
But way to be a stand-up guy, Yuni!
Paytheline - June 10, 2009
I find it hard to believe that this will end well for Yuni
I mean, what’s the best case scenario? I don’t think the defense is coming back (certainly not during the season), even if he does work harder and lose some weight. As for the offense, maybe he takes a few more pitches in Tacoma, but is anyone going to believe for a second that he’s revamped his entire approach at the plate?
This is obviously long overdue, and took this long only because the M’s have had no other options. Cedeno doesn’t exactly inspire a lot of confidence, but at this point I’m thrilled to hopefully never see Betancourt again.
Sportszilla - June 10, 2009
God
Jose Lopez is on this team.
And we’re supposed to believe that Ichiro’s a problem in the clubhouse? Yuni is poison.
Jeff Sullivan - June 10, 2009
I bet Yuni has doubts!
Matthew - June 10, 2009
But Yuni isn't one upping other players by being good.
They can look at him and know, at the very least, they’re not that bad. Helps with the self-esteem.
SethGrandpa - June 10, 2009
Schadenfreude-causation should be included in player value metrics.
themoose - June 10, 2009
Best guess who the quoted "one Mariner" was?
1. Sweeney
2. Junior
3. Branyan
4. Spike Owen
25. Ichiro
lemonverbena - June 10, 2009
Silva
EJO - June 10, 2009
Wakamatsu? Zduriencik?
Kermit. - June 10, 2009
Denny Stark.
MFAN - June 10, 2009
Outrighted to Tacoma today, for anyone who cares.
Teej - June 10, 2009
.
Fin - June 10, 2009
The excuse he gave for not attending early BP yesterday was that he was asleep on the plane and missed the announcement
tootthekazoo - June 10, 2009
Oh, alrighty then!
waldo rojas - June 10, 2009
Jose Lopez tries hard. =(
joof - June 10, 2009
Kinda
seattlebruin - June 10, 2009
So, Cedeno huh?
waldo rojas - June 10, 2009
Too bad we don't have willie anymore.
hcoguy - June 10, 2009
Yeah, because what team doesn't want one more shitty baseball player?
JLProck - June 10, 2009
Willie's not a shitty player, he's just mis-cast as a regular.
He has his value in certain areas. As a utility guy, there are worse in the big leagues. Better ones too, but he’s not the worst.
BrettJMiller - June 10, 2009
I'd love for Yuni to be sent to rookie ball, the lazy fuck needs to be subjected to that kind of humiliation.
That said, I think if that happened to Yuni he wouldn’t give a shit. Which is fine by me because I would actually celebrate if Yuni was simply released.
EnglishMariner - June 10, 2009
The problem
I think the problem with this is that he might knock the tar out of the ball in Tacoma. I certainly haven’t followed Yuni’s career. But, in my uninformed opinion it seems like he’s always relied on his talent. I don’t think any of us will dispute that he’s talented. So his talent has taken him this far with very little work, and he’s made it the majors without hard work.
Sending him back to Tacoma might just allow his talent to dominate again and he could just go right back to doing better than the people around him without any work.
the solution is obviously to go back in time and trade him when he was worth something. If only there was some blog somewhere or some write who had suggested the Mariners do this very thing . . . .
Snuffleupagus - June 10, 2009
The solution
create a AAAA league. It would contain only one team, and all players are either current or former M’s. You go to practice and bitch about your team mates letting you down. You get promoted back up to the big league when you realize your problems are cause by you.
ErictheRed - June 10, 2009
I don't think he'd dominate the league or anything.
He moved fast in the M’s system because we were starting Wilson Valdez/Mike Morse, not because he was an amazing hitter. He’s been so unbelievably consistent that I think we could all basically guess his slash line in AAA. He is what he is… which is sort of the point of the post.
marc w - June 10, 2009
.280/.310/.400 blam done
Graham MacAree - June 10, 2009
Just to be different .285/.315/.405
It’s different!
marc w - June 10, 2009
.300/.290/.410
joof - June 10, 2009
EVen if this were true
the organization is smart enough to know the difference between Yuni hitting well because of talent and Yuni hitting well and playing defense well because he’s working hard. If he gets sent down it’s a punishment, not an attempt to fix something wrong with his game.
Aaron Campeau - June 10, 2009
I guess I just meant that he won't care
if he gets sent down he gets to play baseball. In addition to that he gets to play baseball relatively well (although people more knowledgable than me say not that great).
My point is that from a pure punishment perpsective having him sit on the bench might be worse than sending him to Tacoma. In Tacoma he can think to himself everytime he gets a hit ‘see, I’m good at baseball and I’m doing just fine. those managers are just stupid and don’t get me.’
While he’s sitting on the bench he’s face to face with the disdain of the management and the rest of the team.
Of course then he’s taking up a roster spot.
Snuffleupagus - June 10, 2009
I think even a retard can tell the difference between the majors and AAA
and fuck Tacoma, send him to Everett
seattlebruin - June 10, 2009
.
lemonverbena - June 10, 2009
A rec to whoever Photoshops Yuni's face onto this
seattlebruin - June 10, 2009
What, that's not Yuni?
Matthew - June 10, 2009
Uh
white face
not so white face
seattlebruin - June 10, 2009
CUTE!
Matthew - June 10, 2009
That ain't white on C-George's face, it's shine
lemonverbena - June 10, 2009
wrong hat
pdb - June 10, 2009
I've got an idea!
They should send him to Everett, and make him ride the bench there
Milendriel - June 10, 2009
He can think whatever the fuck he wants as long as he's not doing it in a Mariners' uniform.
I have no faith that he will improve. You can’t move him now, but maybe if he goes to Tacoma and rakes someone will take him for free. If not, whatever. At least we can spare Sec 108’s vocal cords.
Aaron Campeau - June 10, 2009
Which can apparently be heard from behind the 3B dugout, according to reports of friends.
Sec. 108 is in right field.
BrettJMiller - June 10, 2009
I've been told the same thing.
Honestly though ac, if not for Mariner games I would have nowhere to practice my bellowing voice. Even if Yuni goes away I will still yell because that is what I do.
Sec 108 - June 10, 2009
If by "yell" you mean "scream like a 6 year old girl that just saw a spider" then I guess you're right on
or maybe that was just a function of all the beer I had.
pdb - June 10, 2009
That is one raspy 6yo girl, but other than that dead on.
Sec 108 - June 10, 2009
She's been a pack-a-day smoker since she was 2 so that explains the rasp
pdb - June 10, 2009
It's not as though I didn't expect this to happen.
But it sucks because I know how good Yuni could be if he had any desire to reach his full potential. But since he wants to be a lazy fuck hole, fuck him. Have fun in Tacoma.
d0nkey - June 10, 2009
I would be thrilled if he were sent to Tacoma
Poochie - June 10, 2009
Looks like that's not too far away
Cedeno needs to show an iota of hitting ability and we’re practically there. Wak seems to be big, real big on effort and presentation (ie the ties on team flights) and Yuni may be made into an example.
Bearskin Rugburn - June 10, 2009
It has to happen right? If he isn't going to play, the team is going to need another infielder on the roster.
abender20 - June 10, 2009
So why did we put Chris Burke on waivers again?
But this is great news. For Cedeno, for the team, for the city. The faster Yuni can pout his way out of the majors the better. Time to start sniffing around for a SS/lefty starter swap.
Bearskin Rugburn - June 10, 2009
"Yuni's been meeting with his unhappy superiors all year"
Not long after her blog post noting Betancourt’s absence from early BP went up yesterday, Drayer was on 710 and pointed out that over the last three years various coaches and players have been designated as official Yuni-butt-kickers, all to no avail.
msb - June 10, 2009
Could this possibly make you angrier than the Morrow news?
Fin - June 10, 2009
I can't speak for others, but this makes me very happy
The only poster who might be unhappy about this is Yuniform
Bearskin Rugburn - June 10, 2009
I think Yuniform has long since come to terms with his predicament
Jeff Sullivan - June 10, 2009
Perhaps it's time to debut ReKelleya or Jakubauskastume
Jeff Sullivan - June 10, 2009
Oh my.
Teej - June 10, 2009
AWESOME.
marc w - June 10, 2009
Morrowveralls
Eyebrows - June 10, 2009
Burke-a
Eyebrows - June 10, 2009
Rob Johnson's flayed skin used as a poncho
Graham MacAree - June 10, 2009
Take it easy, Ed Gein.
section331 - June 10, 2009
Endyware
Paytheline - June 10, 2009
Michael Saunduds
Bryan LaHairshirt
Jeff Cleraiment
Sean Whitesoxwithdressshoes or plain old Fasean White
marc w - June 10, 2009
StoneWashburnJeans
OlSalty - June 10, 2009
I see both developments as good news.
Teej - June 10, 2009
Yuni is not broken. Yuni is retarded.
Don’t take my word for it. See for yourself!
ThundaPC - June 10, 2009
YAY!!!!
Robert - June 10, 2009
Definition of insanity
Doing the samething over and over again expecting different results.
SequimRealE - June 10, 2009
Maybe he likes the results.
Sec 108 - June 10, 2009
Maybe he doesn't care about the results.
Beyond the paycheque.
Llewdor - June 10, 2009
Frenchy.
russak - June 10, 2009
This takes me back to almost exactly two years ago.
katal - June 10, 2009
Couldn’t have said it better myself
Dewey N - June 10, 2009
Seriously though this has made me turn on Yuni in favor of a new favorite Mariner who will remain nameless until I decide who he is
Dewey N - June 10, 2009
I heard about this yesterday on the pre-game show
And Drayer was talking about him not taking batting practice with everyone else, and the fact that it’s starting to piss the other guys off. I liked Yuni until now; I just figured he was struggling a little; but he’s just being a dick about it, and that’s not cool. I’m not big into Ronnie Cedeno, but at least Cedeno gives a shit about the team, his performance, and the fans, and I have a healthy amount of respect for that.
section331 - June 10, 2009
*Ronny
;)
Kirsten Schlewitz - June 10, 2009
Dammit.
Thanks. I don’t know why I keep spelling it like that. :/
section331 - June 10, 2009
I would love to see something like a Yuni for Jeff Francouer swap happen
the most hilarious headcase for headcase swap ever (yes, I’m aware it would make no sense for either team)
seattlebruin - June 10, 2009
Francouer could play left!
Poochie - June 10, 2009
We get Yuniel they get Frabklin
Makes great sense. Endy slides into center for the remainder of the season Saunders/Wlad platoon in LF. In stant improvement! And they would go for it…. eh maybe not.
Bearskin Rugburn - June 10, 2009
Well, cock
Bearskin Rugburn - June 10, 2009
I love how the new group has handled this.
They inherited him so they had to give him a chance. They were smart enough to get Cedeno to fill in should he fail.
What gets me crazy angry is the past regime. By the end of 2006 I was done with Yuni. When a drunk guy sitting in right field can tell someone is getting worse on a daily basis why the fuck can’t the team see it?
This whole Yuni experience is easily the most frustrating I have ever watched. More than Russ Davis, David Henderson, Mike Morgan, Matt Young or any of the many others who never lived up to their potential.
Sec 108 - June 10, 2009
Excellent!
The other tidbit that really frosted my ass about this kid besides the line up quote, he says he was asleep on the plane and didn’t know about the batting practice. Nevermind the other three. Specifically this one moment in time, he’s asleep on the plane, wakes up and wipes the drool off his face, or not, and heads off to the hotel. Wakes up and he’s all by himself, lonely little monkey, and doesn’t think anything about it.
What a crock of shit, I don’t know anything more than anybody else when it comes to this situation, but guys that make excuses like that? Get ‘em away, far far away. I’d love to hear all the excuses he offers, then again no. He’s hurt this team and shown a complete lack of respect for his teammates, their efforts and the time they’ve invested. There is no greater insult.
Kermit. - June 10, 2009
You're on a roll this week.
royalcurve - June 10, 2009
What's really hilarious is that they surely told him when he was awake
in general you don’t make important announcements and then pray everyone was awake to hear them when they may very well be asleep
seattlebruin - June 10, 2009
I love how charismatic Player X is.
“Ha ha,” Fucking awesome.
marinerdan - June 10, 2009
Oh for heavens sake.
royalcurve - June 10, 2009
So, Yuni's in the lineup today...
Matthew - June 10, 2009
Of course.
Teej - June 10, 2009
Ronny needs a day off every once in a while
seattlebruin - June 10, 2009
Ronny needs to stop sucking every once in a while
Matthew - June 10, 2009
I bet Khalil Greene is available.
Poochie - June 10, 2009
Man, that is such a messy story.
msb - June 10, 2009
Na Ga Ha Pen
Faux - June 10, 2009
He misses his only fan.
Kirsten Schlewitz - June 10, 2009
Goddamn Franklin Gutierrez corrupted him.
joof - June 10, 2009
The M's sent a message through the press and then are giving him one last chance?
eponymous_coward - June 10, 2009
They're sending a message to Ronny
Bearskin Rugburn - June 10, 2009
Yeah, like "maybe you should get a hit more than once a week".
eponymous_coward - June 10, 2009
Well my priaprism just went away.
Sec 108 - June 10, 2009
What, you're shitting me?!
EnglishMariner - June 10, 2009
HaH! Classic. So much for shipping him off to Tacoma.
manyoso - June 10, 2009
GO YUNI GO
Make the best out of this second chance!
Robert - June 10, 2009
Eighth chance.
Llewdor - June 10, 2009
HOW + WHY HAS THIS HAPPENED?
I THOUGHT WE HAD SHIPPED THAT MONKEY OFF TO THE ZOO FOR GOOD.
EnglishMariner - June 10, 2009
We should try and trade him for Knut the polar bear
Robert - June 10, 2009
Or maybe we could make Yuni live with Knut in his pen and see what happens?
Just so you are in the loop: I will be starving and teasing Knut for weeks before Yuni is allowed in.
EnglishMariner - June 10, 2009
Yuni is very good at making outs
eponymous_coward - June 10, 2009
.
Phil Hatzenbuehler - June 10, 2009
We need someone who can lip-read spanish.
msb - June 10, 2009
"Careful, that's more exercise than you usually get."
abender20 - June 10, 2009
I swear he said "Basta"
Kirsten Schlewitz - June 10, 2009
Loosely translated it means "knock it off"
Poochie - June 10, 2009
Awesome + what a prick.
EnglishMariner - June 10, 2009
"I don't know man. Maybe you should just try harder at baseball. I don't think you'll make it as a punter."
Eyebrows - June 10, 2009
"I've seen Darin Erstad, and you're no Darin Erstad."
Jeff Sullivan - June 10, 2009
What
Jeff Sullivan - June 10, 2009
So it turns out that satirical post has retroactively become not satire.
Poochie - June 10, 2009
I think I've figured out the pattern.
Filed under Good News? —> Title not sarcastic.
Filed under Bad News? —> Title is sarcastic.
Matthew - June 10, 2009
By that logic you are implying that this team only has good news
How can you honestly say that a day after we drafted Baron?
Robert - June 10, 2009
You're assuming that people don't only read the title and then go straight to the comment box applauding Jeff on his great writing.
Faux - June 10, 2009
I'm surprised his "What hacking looks like" didn't get more recs.
Robert - June 10, 2009
Yep, that's what I do.
royalcurve - June 10, 2009
I was thinking about that this morning
Jeff Sullivan - June 10, 2009
"Yuniesky Betancourt Totally Forgets Where He Came From"?
Probably one of my favorite LL posts of all-time.
Though it sucks that it’s true now.
BrettJMiller - June 10, 2009
In all seriousness I think he has a learning disability or something
Because this doesn’t make a whole lot of sense for a normal person.
OlSalty - June 10, 2009
Or it could be that he's just unbelievably stubborn and refuses to admit that he could improve with some hard work
pdb - June 10, 2009
Clearly a disability
Jeff Sullivan - June 10, 2009
If they have pills for it, it's a handicap
Jeff Sullivan - June 10, 2009
Not wanting to hump everything in sight is a handicap?
Aaron Campeau - June 10, 2009
Evolutionarily yes
Jeff Sullivan - June 10, 2009
Personally I would love to see Yuni on some psychotropic drugs
OlSalty - June 10, 2009
Or he's just incredibly stupid
OlSalty - June 10, 2009
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