David Price And The Importance Of How Players Carry Themselves

It’s no secret that baseball is an incredibly humbling game. Every baseball player will tell you that it is best to keep an even keel whether on a 20-game hitting streak or a 20-game dry run. However, that’s also quite a bit harder than it may seem and that’s all the more evident in today’s game where athletes have access to social media outlets and every fan can see what they are thinking with just the click of a button. This allows fans, managers, and other players alike to see a player’s internal makeup and sometimes the results can be shocking.

Oct 5, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Tampa Bay Rays pitcher

(14) reacts to giving up an RBI double to Boston Red Sox second baseman

(15) during the fifth inning in game two of the American League divisional series playoff baseball game at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

Wil Myers, a 22 year old rookie, showed incredibly poise and humility after his crucial error in a 12-2 loss in Game One of the ALDS. Myers made it clear that it was his mistake, not part of trickery by the Red Sox, and did not comment on the razzing that followed him for the rest of the game. Since a 22 year old rookie carried himself with so much poise, one would expect that a veteran ace like David Price would be able to do the same thing. However, after allowing 7 earned runs in 7 innings in a 7-4 loss last night, Price took to twitter and just complained about various elements from the game, even finding the need to boost his insecure psyche.

"Dirk Hayhurst…COULDNT hack it…Tom Verducci wasn’t even a water boy in high school…but yet they can still bash a player…SAVE IT NERDSTrust me I don’t want sympathy…I got beat tonight…so be it..I’ll bounce back…3x ALLSTAR…2 time player choice…runner up cy…AND CY"

Instead of owning up to his mistakes, he finds the need to not only bash those whose job is to analyze his performance, he also brags about his past achievements? If he were on the free agent market and looking for a contract, then those would be necessary negotiating tactics, but one doesn’t just bring that up in conversation. If I were being criticized at work for losing several files, and my boss was chastising me, I wouldn’t bring up that I had won Employee of the Month three months ago. It’s not relevant. It doesn’t help to alleviate the task at hand. And even when fans accuse Price of bragging, he defends himself further?

"not bragging…just a simple reminder RT @mpistark: @DAVIDprice14 you don’t have to brag man. Damnnot bragging…you can google that..true fans understand..fake one don’t..PERIOD RT @Yons18: @DAVIDprice14 This is the ultimate humble brag."

A humble, respectable player would simply not respond to these accusations. However, Price not only responds and defends himself, he even accuses one of the twitter users of not being a real fan. This would likely be much bigger news if Price played in a large market, but right now he is only hurting his chances of ever playing in one. Things like this simply do not slide in Boston, New York, or Philadelphia and players like Price and his former teammate Carl Crawford have shown that they just cannot take the hit to the ego that comes with playing in a big market where every little thing is magnified.

To bring a twist to the story, this is just evidence that the Red Sox have something truly special. After a Red Sox loss, players do not go on twitter and post idiotic things, they do not accuse the other teams’ players in postgame interviews, and they definitely do not call out fans for not being true fans. This is just more evidence that it takes a different animal to succeed in a big market and it’s evidence that Ben Cherington and Co. did their research. Hopefully the Red Sox will wrap this series up on Monday and continue to roll, showing the same even-keeled temperament that they have all year long.