bellyitcher

I made the same switch Ankiel's making, for the same reason. Granted, I was a 12 year-old girl playing softball, but one day I showed up at the game and couldn't pitch. At all. Everything was ten feet in front of the plate or to the backstop. Up until then I had started almost every game for a couple of seasons. And, poof, gone. It never came back. I realized I had been thinking about quitting pitching and how much more fun playing would be without worrying about feeling responsible for keeping the team in the game. So, to me, Ankiel's decision makes sense. Once the idea of quitting was there, he was never going to be able to pitch effectively again.

But as a fan, this sucks. I don't see any way he makes it through waivers. So, unless Rick somehow makes the team as the seventh outfielder, he's gone. Some team will be able to keep him on their roster for the season. Sure, I'd like for him to do well, even if it's not with the Cardinals. But after all the time and effort dumped into him, I'm a little pissed. Dollars to doughnuts, management is, too.

And it didn't take long to erase all evidence of Rick as a pitcher.