Craig Biggio

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HVoreWSFD0

  
    I have to admit at first I had a hard time believing Craig Biggio was a dirtbag. After writing about Lenny Dykstra (who I felt was an evident dirtbag) I didn’t know exactly how to approach Biggio.
    At first glance I saw Craig Biggio as a clean All-American player. I initially thought who he was off the field was who he was as a player. I was taken back because this was completely different from who Dykstra is. If you were to take Dykstra both on and off the field most would say he carries the typical negative connotation of the dirtbag whereas Biggio does not. How could Biggio possibly be similar to Dykstra? How do two seemingly different players be categorized as dirtbags?
    First, I had to remind myself that being a dirtbag isn’t about who a player is off the field it’s about the player he was on the field. In addition, I had to expand my own concept of a dirtbag. This meant looking at my own prejudice towards dirtbags and rejecting those stigmas. If I were to approach this project objectively I’d have to start looking at each players independently, not unvaryingly.
    So… How’s Craig Biggio classified as a dirtbag?
    Exploring beyond my immediate impression I noticed Biggio was one of the rare players who has played multiple positions (yes, plural) throughout his career.
    Here’s a VERY brief overview of his career:
    Mid-1988 and 1989 Biggio was a catcher. Though he was a stellar behind the plate; Biggio had wheels and the Astros’ management wanted to use his speed to the fullest. Thus in 1990, he was put in the outfield part-time. In 1992 the Astros finally convinced Biggio to convert to second base. Even though Biggio made his positions transitions look easy, according to craig-biggio.co.tv, “it is remarkably rare for a major league catcher to make a successful transition to middle infielder. If a catcher changes positions, it is usually to first base, or occasionally to outfield or third base.” (4) Biggio would continue to bounce from second base to outfield for the rest of his career with the Astros.
    I bet your wondering exactly how many years Biggio played for the Astros, right? Biggio was a part of the Astros organization from 1988 to 2007. Twenty years. He was and is the heart and soul of the Houston Astros. His scrappy, no-nonsense style of play has been an example for future Astros stars like Hunter Pence. Not only did Biggio stay with a team for 20 years, but according to the Bleacher Report, “Biggio is the epitome of a true loyal team player. He twice rejected free agency. He even rejected a deal to his hometown Mets. He would get more money and would be close to home. But Biggio was loyal.” (2)
    Okay, okay, so I haven’t really explained what makes Biggio a dirtbag. Besides his reliability, flexibility, selflessness, and passion for the game-- Biggio wasn’t afraid to get plunked by pitches. Yes, you read that right, Biggio developed a strategy to get on base by crowding the plate. He did this consistently for 11 seasons, that he began to gain a reputation for being hit by pitches. He was even dubbed by writer, Mike Berardino as the “king of hit batsmen.” (3)
    Yet, despite getting plunked 267 times, Biggio never charged the mount nor had any serious injuries. Why does this make him a dirtbag? He’s a dirtbag because he used the game to his advantage. Biggio clearly stated that he knew “pitchers have to pitch inside and it's going to happen. It's part of the game.” (3) This shows he took basic fundamentals of the game and used it to his advantage. He’s a dirtbag because he’d take a 95 MPH fastball to the cheekbone just to get on base.
    Additionally, Biggio can be considered a dirtbag because of his distinctive teamwork and sacrifice. Biggio expressed, “I take a lot in the back or the butt or the arms, stuff like that. They moved all over, but they don't hurt as bad if you score. That's the truth.” (3) This shows how Biggio was willing to take a hit for his team to win. He was a perfect example of the age old saying, “the name on the front is more important than the name on the back.” That’s why everyone from the Astros organization and beyond loved Biggio. He took whatever it would take to benefit his team over himself.
    As a result, I discovered Biggio showed a different characteristic of a dirtbag. That’s why I believe I found it semi-difficult to write about him. Dykstra showed the typical scrappy style of a dirtbag (the style I mostly identified as a dirtbag), but Biggio showed loyalty, commitment, and sacrifice. Evident positive characteristics that are just as dirtbag as the typical scrappy style.
    Perhaps, Biggio’s style can help all of us understand that a dirtbag can be a positive characterization. There have been many times I’ve called players playing now dirtbags in front of my baseball fanatic family and have gotten strong negative responses. Hopefully, this piece on Biggio has helped shed a light that dirtbags are dirtbags because they posses multiple qualities. Qualities that enhance the game. Qualities that show what the game of baseball is all about. Qualities like loyalty, sacrifice, and teamwork that Biggio used everyday at Enron Field (Minute Maid Park).
  




(1) http://www.tbhof.org/bio/2004/biobiggio.htm
(2) http://bleacherreport.com/articles/101471-the-epitome-of-an-astro-the-craig-biggio-story
(3) http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FCI/is_7_64/ai_n15378941/
(4) http://craig-biggio.co.tv/

Lenny Dykstra

A passage from Moneyball by Michael Lewis:

“Physically, Lenny didn‘t belong in the same league with him [Billy Beane]. He was half Billy‘s size, and had a fraction of Billy‘s promise-- which is why the Mets hadn‘t drafted him until the thirteenth round. Mentally, Lenny was superior, which was odd considering Lenny wasn’t what you’d call a student of the game. Billy remembers sitting with Lenny in a Mets dugout watching the opposing pitcher warm up. “Lenny says, ‘So who’s that big dumb ass out there on the hill?’ And I say, ‘Lenny, you’re kidding me, right? That’s Steve Carlton. He’s maybe the greatest left-hander in the history of the game.’ Lenny says, “So what’s he got?’ And I say, ‘Lenny, come on. Steve Carlton. He’s got heat and also maybe the nastiest slider ever.’ And Lenny sits there for a while longer as if he’s taking that in. Finally he just says, ‘Shit, I’ll stick him.” pg 45-46

    I wasn’t big on baseball during my early years. I was a ruffled dress, Barbie loving freak who could care less about baseball. No, baseball was my brother’s job. However, the more I learned about the game, I found myself falling in love with it. In particular, the players. And there’s no other player more distinct than a Dirtbag. Yet, the more I research the concept of “Dirtbags,” the more I was convinced of two things:
    One: Defining a Dirtbag is completely subjective
    Two. Dirtbags are a dying breed
    Thus, I arrived face to face with a decade (or two) of the most scrappy players in the MLB- the 1980’s to 1990’s. This was the height of Dirtbags. Going through the players from these decades, it was hard to keep my list to the maximum I was willing to write. I did, nevertheless, come across one play who’s face (a least to me) define a dirtbag. That face is Lenny Dykstra.
    I was taken back the first time I came across a picture of Lenny. He was a scruffy looking ball player, with a curly brown hair, a huge grin, and a wad of chew in his jaw the size of a fist. I didn’t know what to expect of him based on the photo I came across. Yet, the more I researched about Lenny as a ball player, the more I learned about his distinctive character on the field. Similar to the way Billy Beane describes Lenny Dykstra in the Moneyball excerpt above, I found from the sources I came across, Lenny was "perfectly designed, emotionally" to play baseball. He was a fan favorite while playing for both the Mets (1985-1988) and Phillies (1989-1996). Mets fans even dubbed him the nickname “Nails” because of his “tough-as-nails personality and fearless play.” (nytimes.com)
    From the several sources I came across, I noticed numerous qualities that were consistently associated with Lenny.  He was a sparkplug. He had no concept of failure. He was a surge of energy. He was a “red-light player.” (Baseball Digest) He seemed to be every quality a ball player should be. Even though he lacked range compared to his fellow elite outfielders, he made up for it in other ways like a dirtbag does. He would shimp a ball to left field, dive for balls in the outfield, and get pitchers deep in the counts.
    In a beautiful article about Lenny Dykstra in the September 1995 Baseball Digest Issue, Gregg Jefferies describes how it was to play against Lenny. He says, “He’s a little gnat when you’re playing against him. He’s always around doing things that drive you crazy. But when he’s your teammate, you realize he plays the game the way it should be played.” (37-38)  He took situations and turned them into opportunities. He played the game hard. To me, that’s the first characteristic of a dirtbag. A dirtbag should never accentuate his disadvantages. In his eyes he should have none. He sees every situation as an opportunity. He should know every seam of the game and utilize it to his advantage. That’s what Lenny did on the field.
    Another quality about Lenny I most enjoyed, was described in the Baseball Digest. Gerry Fraley, the author of the article, explains how Lenny had appendicitis during what would have been his second All Star appearance. Lenny is quoted saying, “I could have played, but they didn’t want me to. I guess that was the right thing to do.” (37) I couldn’t help but fall in love with Lenny after reading this. While most players would happily take a day off (especially if he was dealing with excruciating pain, like appendicitis) Lenny was the opposite. He refused, under any circumstances, to sit out of a game. That is a dirtbag.
    Additionally, Lenny was remembered on the field for a lot of different “faces.” All of which could clearly categorizes him as a Dirtbag. I strongly recommend reading the 1995 Baseball Digest article, “Lenny Dykstra of the Phils: This ’Dude’ Comes to Play.” Gerry Fraley writes a wonderful article about Lenny as a player on the Phillies in 1995. I’ll also provide links of other sources I came across below.
    Before I conclude this blog on Lenny “Nails” Dykstra, I’ll leave you with a quote from Lenny about his 1989 trade from the Mets to the Phillies: “For me, this isn't that sad. This is the time for me to make a move. I'm 26 and I've been here nearly five years. Maybe it's time to show I can hit those left-handed pitchers.” (nytimes.com)


Sources:
http://www.thelennydykstrareport.com

http://www.nytimes.com/1989/06/19/sports/mets-get-samuel-for-mcdowell-dykstra.html?pagewanted=print

Baseball Digest Article: http://books.google.com/books?id=ySoDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA36&dq=lenny+dykstra+baseball+digest+1995&client=firefox-a&cd=1#v=onepage&q=lenny%20dykstra&f=false