For me, the saddest part of being a fan is watching players who were huge contributors to your team decline to the point where they can’t help the team anymore.
Reading the board, there seem to be a lot of fans for whom the players are just playing units who are fungible, to be discarded without a second thought when their parts wear out. Â Â But I’ve never seen them that way. Â Â I see them as people, who have worked very hard to perfect their craft, who have close relationships to their teammates, and who in certain cases have contributed a tremendous amount to the success of the team over a considerable period of time.
That’s why it’s killing me to watch Chris Tillman and J.J. Hardy this year. Â Â I want so badly for them to rally and put together a season where, even if they’re not as good as they used to be, they can still be seen as contributing to the team. Â Â And nearly halfway through the season, I know that it’s not likely to happen, and that at the end of the year, it will be time to part ways with them. Â Â And yes, I know it’s possible that the team would be better off parting ways with them right now, instead of waiting until the end of the year. Â Â That still could happen, especially with Tillman if he can’t find a way to get more hitters out. Â Â But as I said, I really hope it doesn’t come to that. I’ll be watching watching Tilly today and rooting for him to find a way to keep the Rays at bay. Â Â And if he can’t, I won’t be mad. Â I’ll just be sad. Â Â I’ll never forget that he and J.J. were huge contributors to an enjoyable period of Orioles baseball, who were good teammates and did everything they could to help the team win. Â Â They’ll never be just worn out playing units to me.
