GIVE IT A REST
Ken Hoffman on why announcers should stop talking about Jose Altuve's height
Oct 18, 2019, 11:58 am
Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images
This article originally appeared on CultureMap.
It's time that announcers stopped going on and on about how remarkable it is that Jose Altuve can compete in Major League Baseball standing only 5-foot-6.
True, Altuve is one of the 15 shortest players to make the big leagues. But let's look at some other players standing 5-foot-6 and under.
- Wee Willie Keeler: 5-foot-4; lifetime batting average, .342; Hall of Fame.
- Rabbit Maranville: 5-foot-5; played 23 years in the Majors; Hall of Fame.
- Hack Wilson: 5-foot-6; Most Valuable Player; holds Major League record for RBI's in one season; Hall of Fame.
- Phil Rizzuto: 5-foot-6; the "Scooter" played 13 years; 10 AL pennants; seven World Series titles; MVP; Hall of Fame.
- Joe Sewell: 5-foot-6; batted .312; Hall of Fame.
- Billy Hamilton: 5-foot-6; record for runs scored in one season; third all-time stolen bases; Hall of Fame.
In about 15 years, we'll be adding Altuve to this long list of short Hall of Famers
And then there's Eddie Gaedel, 3-foot-7, who was sent to bat one time as a publicity stunt by the struggling St. Louis Browns. Gaedel walked, and never played another game, which means his lifetime on-base percentage is a perfect 1.000, highest in history. The oddest thing about Gaedel's story is, after his one plate appearance, American League president Will Harridge voided Gaedel's contract and banned Little People from baseball. I wonder how baseball would handle a similar situation today.
Yes, it is amazing what Altuve is accomplishing in baseball, but his height really isn't a factor. Altuve is simply a dedicated, supremely gifted athlete with incredible baseball skills. If anything, being 5-foot-6 might give Altuve an advantage — smaller strike zone, pitchers overly concerned about not walking him, etc.
Continue on CultureMap for Ken Hoffman's final thoughts on Altuve.
Milwaukee star Giannis Antetokounmpo has “no hard feelings” toward Amen Thompson after the Houston forward was ejected for pulling him down from behind by his head and neck Tuesday night.
The Bucks were down by two with about 4½ minutes left when Thompson committed the foul as Antetokounmpo went up for a shot in the lane. The play was reviewed and determined to by a flagrant foul 2 and Thompson was ejected.
Houston went on to a 100-97 victory that snapped Milwaukee’s four-game winning streak.
“At the end of the day like you don’t wanna have a league that’s soft,” Antetokounmpo said when asked about the play. “I love guys that play hard. I love guys that they’re great competitors.”
“I’m one of those guys,” he continued. “Sometimes your competitive nature gets in the way (of) making the best decision, the best judgment at the time. And I feel like he wanted to make it a hard foul, but he grabbed my neck. But there’s no hard feelings.”
Thompson didn’t speak to reporters after the game.
Antetokounmpo believes that plays like this one or simply part of the game.
“I understand like when you’re a competitor, you’re gonna make mistakes like that,” he said. “I love it. I love playing this way. I don’t have no hard feelings against him.”
Both Houston coach Ime Udoka and Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers agreed that Thompson should have been ejected for the foul.
Crew chief Tony Brothers explained the decision to eject Thompson to a pool reporter after the game.
“Because the contact to the head was both unnecessary and excessive and by rule that’s a flagrant foul penalty two,” he said.
It’s the second ejection this season for Thompson, who was also tossed in a December game against the Heat after throwing Miami guard Tyler Herro to the floor. The incident triggered an altercation between the teams which led to the ejections of six players and staff members.
Thompson, the fourth overall pick in the 2023 draft, was suspended two games for his actions in that skirmish.