per Rotoworld via Tulsa World

Josh Fields-3B-White Sox Feb. 7 - 1:43 pm et

 

Talking at a Fellowship of Christian Athletes luncheon, Josh Fields said he considered walking away from baseball after last season. "When I got my first taste of the big leagues in 2006, it was everything that I had dreamed about," Fields said. "But the further I got into my professional career, the more I had to deal with everything else that goes along with being a professional athlete. There were so many things going on in the clubhouse that I really questioned if professional baseball was for me. However, I prayed about it and realized there is nowhere I could have more influence right now than in that clubhouse." If Fields wants Ozzie Guillen to swear less frequently, he should probably start by cutting back on the strikeouts. Fields is expected to start at third for the White Sox this year, though it won't be official unless Joe Crede is traded.

Source: Tulsa World

 

What is goin' on in that locker room, is jose contreras running an escort service or something

Um... I don't like that one bit.

Jesus.

how long until damage control

Jesus.

That's what Fields said.

What did he think he was gonna find in a baseball clubhouse. Hopefully he's not the Jesus version of Ricky Williams.

What did he think he was gonna find in a baseball clubhouse. Hopefully he's not the Jesus version of Ricky Williams.

 

Why? Can you smoke Jesus?

What was going through his head when he was a college football player then?

I think Fields is just a quiet guy who has pretty strong morals. And sports clubhouses tend to filled with half-naked men who are swearing and b****ing about everything and anything. Maybe that's it. I cannot imagine the Sox's clubhouse is different from anyone else's, maybe the Yankees. I just don't think Fields was ready for that kind of stuff, but that seems odd because he played college football and I am sure OSU's locker room had similar stuff if not worse.

Fields says he never considered retirement

 

Josh Fields knows that the starting third base position is at stake with the White Sox.

 

That’s why he was startled when he saw Thursday’s editions of the Tulsa World, in which he was said to have told a group that he considered leaving baseball after last season.

 

“I said the struggles and ups and downs start to make you wonder if I’m in the right profession,” Fields said in a telephone interview. “I never said the word ‘retirement.’ I didn’t mention my 2005 season at Birmingham, when I hit .200. I did wonder why the White Sox took me in the first round.”

 

Fields, who seems destined to take over at third base if veteran Joe Crede is traded, spoke Wednesday to a group of about 50 people at a Fellowship of Christian Athletes luncheon. He did not dispute the accuracy of his quotes in the Tulsa World story, but he insisted that he never suggested he considered walking away from the game.

 

“When I got my first taste of the big leagues in 2006, it was everything I had dreamed about,” Fields said in the newspaper story. “But the further I got into my professional career, the more I had to deal with everything else that goes along with being a professional athlete. There were so many things going on in the clubhouse that I really questioned if professional baseball was for me. However, I prayed about it and realized there is nowhere I could have more influence right now than in that clubhouse."

 

Fields said his performance last season after Crede was lost to season-ending back surgery gave him more confidence. He hit 23 home runs and drove in 67 in 100 games. He plans to report early to Tucson for spring training to get a head start before full-squad workouts start on Feb. 21.

 

“I’m fighting for a spot on the team,” Fields said. “I need to be in the best shape and be ready.”

 

Chicagosports

i can see juan uribe having something to do with this.

He's lucky that he isn't the starting QB for the Bears after a 4 int game. Now that would be something to pray about.

 

If Fields wants Ozzie Guillen to swear less frequently, he should probably start by cutting back on the strikeouts.

 

I think Fields is just a quiet guy who has pretty strong morals. And sports clubhouses tend to filled with half-naked men who are swearing and b****ing about everything and anything. Maybe that's it. I cannot imagine the Sox's clubhouse is different from anyone else's, maybe the Yankees. I just don't think Fields was ready for that kind of stuff, but that seems odd because he played college football and I am sure OSU's locker room had similar stuff if not worse.

 

 

Not only a baseball clubhouse full of testorene hevy men, but think of the military, police and fire dept locker rooms, teenagers hyped up on life, etc, etc. I admire his religious beliefs, but reality also plays a part in the real world. But, don't you think that he must have seen this in the minors and in college? Maybe this is taken out of context.

i can see juan uribe having something to do with this.

 

 

It's all a conspiracy

First off, there's nothing wrong with being religious, as I myself am a born again Christian. With that said, this is potentially a major problem. If Josh had reservations about whether or not it was "right" for him after just a few short months, who's to say that won't be a problem again in the future?

 

If I were a member of the Sox brass, I would think long and hard about who they are going to hitch their wagon to when it comes to the 3B of the future. I think they should trade Fields and hope they can sign Crede to a long-term deal (I've been saying this for a long time, based soley on Crede's merit as one of the best 3B in baseball IMO, so this is not a new position of mine). If that were to fall through, at least they'd have Alexei waiting in the wings as a potential fill-in for 2009. The Sox could probably get a pretty nice return for Josh, I would imagine.

Edited February 7, 200818 yr by lvjeremylv

anybody got a Chumbawamba cd we can send to Josh for inspiration

This is so not a big deal.

First off, there's nothing wrong with being religious, as I myself am a born again Christian. With that said, this is potentially a major problem. If Josh had reservations about whether or not it was "right" for him after just a few short months, who's to say that won't be a problem again in the future?

 

If I were a member of the Sox brass, I would think long and hard about who they are going to hitch their wagon to when it comes to the 3B of the future. I think they should trade Fields and hope they can sign Crede to a long-term deal. If that were to fall through, at least they'd have Alexei waiting in the wings. The Sox could probably get a pretty nice return for Josh, I would imagine.

 

I'm sure being around Ozzie can be startling to anyone, but being religious AND a rookie, that was probably double trouble for young Josh. He'll get through it. And this will all go away.

Maybe this is taken out of context.

 

Bingo.

 

This is not even considering his good friend Quentin is on the team now. He'll be fine.

Good thing they cut out the in the clubhouse. That probably would have pushed him right over the edge.

I honestly think this is a non-story...but it does raise a few concerns IMO.

First off, there's nothing wrong with being religious, as I myself am a born again Christian. With that said, this is potentially a major problem. If Josh had reservations about whether or not it was "right" for him after just a few short months, who's to say that won't be a problem again in the future?

 

If I were a member of the Sox brass, I would think long and hard about who they are going to hitch their wagon to when it comes to the 3B of the future. I think they should trade Fields and hope they can sign Crede to a long-term deal (I've been saying this for a long time, based soley on Crede's merit as one of the best 3B in baseball IMO, so this is not a new position of mine). If that were to fall through, at least they'd have Alexei waiting in the wings as a potential fill-in for 2009. The Sox could probably get a pretty nice return for Josh, I would imagine.

 

Good thing we're not overreacting to this. Nope, not one bit.

I want to believe everything will be alright, but i think that is all up to Josh. Doesn't hawk always say that baseball is 90 percent mental. In a game where the greatest hitters of all time succeed far less than fifty percent of the time, you have to have the ability to say you are gonna get em next time. If you don't have that ability, you are not going to be as successful as you could have been. If every at bat is followed by the doubt that you are not good enough to even be playing the game, than there is a problem. Superstars like Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods use their failures for motivation to train harder and succeed the next time, instead of fearing failure even more until it builds to a point beyond control. This does not just apply to fields, but every player in every game. If he goes through his whole career in fear, he can still succeed at a certain level, but how much better could he have been. Hopefully his mental toughness matches his raw abilities one day, unless he winds up playing for the cubs

Maybe if there were a few more Josh Fieldes in MLB the sport wouldn't have as much news happening on Capitol Hill as on the hot stove. Maybe we should be glad to have someone on the team we care about who is willing to stand up to the unsavory element sand not merely willing to allow dismiss them as "rich boys being rich boys." And I'm not talking about religion...I'm talking about what's right and what's wrong. One more thought...he only made these remarks in regard to himself and how the pro athlete lifestyle affected him...he was not judging. Trade him? Hell, I say find a bunch more like him.

I am glad to see it didn't take Ozzie long to be blamed