Character Counts: What to Make of Alex Rios

By Mario Scalise

SoxNet

 

Tools are nice, statistics are better, on-field performance is the best. But when you have a player locked up for five years and are paying him millions above what he's shown he's worth till this point in his career, knowing what you're getting as a person is pretty important....Entire Article Here

 

Aside from the play with Carlos in the outfield today, he has looked good.

Sure reports of Rios aren't that great, but the guy was playing on a team that never had a shot to win anything. They were a solid club, but they had no shot in there division year in and year out.

 

Losing and not contending impacts teams and everything. Is that video discouraging, sure, but I bet there are videos similar for a ton of players in the majors because when push comes to shove there are going to be the ocassional times you get sick or annoyed by the fans and want some personal space.

 

Bottom line, I'm giving Alex a fresh chance. He's got tools and he's never done anything criminal for us to be concerned with. Plus the Jays clubhouse had all kinds of issues the past few years(Managers fighting with players, an ahole GM, etc) so really, I could care less what is coming out of that place.

 

 

AJ nickname was "clubhouse poison" when he got here. Jenks was an immature, lazy punk. This organization has a way of changing people, so does the simple act of maturing in both age and skills. The majority of comments on Rios’s behavior seem ambiguous and bitter. I don’t know what kind of guy he is; all I know is that he’s a hell of a ballplayer.

I still say who the hell did Toronto have that was a leader? No one. They couldn't lead for s***. You had players fighting with managers, a jackass GM calling out other teams players, etc. Now he's coming to Chicago with a top flight manager (Cito is top notch though as well) and a ton of real solid veterans all while playing in a pennant race for one of the few times in his career and doing it in a city that LOVES baseball.

 

Really Toronto is nothing like Chicago.

I still say who the hell did Toronto have that was a leader? No one. They couldn't lead for s***. You had players fighting with managers, a jackass GM calling out other teams players, etc. Now he's coming to Chicago with a top flight manager (Cito is top notch though as well) and a ton of real solid veterans all while playing in a pennant race for one of the few times in his career and doing it in a city that LOVES baseball.

 

Really Toronto is nothing like Chicago.

The Toronto organization has had Ted Lilly punch a manager in the face, Billy Koch go off the rails, and Shea Hillenbrand write “sinking ship” on the clubhouse chalkboard. Perhaps, they’d be better pressed to check themselves before they wreck themselves.

 

Rios' agent on the radio explaining the autograph situation

Rios' agent on the radio explaining the autograph situation

Here's a quick summary for anyone that doesn't have the time to listen to that (thanks for the link that was a good listen):

 

Rios was out with his fiance and he said Rios should have handled it better but that you need to know Rios signs for this kid regularly and the guy who he was cussing out was the biggest autograph seller in Toronto.

 

Basically put, Rios just said hey kid, not tonight (the kid was getting the auto for it to be sold) and than the other guy snapped off.

 

 

I wouldn't want to sign autographs either if I was on a date. fans just have to respect that ball players have personal lives. And if someone is making money off that, its even worse

It kinda reminds me when Beckham wrote how he was in Birmingham and some adults sent a kid over to get an autograph to be sold

Some guys can be lazy and be really good.

Some guys can be lazy and be really good.

 

Yeah, if they have Manny's talent.

 

If a player knows somebody is getting the autograph to sell it, he shouldn't sign.

And he should make a scene and say something to the other fans about how people like this ruin it for the real kids who want autographs for memory sake.

I say we give Rios a chance and just wait and see. Like many have said AJ had a real bad rep as well and look how its turned out.

I say we give Rios a chance and just wait and see. Like many have said AJ had a real bad rep as well and look how its turned out.

Absolutely......we all want an immediate impact. Someone who carries us to the playoffs. I am personally excited for the long term stability and success we may have here. Nothing is guaranteed.....but the potential is something to be excited for. I'm not disappointed with Alex at all. That may be different a year from now, but I'm willing to give him a shot well before I send him down the river.

Absolutely......we all want an immediate impact. Someone who carries us to the playoffs. I am personally excited for the long term stability and success we may have here. Nothing is guaranteed.....but the potential is something to be excited for. I'm not disappointed with Alex at all. That may be different a year from now, but I'm willing to give him a shot well before I send him down the river.

 

We got immediate (literally) impact from Erstad and Griffey.

 

Did not work out so well.

We got immediate (literally) impact from Erstad and Griffey.

 

Did not work out so well.

 

Griffey gave the Sox exactly what they wanted.

Griffey gave the Sox exactly what they wanted.

He was a lot better attitude wise than his reputation, but I'm sure the Sox were looking for a few more runs from his bat.

If not winning in Toronto is an excuse for Rios not to go all out, its unprofessional. He got paid a lot of money to go out and give his best. If certain conditions need to be met in order for him to do this, he's not what you're looking for. He does have a clean slate. We will see how it goes, maybe he takes off, maybe he stays the same. He's still pretty good. Just maybe not $60 million good.

Edited August 16, 200916 yr by Dick Allen