http://www.csnchicago.com/08/28/11/Dunn-Im...tm_medium=email

 

Dunn: 'I'm a realist, not an idiot'

 

 

Brett Ballantini

By Brett Ballantini

CSNChicago.com White Sox Insider

 

SEATTLE - If anyone had seen Dayan Viciedo storm his way through the first three weeks of spring training, it would have seemed startling that it would take nearly until September for him to make his debut with the Chicago White Sox. But a broken hand in mid-March made any chance of breaking camp with the club impossible, and from there, it's been months of front-office and managerial hand-wringing over how and when and where Viciedo could play with the big club.

 

But here and now, in Seattle, on August 28, Viciedo starts for the White Sox in right field--and is likely with the team, playing somewhere, for good.

 

What that means, channeled pregame by manager Ozzie Guillen and essentially confirmed by the man out of time himself, is that designated hitter Adam Dunn will sit through much of September.

 

"I'm a realist. I'm not an idiot," Dunn told two Chicago reporters after Guillen, in a lengthy and often pained explanation, said he would be taking some time to talk with Dunn and let him know that, indeed, he would be sitting. Both Dunn and Guillen indicated that the disappointment of the season was most painful in relation to the teammates that Dunn feels he has let down.

 

"He feels horrible because he can't help the ballclub," Guillen lamented. "As a human being, I don't care how tough you are, you have to feel bad. Maybe not because of the fans, or Jerry or Kenny who paid [a lot of] money, but because of his teammates. They are more important than the fans, or people booing him or paying him. He has to feel horrible for them."

 

"[Teammates] are the guys who matter, when it comes down to it," Dunn said. "That's the hardest part. If it was [just] me, I could get over it, but it's the guys in here."

 

In a season filled with disappointment from veteran and young players alike, Guillen has had several such talks this summer, citing the "mental break" talks given Alex Rios and Gordon Beckham in particular. And while Guillen said he wasn't happy that Dunn has had to endure such misery in 2011--"I've never seen it before, and I hope I never have to see it again"--he is impressed with how the Canyonero has handled such unprecedented horrors, particularly with fellow slugger Paul Konerko having such a strong campaign.

 

"He's handled it very, very good--he never dragged people down, never pushed his head down," Guillen said. "Obviously it's frustrating, and obviously he's embarrassed--and he should be. But he just keeps playing, and so do we. Every time he gets an at-bat, my heart stops, because I want him to produce for him and for us--but at least for him to feel better and know he can help sometimes."

 

Dunn is nonplussed by such kudos. "That gets me nowhere," he said.

 

Dunn's batting average stands at .165, six points shy of the "modern" low mark set by Rob Deer (.171 in 1991). However, as pointed out by master statistician Christopher Kamka, Dunn is in danger of falling short of the 502 plate appearances needed to qualify for the batting title. Dunn stands at 435 PAs and would need to essentially play in half of the remaining 32 games to reach that minimum, which looks to be doubtful at the moment.

Sad and unexplainable complete failure this year. Interesting to see how things develop over the off season and how this team looks and performs in 2012

where is the same approach with rios? why not start de aza in center with viciedo in right the rest of the year?

where is the same approach with rios? why not start de aza in center with viciedo in right the rest of the year?

 

Because this organization has no f***ing clue what they're doing.

 

Ozzie on Viciedo:

 

"If he's on the roster, he'll play everyday."

 

Kenny on Viciedo:

 

"I'm not gonna call up a guy who isn't gonna play."

 

???????????????

 

f***ing idiots!!!!

Ozzie: "I'm a real idiot"

Now to the right time to DL Dunn. Let him escape from the team and teammates. He has to try to regroup and see what is left in the tank for 2012. It would be the best move for Dunn and the team. Extra time off could help him.

dUNN IS A REALIST. hE IS NOT A BASEBLL PLAYER.

He called him Canyonero!

Ozzie's quotes on Dunn were very gracious ... again.

 

I feel horrible for Dunn. But he can't play if he's going to hurt this team. Hopefully in the off season he finds some sort of extra passion and maybe can figure this out.

I feel horrible for Dunn. But he can't play if he's going to hurt this team. Hopefully in the off season he finds some sort of extra passion and maybe can figure this out.

 

I can give you $12,000,000 reasons not to feel horrible.

Edited August 30, 201114 yr by pettie4sox

dUNN IS A REALIST. hE IS NOT A BASEBLL PLAYER.

 

365 career homers say otherwise. He's had one bad year.

I feel horrible for Dunn. But he can't play if he's going to hurt this team. Hopefully in the off season he finds some sort of extra passion and maybe can figure this out.

 

If you believe we are in the race, he needs to sit. If you believe we are out of the race he needs to play.

I feel horrible for Dunn. But he can't play if he's going to hurt this team. Hopefully in the off season he finds some sort of extra passion and maybe can figure this out.

 

I can give you $12,000,000 reasons not to feel horrible.

 

I have never, nor will I ever, understand how people feel bad for professional athletes other than obvious things like deaths and paralyzing injuries.

I have never, nor will I ever, understand how people feel bad for professional athletes other than obvious things like deaths and paralyzing injuries.

 

I'm not gonna lose sleep over it, but as a human being, yeah I feel bad to watch him suddenly be so awful at what he's been succeeding at for his whole life.

 

I do realize that just this season he will probably earn double what I will in my whole lifetime. He wakes up with way more zeroes in his bank account, but I'm sure his struggles still grind his gears every morning.

I'm not gonna lose sleep over it, but as a human being, yeah I feel bad to watch him suddenly be so awful at what he's been succeeding at for his whole life.

 

I do realize that just this season he will probably earn double what I will in my whole lifetime. He wakes up with way more zeroes in his bank account, but I'm sure his struggles still grind his gears every morning.

 

So he deals with a minimal amount of adversity in his daily grind, just like everyone else on Earth. I don't see why that is a reason to feel even remotely bad for him.

 

I might honestly give one of my hands to have the money that Dunn has, so I'm not going to feel anything for him being bad at what he does or getting booed because of it.

Sad and unexplainable complete failure this year. Interesting to see how things develop over the off season and how this team looks and performs in 2012

 

Maybe Dunn needs to spend a little more time in the gym in the offseason? Have you seen the guy through the years? Bad weight added after bad weight. Sure, you should always expect his batting average to be .250, among the league leaders in strikeouts, but 40+ home runs every season. The man is paid to hit home runs and swing for the fences every single time. Weight loss would help his confidence I would imagine and another year as a DH will do him good, he has been an NL guy his whole career.

dUNN IS A REALIST. hE IS NOT A BASEBLL PLAYER.

 

I really enjoyed the comment that the fans don't matters as much as the players.

Fine, they can sit in the stands and pay to watch each other.