How do you feel about RW playing baseball?

[Eaglehawk]

Just to think, the Colorado Rockies had his rights for just 10k until the Rangers one upped them.
I wonder how that would have worked with him playing for the Rockies?

Hope he doesn't bat.

[Hawktawk]

I'm a little worried, anytime you step on a field of play things can happen. It would be the height of irony for him to get hurt playing baseball for absolute peanuts.

And this may sound a little off the subject but I worry about his wife a little bit, his marriage. He has been a nonstop motion machine since he was drafted, popping up hanging with celebs and doing the talk show circuits. I understand he doesn't make much jack playing football and has to network to get commercial endorsements etc. But the last couple times Ive seen them together she looks a little harassed, upset maybe.I dunno.... I hope the young man is setting aside enough time for the ones who should matter the most...

[Eaglehawk]

About his wife, I noticed the same thing. I just chalked it up to her looking that way all the time. Some people when they don't smile look like monsters. I am in that category according to my wife. But of course once I smile its a whole different vibe. I saw her smile one time and she looked completely different.

I would hope that people are telling her to just be there for him, but let RW be RW for now at least. After the multimillion dollar contracts and a few SB rings under his belt maybe she can start to reign him in a little. But I would hope that she deals with him as she has been dealing with him. I would tell her: don't change a thing! What ever she is doing is working.

[monkey]

I remember people saying that his no time for sleep mentality will cause him to burnout, but personally my guess is that if he doesn't get enough challenges aside from football to keep his mind from getting bored, that's when he'll burn out.
In other words, I don't see him burning out from too much hard work, I see him burning out from too much hard work in only one area...if that makes sense.
The dude's a ball of energy, and is the kind of person who needs to constantly be putting his energy into something that he personally finds challenging, or that he feels, grows him as a person otherwise it could grow stale.

So no, not worried about him playing baseball at all! In fact, I'd be more worried if he didn't have enough distractions this off season. The chances of him getting injured are slim to none, he'll be smart and careful the same as he is on the football field, and the fact that he is going to be working out, stretching, running etc...I don't see how that can hurt any.
Obviously players all do off season workouts, but some tend to slack off a bit (not that I am worried about Wilson EVER slacking off LOL!) but doing a different type of workout, that can be very good for a body (and mind) to change things up. It can help to keep a person sharp.
Yeah, I'd say I like everything about him doing this EXCEPT for the fact that he's doing it with the Rangers. Of course, that's the Mariners fault for not being smart enough to think of it, and shows the difference between their leadership and the Rangers, who sadly, are a MUCH better run organization.
I just wish the M's had thought of it first...disappointing!

[Zorn76]

He isn't going to play baseball, so nothing to worry about.

[FolkCrusader]

Ron Washington has already said there is no way he'd let Russell take an at-bat. They know they have another teams franchise in camp. They will do the right things.

[RiverDog]

Long before Russell was a star quarterback, he played baseball in my home town, the Tri Cities. He wasn't a stand out player and didn't have much of a future and his experience here is what caused him to drop the sport and concentrate on football. Just a FYI.

I don't have any issues with him playing some baseball if that's what he wants to do for some entertainment. It's probably less risky than playing a pickup basketball game, snow skiing, or, like Worthlessburger, riding a motorcycle. I don't think he's at any greater risk of injury than the activities of any other normal 20 something year old.

The only thing that might be a very minor concern is if he spends a lot of time throwing a baseball. It is a slightly different motion than throwing a football, but even that would take one heck of a lot of reps before it could make any significant difference in his throwing motion.

[Eaglehawk]

Long before Russell was a star quarterback, he played baseball in my home town, the Tri Cities. He wasn't a stand out player and didn't have much of a future and his experience here is what caused him to drop the sport and concentrate on football. Just a FYI.

I don't have any issues with him playing some baseball if that's what he wants to do for some entertainment. It's probably less risky than playing a pickup basketball game, snow skiing, or, like Worthlessburger, riding a motorcycle. I don't think he's at any greater risk of injury than the activities of any other normal 20 something year old.

The only thing that might be a very minor concern is if he spends a lot of time throwing a baseball. It is a slightly different motion than throwing a football, but even that would take one heck of a lot of reps before it could make any significant difference in his throwing motion.

I agree, minor concern for me too, throwing the ball hard in his case, to first base, might cause injury. But I doubt it.

I would be much more worried if he were an outfielder or a pitcher.

[c_hawkbob]

How do I feel about DangerRuss playing baseball?

I'm much more worried about him getting in a car and driving every day.

[Eaglehawk]

How do I feel about DangerRuss playing baseball?

I'm much more worried about him getting in a car and driving every day.

CBOB,

I TOTALLY DISAGREE. Are you telling me that driving a car and maybe getting T-boned by a senior citizen driving their Lincoln Continental on Grand Avenue(Phx) is more dangerous than playing baseball in sunny Arizona?

[monkey]

Long before Russell was a star quarterback, he played baseball in my home town, the Tri Cities. He wasn't a stand out player and didn't have much of a future and his experience here is what caused him to drop the sport and concentrate on football. Just a FYI.

I completely disagree!
The knock against him was that his hitting was lagging behind his defense, but the REASON for that was, he spent so much time playing football.

Most scouts that I've read have said that if he had dedicated himself solely to baseball instead of splitting his time, he projected as a pretty darned good second baseman who could eventually even have a little power.

It's true that his numbers were not impressive Riv, but the reason for that was NOT because he couldn't do it, or didn't have much of a future! Had he concentrated all his energies into baseball he projected just fine.

[Seahawks4Ever]

I think Wilson playing baseball is great, it didn't hurt Deon Sanders did it? You notice it was the Texas Rangers that took a flyer of Russell and not the Mariners. RW doesn't hang with losers and the M's are nothing but LOSERS. Though, I am excited about Cano.

[kalibane]

Don't care about the baseball thing. I don't think he can even play in a real game because he's not part of the union.

I'm less thrilled about him wanting to do Dancing With the Stars.

[burrrton]

I'm less thrilled about him wanting to do Dancing With the Stars.

Oh no- please tell me that's just some unsubstantiated rumor...

[kalibane]

He turned it down ultimately but he said he wants to do it.

[HumanCockroach]

I remember people saying that his no time for sleep mentality will cause him to burnout, but personally my guess is that if he doesn't get enough challenges aside from football to keep his mind from getting bored, that's when he'll burn out.
In other words, I don't see him burning out from too much hard work, I see him burning out from too much hard work in only one area...if that makes sense.
The dude's a ball of energy, and is the kind of person who needs to constantly be putting his energy into something that he personally finds challenging, or that he feels, grows him as a person otherwise it could grow stale.

So no, not worried about him playing baseball at all! In fact, I'd be more worried if he didn't have enough distractions this off season. The chances of him getting injured are slim to none, he'll be smart and careful the same as he is on the football field, and the fact that he is going to be working out, stretching, running etc...I don't see how that can hurt any.
Obviously players all do off season workouts, but some tend to slack off a bit (not that I am worried about Wilson EVER slacking off LOL!) but doing a different type of workout, that can be very good for a body (and mind) to change things up. It can help to keep a person sharp.
Yeah, I'd say I like everything about him doing this EXCEPT for the fact that he's doing it with the Rangers. Of course, that's the Mariners fault for not being smart enough to think of it, and shows the difference between their leadership and the Rangers, who sadly, are a MUCH better run organization.
I just wish the M's had thought of it first...disappointing!

Supposedly they did, but thought it would be to much of a promotional move. Guess they actually thought about attempting to get him to be a two sport star ( at least according to their current GM buffoon) and actually encouraging him to pull the Deion or Bo stuff. ( course it is easy to claim that after the fact, and God knows I don't want him playing professional sports year round). I'm fine with him spending some "off" time doing that stuff, but I don't want him batting or appearing in live games in the least. Can someone imagine him destroying his rotator cuff, or an elbow ligament? F NO, things are just starting to cook, losing Wilson could derail a season or more.

[burrrton]

I always assumed the baseball thing was just going to be a 'show up, give the boys a good talk about always competing, take some grounders, and pose for some souvenir photos' deal.

He'd be *crazy* to take *any* kind of risk farting around in Peoria (or wherever the h3ll the Rangers spring) when he's set up to be HANDSOMELY rewarded by the Hawks in a year.

[edit- Not Peoria, but up the road a bit in Surprise, about a rock's throw from where I play most of my golf down there!]

[Eaglehawk]

I always assumed the baseball thing was just going to be a 'show up, give the boys a good talk about always competing, take some grounders, and pose for some souvenir photos' deal.

He'd be *crazy* to take *any* kind of risk farting around in Peoria (or wherever the h3ll the Rangers spring) when he's set up to be HANDSOMELY rewarded by the Hawks in a year.

[edit- Not Peoria, but up the road a bit in Surprise, about a rock's throw from where I play most of my golf down there!]

I remember living in Surprise when there was nothing but farms of alfalfa around the place. Man those were the days. Back then, no freeway, just Grand Avenue to get to Phoenix. Me and my old Ford, working for Circle K.

I miss elements of that life back then.

[RiverDog]

I always assumed the baseball thing was just going to be a 'show up, give the boys a good talk about always competing, take some grounders, and pose for some souvenir photos' deal.

He'd be *crazy* to take *any* kind of risk farting around in Peoria (or wherever the h3ll the Rangers spring) when he's set up to be HANDSOMELY rewarded by the Hawks in a year.

[edit- Not Peoria, but up the road a bit in Surprise, about a rock's throw from where I play most of my golf down there!]

Russell isn't that great of a baseball player. I think he hit something like .229 in the minors, and that was at Class A, several levels below the majors. This experiment won't last long and I get the impression that he's not that serious about it and simply wants to have a little fun with it.

[THX-1138]

Long before Russell was a star quarterback, he played baseball in my home town, the Tri Cities. He wasn't a stand out player and didn't have much of a future and his experience here is what caused him to drop the sport and concentrate on football. Just a FYI.

I completely disagree!
The knock against him was that his hitting was lagging behind his defense, but the REASON for that was, he spent so much time playing football.

Most scouts that I've read have said that if he had dedicated himself solely to baseball instead of splitting his time, he projected as a pretty darned good second baseman who could eventually even have a little power.

It's true that his numbers were not impressive Riv, but the reason for that was NOT because he couldn't do it, or didn't have much of a future! Had he concentrated all his energies into baseball he projected just fine.

And that leads us back to the top of the circle. RW isn't going to devote the time to baseball that would be needed to improve his (by Major League standards) anemic hitting because he is and will be too focused on football. So this is just a case of a SB winner enjoying some of his spoils. "Hey look! I get to go to Spring Training and shag infield grounders!"

Don't be surprised if you see him strap on some skates and grab a stick and skate around with an NHL team, then lace up the high tops and do a shoot-around with an NBA team, and then possibly kick a soccer ball with an MLS team, and then go to Augusta with Tiger Woods and take a few swings and so forth and so on, until ultimately we see all the footage cobbled together in a Nike commercial.

[RiverDog]

Long before Russell was a star quarterback, he played baseball in my home town, the Tri Cities. He wasn't a stand out player and didn't have much of a future and his experience here is what caused him to drop the sport and concentrate on football. Just a FYI.

I completely disagree!
The knock against him was that his hitting was lagging behind his defense, but the REASON for that was, he spent so much time playing football.

Most scouts that I've read have said that if he had dedicated himself solely to baseball instead of splitting his time, he projected as a pretty darned good second baseman who could eventually even have a little power.

It's true that his numbers were not impressive Riv, but the reason for that was NOT because he couldn't do it, or didn't have much of a future! Had he concentrated all his energies into baseball he projected just fine.

Russell was drafted in the 4th round by the Colorado Rockies. Only 32% of players drafted in Rounds 3-5 make it to the Majors so right there the odds are against him, and if he could only turn in a .229 average at Class A, IMO I don't think he would have been able to raise it high enough to cause scouts to take notice even if he concentrated exclusively on baseball, but then again, sometimes all it takes is to make a favorable impression on one scout to get an invitation to the big club's spring training camp. That doesn't often happen to sub .300 hitters, but who knows.

The talent pool in MLB is much larger than it is in the NFL as it extends into Central America, the Caribbean, and the eastern Pacific. If you're a good enough football player to start for a D1 team, you have a much better chance of making it in the NFL than you do the Majors. MLB rosters are less than half the size of an NFL roster.

[HumanCockroach]

I wouldn't be so confident about that RD, most, not all, but most players are expected to have between 1500 and 2000 at bats in the minors, Wilson had 300 and change. Most, not all, but most players struggle with the bat for a couple seasons in the minors, it takes time to adjust to the study habits, and overall talent in the minor and major leagues.

Not saying he would have, however, Baseball is a "mental" game, and I wouldn't bet against Wilson in any situation mentally or in regards to study and work habits. They just interviewed several scouts and to a one they all said he would have been a major league player, in the vain of a Willie Bloomquist or Mark Mclemore, utility guy that could play second, Short and an outfield corner position. I personally have little doubt he would have put in the work to make it happen.

I doubt those odds are any longer, than a "short" 3rd round QB becoming a starter as a rookie, breaking multiple records, and winning a SB in their second season in the NFL, in fact 30+ % is a damn bit higher than those odds.

[RiverDog]

I wouldn't be so confident about that RD, most, not all, but most players are expected to have between 1500 and 2000 at bats in the minors, Wilson had 300 and change. Most, not all, but most players struggle with the bat for a couple seasons in the minors, it takes time to adjust to the study habits, and overall talent in the minor and major leagues.

Not saying he would have, however, Baseball is a "mental" game, and I wouldn't bet against Wilson in any situation mentally or in regards to study and work habits. They just interviewed several scouts and to a one they all said he would have been a major league player, in the vain of a Willie Bloomquist or Mark Mclemore, utility guy that could play second, Short and an outfield corner position. I personally have little doubt he would have put in the work to make it happen.

I doubt those odds are any longer, than a "short" 3rd round QB becoming a starter as a rookie, breaking multiple records, and winning a SB in their second season in the NFL, in fact 30+ % is a damn bit higher than those odds.

I wasn't handicapping odds by using Russell's height. Introducing other factors into a probability equation tends to complicate things.

Baseball is a funny sport. If you have a name, say the son of a former major league player, you're going to be given more of a chance than someone named John Smith. Baseball scouts call it 'pedigree', but it's an unfair bias IMO. If you don't have a name, you really have to be someone special to turn heads, and at .229 BA, I just don't see Russell being able to woo too many scouts.

One thing is unarguable: Russell made the right decision to drop baseball and concentrate his efforts on the gridiron.

[HumanCockroach]

I wouldn't be so confident about that RD, most, not all, but most players are expected to have between 1500 and 2000 at bats in the minors, Wilson had 300 and change. Most, not all, but most players struggle with the bat for a couple seasons in the minors, it takes time to adjust to the study habits, and overall talent in the minor and major leagues.

Not saying he would have, however, Baseball is a "mental" game, and I wouldn't bet against Wilson in any situation mentally or in regards to study and work habits. They just interviewed several scouts and to a one they all said he would have been a major league player, in the vain of a Willie Bloomquist or Mark Mclemore, utility guy that could play second, Short and an outfield corner position. I personally have little doubt he would have put in the work to make it happen.

I doubt those odds are any longer, than a "short" 3rd round QB becoming a starter as a rookie, breaking multiple records, and winning a SB in their second season in the NFL, in fact 30+ % is a damn bit higher than those odds.

I wasn't handicapping odds by using Russell's height. Introducing other factors into a probability equation tends to complicate things.

Baseball is a funny sport. If you have a name, say the son of a former major league player, you're going to be given more of a chance than someone named John Smith. Baseball scouts call it 'pedigree', but it's an unfair bias IMO. If you don't have a name, you really have to be someone special to turn heads, and at .229 BA, I just don't see Russell being able to woo too many scouts.

One thing is unarguable: Russell made the right decision to drop baseball and concentrate his efforts on the gridiron.

It really isn't hard to look up. I agree he made the right decision ( though is strictly selfish on my part). Here is an article to get you started.

http://mweb.cbssports.com/mlb/writer/jo ... r-opinions

[HumanCockroach]

And another...... Simply don't shell out 200,000 in a signing bonus if you are taking a flyer on a kid in MLB

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nfl--what- ... 17363.html

[HumanCockroach]

https://www.perfectgame.org/Players/Pla ... x?ID=83924

How they rated him coming out.

Judging a MLB prospect on 300 at bats is akin to saying a QB can't play if his first 5 passes are incomplete.

( sorry each link is a different post, can't post more than one at a time on my smart phone).

[RiverDog]

We can debate Russell's chances of making it in MLB until our faces turn blue and I doubt either of us will change our minds. My understanding of Russell's time playing in the Tri-Cities was that it was his experience here that made him decide to give up baseball and concentrate on football. You can say all you want about not getting enough AB's, but something happened while he was playing here that caused him to decide against baseball, and perhaps that .229 batting average had something to do with it.

[HumanCockroach]

Guess I just learned not to doubt his drive, work habits and study. Wasn't always that way, I haven't seen anything that says his desire to play soured, or that he didn't want to play baseball, in fact everything I have read was the opposite of that, and when he was playing Baseball, he ALWAYS was going to play football, they discuss his transfer to Wisconsin because of the coach not wanting him to do both. What have you been reading? Link?

[burrrton]

Judging a MLB prospect on 300 at bats is akin to saying a QB can't play if his first 5 passes are incomplete.

Fair or not to judge I make no determination, but 300 ABs is a good half season.

[Eaglehawk]

I don't follow baseball so I really don't know what you guys are talking about.
What I do know is that he is making the Rangers good money via jersey sales, and that the Rangers showed the independence and smarts of a JS in getting him.
And he has certainly made back the 11k they spent on him to get him from the Rockies. IMO

Does anyone know the answer to the question as to why the Mariners didn't do this?

[RiverDog]

I don't follow baseball so I really don't know what you guys are talking about.
What I do know is that he is making the Rangers good money via jersey sales, and that the Rangers showed the independence and smarts of a JS in getting him.
And he has certainly made back the 11k they spent on him to get him from the Rockies. IMO

Does anyone know the answer to the question as to why the Mariners didn't do this?

OMG, could you imagine the PR disaster if Russell suffered a major injury while playing with the Mariners? Besides, even if Russell plays well enough to make a team, there's no way he's going to have time to play a full season with a MLB team unless he suffers a bunch of concussions or some other injury that forces his retirement from football but doesn't limit him in baseball.

IMO this is just a PR gimmick by the Rangers and Russell having a little fun with it.

[Zorn76]

Is he done yet?

Looking forward to RW getting back into the film room to study our opponents for 2014:)

[Eaglehawk]

Is he done yet?

Looking forward to RW getting back into the film room to study our opponents for 2014:)

Yea, no chit Z76.

[Eaglehawk]

I don't follow baseball so I really don't know what you guys are talking about.
What I do know is that he is making the Rangers good money via jersey sales, and that the Rangers showed the independence and smarts of a JS in getting him.
And he has certainly made back the 11k they spent on him to get him from the Rockies. IMO

Does anyone know the answer to the question as to why the Mariners didn't do this?

OMG, could you imagine the PR disaster if Russell suffered a major injury while playing with the Mariners? Besides, even if Russell plays well enough to make a team, there's no way he's going to have time to play a full season with a MLB team unless he suffers a bunch of concussions or some other injury that forces his retirement from football but doesn't limit him in baseball.

IMO this is just a PR gimmick by the Rangers and Russell having a little fun with it.

Okay Riv, so my next question is: couldn't the Mariners have pulled off this same gimmick and we all would be watching RW in a Mariner uniform instead of a Ranger uniform?

[HumanCockroach]

I'll take the Rangers at their word, which was it was an inexpensive way to try and teach their players the attitude and work ethic necessary to overcome obstacles and win championships. It is no different IMHO then paying a person to give a speech except this time the guy hung around for more than 4 or 5 hours, and had a little fun while doing it. Same as a corporate function to motivate it's employees.

As for the! Missed" time, Baseball teams have dealt with that in the past, and at some point will deal with it in the future. Both Deion and Bo played both sports, and did so at successful levels.

[RiverDog]

Okay Riv, so my next question is: couldn't the Mariners have pulled off this same gimmick and we all would be watching RW in a Mariner uniform instead of a Ranger uniform?

I suppose they could have. But why? Just so we could see Russell prancing around in an M's uniform? I'd just as soon that he accepted that invite on Dancing with the Stars.

[RiverDog]

I'll take the Rangers at their word, which was it was an inexpensive way to try and teach their players the attitude and work ethic necessary to overcome obstacles and win championships. It is no different IMHO then paying a person to give a speech except this time the guy hung around for more than 4 or 5 hours, and had a little fun while doing it. Same as a corporate function to motivate it's employees.

As for the! Missed" time, Baseball teams have dealt with that in the past, and at some point will deal with it in the future. Both Deion and Bo played both sports, and did so at successful levels.

I hadn't read that, but I can accept that as a pretty good reason for the 'gimmick'. Bottom line is that I don't think the Rangers feel there is a snowball's chance in hell of Russell ever playing in an MLB game. The guy that has made his mark by putting into practice the "separation is in the preparation" motto is going to split is valuable time between sports? Don't think it happens even if he could play to MLB level, which if his former experience in professional baseball is any kind of predictor, seems highly unlikely.

[Eaglehawk]

I suppose they could have. But why? Just so we could see Russell prancing around in an M's uniform? I'd just as soon that he accepted that invite on Dancing with the Stars.

Same as the Ranger uniform I guess. But only the Mariners would be making bank on the jersey sales like the Rangers are. I think they have made over 100k on their 11k investment.

Not bad if you ask me.

[RiverDog]

I suppose they could have. But why? Just so we could see Russell prancing around in an M's uniform? I'd just as soon that he accepted that invite on Dancing with the Stars.

Same as the Ranger uniform I guess. But only the Mariners would be making bank on the jersey sales like the Rangers are. I think they have made over 100k on their 11k investment.

Not bad if you ask me.

100K ain't going to fix what's wrong with the Marniers.

[HumanCockroach]

I suppose they could have. But why? Just so we could see Russell prancing around in an M's uniform? I'd just as soon that he accepted that invite on Dancing with the Stars.

Same as the Ranger uniform I guess. But only the Mariners would be making bank on the jersey sales like the Rangers are. I think they have made over 100k on their 11k investment.

Not bad if you ask me.

100K ain't going to fix what's wrong with the Marniers.

Could cover one at bat by Cano though, or maybe just one pitch...LOL every little bit helps.

Certainly couldn't hurt for players like Smoak, Ackley, Montero or Saunders to hear from someone that works at, studies hard and actually succeeds. The Mariners need to be focussing on "changing the environment" on that team, and a visit from Wilson couldn't have hurt.