 Clay Buchholz at Spring Training in 2008. Photo taken by Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.net Used with permission. |
When you’re going through a bad time, do people repeatedly tell you how much you suck or do they try to build you up? Most people I know go out of their way to make me feel better and not remind me of my shortcomings and failings. But I’m not Clay Buchholz.
Now Clay Buchholz makes a decent paycheck for playing a game. Even when he’s struggling, he rakes in the bucks. (His signing bonus was $800,000 and he makes league minimum right now – $400,000, I believe.) So it might be tough for folks to garner sympathy for him. But take away the money for a minute and think about what’s gone on with him since September of 2007.
When he was 23 years old he threw a no-hitter in his second MLB appearance. He then went on to not exactly impress the masses. The reason I don’t get into detail is because you can find that anywhere you look on the Internet. How many different ways could the writers tell Clay (or remind us) how much he stunk in 2008?
I know it’s tough to craft a story about Buchholz’ hopeful “comeback” without pointing out how mind-numbingly frustrating 2008 was for him – and for those of us watching him – but they certainly don’t mince words do they? Why not just ask him flat-out what it was like to suck?
I hope he gets off to a strong start this week and keeps it up throughout the season. Anything less and the media might beat him to death with his failures.