Phillies Richie Ashburn vs. Odubel Herrera

Although the whiz kid was from another era of baseball, he would definitely have an opinion on the actions of the current defender for the Philadelphia Phillies at his previous position; however, many also have strong views on both sides of this debate.

Now and Then:

With almost everything, opinionated people – ergo, everybody – voice their beliefs based on their experiences, which differ from generations past.

Since the two center fielders do not have comparable numbers, this article covers only on-field actions. And, obviously, those occurred during different times. Ergo, worlds apart.

While the manager, coaches and players have talked to Odubel Herrera, he hasn’t turned into Derek Jeter yet. Basically, today’s regulars do many things differently than Mike Schmidt and John Kruk. In fact, the glory days of those current broadcasters were a far cry from the squads with Richie Ashburn in the 1950s. On the other hand, being a hot dog is nothing new: The popular Willie Montanez was one in the early 1970s. The Phils acquired Garry Maddox for “Willie the Phillie” Montanez.

Long ago, stars were only with one organization, but for most players trading was the usual route to another club. Hating the competition was normal: Fraternization didn’t exist. And pitchers enforced frowned-upon behavior with a fastball to the offender’s ribs. In other words, bat flips and admiring a homer never happened because nothing that blatant took place. But breaking other unwritten rules elicited punishment; for instance, hurlers didn’t miss someone crowding the plate, and the only thing flipped was the hitter.

While the game has changed over the years, celebrating long balls, big hits, difficult saves and walk-off victories now has a pronounced part in baseball. Today, players are doing things old-timers didn’t even dream of. And many in 2017 consider it entertaining.

Since this conversation can only happen fictionally, Ashburn tells Herrera a thing or two through his interpreter. In my day – Ashburn states – when Bob Gibson was on the mound, you didn’t run across it to return to the dugout. First, he glared at you: That boy wants a bow tie! And the next time you faced him, he gave you something up and in so close you felt a breeze when it went by. Back then, nobody flipped a bat if they wanted to have a professional career.

IN OTHER WORDS:     “After fifteen years of facing them (pitchers) you don’t really get over them. They’re devious. They’re the only players in the game allowed to cheat. They throw illegal pitches and they sneak foreign substances on the ball. They can inflict pain whenever they wish. And, they’re the only ones on the diamond who have high ground. That’s symbolic. You know what they tell you in a war – ‘take the high ground first.'” – Whitey Ashburn

If you use your imagination, Jimmy Rollins through the interpreter offers Herrera some advice. Charlie Manuel had two rules: Hustle and be on time. And benchings for breaking them. Listen up! Expect fans to ride you for every little thing.