Shea Hillenbrand, WTF?
 

This is pretty bizarre, I'd like to hear the whole story.

ESPN Story

Re: Shea Hillenbrand, WTF?
 

I was listening to the radio and the way back to the Jays game. This is what it seems like, the Jays gave him a week off to visit his adopted child. He came back yesterday didn't play because his flight came in at like 6ish. Then he wasn't put in the starting lineup today so he packed his bags and left to fly back to Arizona.

It appears as though he is mad because of something which happened before being benched. He said nobody congratulated him for having a new born baby. He also said something along the lines of the reason why the team isn't winning is because of the atmosphere, I find it funny that he is saying a team 10 games over .500 isn't winning.

Basically IMO it sounded like he acted like a huge douche.

Re: Shea Hillenbrand, WTF?
 

"Gibby called a team meeting and then he stood up and reamed me out in front of my teammates," Hillenbrand told the newspaper. "I'm very disappointed about what he did and I find it very unprofessional."

And then

"I love my teammates here, but I'm waiting to be traded," Hillenbrand said during a profanity-filled tirade before the game. "I should have been traded two months ago."

Love it.

Re: Shea Hillenbrand, WTF?
 

[ QUOTE ]
"Not one person from the front office has even come up to congratulate me," he said. "It's all the little people like you guys. But nobody from higher up. That's a disgrace.

[/ QUOTE ]

Re: Shea Hillenbrand, WTF?
 

Along the same lines it's unprofessional for Gibbons to publicly rip him, but it's ok for him to publicly rip Gibbons.

Re: Shea Hillenbrand, WTF?
 

[ QUOTE ]
The designated hitter and corner infielder was upset because he wasn't in the starting lineup for the second consecutive game and nobody in Toronto's front office congratulated him on adopting a baby girl last weekend.

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"Not one person from the front office has even come up to congratulate me," he said. "It's all the little people like you guys. But nobody from higher up. That's a disgrace."

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He was obviously doing it for the recognition.

Re: Shea Hillenbrand, WTF?
 

Didnt Vernon Wells rip the TO management or Gibbons over the AS break? Maybe the Team has a problem and its not just Shea?

Re: Shea Hillenbrand, WTF?
 

[ QUOTE ]
"They wonder why they are not winning," Hillenbrand said. "It's the atmosphere."

[/ QUOTE ]

He does make a good point there.

Re: Shea Hillenbrand, WTF?
 

[ QUOTE ]
"They wonder why they are not winning," Hillenbrand said. "It's competing with the two highest payrolls in baseball."

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lol @ Jays losing because of "atmosphere". The Sox and Yankees just still have more talent.

Re: Shea Hillenbrand, WTF?
 

[ QUOTE ]
Didnt Vernon Wells rip the TO management or Gibbons over the AS break? Maybe the Team has a problem and its not just Shea?

[/ QUOTE ]

After the Jays lost two straight to the Royals. JP called out the whole team for playing like crap and not trying. Certain members of the team were not happy that JP did this.

Re: Shea Hillenbrand, WTF?
 

He may sound like a selfish prick, but he does bring up a good question. How can a guy batting .301 not be playing almost every day?

I hope the Mariners DFA Jurassic Carl and give Shea the DH job v righties in Seattle.

Re: Shea Hillenbrand, WTF?
 

Look at his splits he has been playing horribly in June. Usually you can explain this by variance, however Hillebrand always starts fast and finishes slow.

Re: Shea Hillenbrand, WTF?
 

[ QUOTE ]
Hillenbrand, who will turn 31 next week, left the team last Friday to be with his family for the adoption and didn't return until Tuesday.

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I find this ridiculous. Clemens pitched hours after his mother died. Most players in all sports will take the day off when their wife is giving birth and be back the next day. Yet this guy takes 4 days off for an adoption?

Re: Shea Hillenbrand, WTF?
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Hillenbrand, who will turn 31 next week, left the team last Friday to be with his family for the adoption and didn't return until Tuesday.

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I find this ridiculous. Clemens pitched hours after his mother died. Most players in all sports will take the day off when their wife is giving birth and be back the next day. Yet this guy takes 4 days off for an adoption?

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And then whined like a little bitch when the team wouldn't give him a 5th day.

Re: Shea Hillenbrand, WTF?
 

This seems like everyone is making this out to be WAY to big of a deal.

Also, I think people are ripping on Hillenbrand too much.

Re: Shea Hillenbrand, WTF?
 

I think Gibbons was way out of line to challenge one of his players. But if Gibbons knew Hillenbrand was gone anyway, and was looking to try and fire up his team, I can understand it.

DFA doesn't matter, since they have 10 days before the deadline to move him anyways.

Re: Shea Hillenbrand, WTF?
 

[ QUOTE ]
This seems like everyone is making this out to be WAY to big of a deal.

Also, I think people are ripping on Hillenbrand too much.

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Who's "people?" The people on the board? They've basically called him a whiny douche which is exactly what he's made himself out to be.

Re: Shea Hillenbrand, WTF?
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Didnt Vernon Wells rip the TO management or Gibbons over the AS break? Maybe the Team has a problem and its not just Shea?

[/ QUOTE ]

After the Jays lost two straight to the Royals. JP called out the whole team for playing like crap and not trying. Certain members of the team were not happy that JP did this.

[/ QUOTE ]

JP said "our 3-4-5 hitters are killing us".

Re: Shea Hillenbrand, WTF?
 

[ QUOTE ]
And then whined like a little bitch when the team wouldn't give him a 5th day.

[/ QUOTE ]

Or congratulate him:

Hillenbrand was upset that nobody in Toronto's front office congratulated him for adopting a baby girl last weekend.

''Not one person from the front office has even come up to congratulate me,'' he said. ''It's all the little people like you guys. But nobody from higher up. That's a disgrace.''

Sounds like this has been brewing for a while. Classy of him to air all the dirty laundry in public to kill his trade value. Hillenbrand seems like a total idiot.

More on the whole thing:

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/Content...id=968332188492

Re: Shea Hillenbrand, WTF?
 

I think people are jumping to conclusions to slam Shea from a couple quotes in one article. Nobody on this forum knows the whole story inside the Blue Jays clubhouse, besides that, NOT ONE OF YOU PRICKS HAS CONGRATULATED HIM ON ADOPTING HIS BABY. Mr. Hillenbrand I salute you and wish you the best of luck to your new family.

Re: Shea Hillenbrand, WTF?
 

Apparently Shea wrote "This is a sinking ship" on the Jays whiteboard before the game. Prompting Gibbons to call him out.

Re: Shea Hillenbrand, WTF?
 

He better not end up at the Angels

Re: Shea Hillenbrand, WTF?
 

[ QUOTE ]
Apparently Shea wrote "This is a sinking ship" on the Jays whiteboard before the game. Prompting Gibbons to call him out.

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I read that part, how players would take turns writing humorous things on the board then erasing it. i could see why a manager wouldn't find that so funny when word got out, and I have a hard time thinking fellow players would find humor in that as well. There have obviously been tensions going on for the past couple months when the Jays tried to move him to Anaheim for Adam Kennedy. Then there's also the fact that Hillenbrand probably didn't appreciate being used as a DH when Glaus and Overbay came into the picture after previously being one of the top stars on a mediocre team.

Re: Shea Hillenbrand, WTF?
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Apparently Shea wrote "This is a sinking ship" on the Jays whiteboard before the game. Prompting Gibbons to call him out.

[/ QUOTE ]

I read that part, how players would take turns writing humorous things on the board then erasing it. i could see why a manager wouldn't find that so funny when word got out, and I have a hard time thinking fellow players would find humor in that as well. There have obviously been tensions going on for the past couple months when the Jays tried to move him to Anaheim for Adam Kennedy. Then there's also the fact that Hillenbrand probably didn't appreciate being used as a DH when Glaus and Overbay came into the picture after previously being one of the top stars on a mediocre team.

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According to ESPN.com it was http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/insider/c...;CMP=ILC-INHEAD
"Play for yourselves. Play for your paycheck. The ship is sinking."
This doesn't seem like somethhing said in jest.

Re: Shea Hillenbrand, WTF?
 

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He may sound like a selfish prick, but he does bring up a good question. How can a guy batting .301 not be playing almost every day?

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Becuase he's not hitting better than Lyle Overbay, Troy Glaus, or Eric Hinske? This isn't hard.

Re: Shea Hillenbrand, WTF?
 

apparently he also ripped the Canada flag off his hat for the Canada Day game. He was described as a little weird, but nothing too bad. Vernon said he had a very odd sense of humour, but wasn't a bad guy. Gibbons apparently challenged him to a fight and told Shea he could have the first punch, daring him to hit him in the face all in front of the entire team. Riccardi said when Shea declined he once again failed to prove himself to his teammates(I'm just going by what I heard on the fan 590 out of Shea's mouth, Riccardi's mouth and some of the fan personalities who heard what Vernon said as well as other Jay players describing Shea off the record.

Re: Shea Hillenbrand, WTF?
 

[ QUOTE ]
apparently he also ripped the Canada flag off his hat for the Canada Day game. He was described as a little weird, but nothing too bad. Vernon said he had a very odd sense of humour, but wasn't a bad guy. Gibbons apparently challenged him to a fight and told Shea he could have the first punch, daring him to hit him in the face all in front of the entire team. Riccardi said when Shea declined he once again failed to prove himself to his teammates(I'm just going by what I heard on the fan 590 out of Shea's mouth, Riccardi's mouth and some of the fan personalities who heard what Vernon said as well as other Jay players describing Shea off the record.

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There's no right play here for Shea.

Re: Shea Hillenbrand, WTF?
 

This is nuts.
I wonder if Torre or Francona use this managing tactic.

Re: Shea Hillenbrand, WTF?
 

[ QUOTE ]
This is nuts.
I wonder if Torre or Francona use this managing tactic.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm not convinced Franconabum speaks enough Engrish to pull this move. As far as I can tell his managerial skills are rocking back and forth like an Alzheimer's patient who's soiled his diaper and getting caught doing gross things on camera in the dugout.

NT

Re: Shea Hillenbrand, WTF?
 

Francona seems to do a nice job of managing the bullpen.

Re: Shea Hillenbrand, WTF?
 

I've watched or listened to every Jays game this year save for three.

I think what Hillenbrand has been doing has been completely awful.

I like Gibbons. He's not perfect, but no manager is. I don't like the way he uses Speier. But overall, I think he's a good manager who has made a lot of good decisions this year. It's too bad Gibbons *didn't* beat the crap out of Hillenbrand.

I don't blame the front office for being a little upset w/ Vernon and Glaus. Vernon said something along the lines that he might be going to Texas next year in public. Not good. Glaus is hitting in the low .240s - far from ideal for your cleanup hitter.

Either way, the way Shea Hillenbrand has repaid Toronto for giving him a humongous contract is by sabotaging his trade value. Lovely.

I hope he gets traded to Kansas City.

Ryan

Re: Shea Hillenbrand, WTF?
 

[ QUOTE ]
I've watched or listened to every Jays game this year save for three.

I think what Hillenbrand has been doing has been completely awful.

I like Gibbons. He's not perfect, but no manager is. I don't like the way he uses Speier. But overall, I think he's a good manager who has made a lot of good decisions this year. It's too bad Gibbons *didn't* beat the crap out of Hillenbrand.

I don't blame the front office for being a little upset w/ Vernon and Glaus. Vernon said something along the lines that he might be going to Texas next year in public. Not good. Glaus is hitting in the low .240s - far from ideal for your cleanup hitter.

Either way, the way Shea Hillenbrand has repaid Toronto for giving him a humongous contract is by sabotaging his trade value. Lovely.

I hope he gets traded to Kansas City.

Ryan

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You should post more here, we don't have enough Jays fans. To be fair about Vernon he is from Texas and Michael Young is his BFF.

Re: Shea Hillenbrand, WTF?
 

Shea's a Giant. The Jays get Jeremy Accardo
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/player...e?statsId=7534

Re: Shea Hillenbrand, WTF?
 

Holy crap. Is this *all* they could get? AND they had to throw in Chulk? Wow. I am not a fan of this. Surely they could have got more in such a sellers market [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] (Disclaimer: I know very little about NL players but this guy's stats aren't flooring me or anything).

Ryan

Re: Shea Hillenbrand, WTF?
 

his K and BB ratios are excellent. I was hoping he would take over as closer next time Benetiz got hurt cause he's on my fantasy team.

Re: Shea Hillenbrand, WTF?
 

[ QUOTE ]
his K and BB ratios are excellent. I was hoping he would take over as closer next time Benetiz got hurt cause he's on my fantasy team.

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I noticed that was well his WHIP appears to be comptetent as well.

Re: Shea Hillenbrand, WTF?
 

[ QUOTE ]
Holy crap. Is this *all* they could get?...Surely they could have got more in such a sellers market

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The Hillenbrand market was a buyer's market. The Blue Jays would have to eat his contract if they could not trade him.

Re: Shea Hillenbrand, WTF?
 

[ QUOTE ]
He may sound like a selfish prick, but he does bring up a good question. How can a guy batting .301 not be playing almost every day?


[/ QUOTE ]

Because you can hit .301 and still be a lousy hitter. Shea doesn't walk much, and doesn't get on base, he's got a below average on base percentage. OBP is a much better measure of hitting than batting average. You can make up for a low OBP by having great power (slugging percentage), but Shea's only got decent, but not great power.

And most of his gaudy stats come from hitting left handers, he can't hit right handers at all.

Plus he's a lousy defender, so you don't want to stick him in the field (though he can play 3rd in a pinch. So he's a below average DH, or 1B.

Platooning him in the right situation makes him useful, but not great.

Re: Shea Hillenbrand, WTF?
 

Dude, he's hitting over .300!