African Proverbs: Padres Players Edition

Earlier in the month we attempted to show how Orlando Hudson would have benefited from exposure to proverbs at some point in his life. Then we sought to explain the actions of the Padres Front Office through small pieces of African wisdom. This is the third installment of the African Proverb series -- the Padres Players Edition.

 

When he was a young boy Mark Kotsay would sit with his grandfather and talk. While Kotsay the younger would speak with his grandfather about baseball and his dreams of doing it at the next level they were frequently interrupted by Grandmother Kotsay. She would traverse the room speaking in non-sequiturs and proverbs. 

 

The overall scope of the proverbs she spoke in was astounding but she seemed to frequently gravitate to a foundation of West African wisdom. Young Kotsay often heard the following from his grandmother:

He who marries a real beauty is seeking trouble. ~Accra (Ghana)

Clearly, Mark did not listen to Grandmother Kotsay. 

 Not only is his wife a beauty they've been married since the days of Mark Kotsay's first tour in San Diego, ten years ago. Grandma ain't always right.

 

Chase Headley is an oft maligned player in San Diego. He was advertised as a savior of sorts but during his time in San Diego he has fallen short of those early messianic projections. Instead he has become a solid ball player, a description many in MLB would die for. Without the HRs though, fans tend not to see his contributions. But Headley plugs on . . .

It is better to walk than curse the road. ~ Wolof (Senegal)

With patience at the plate and a blind eye to the criticism from without, Chase Headley exemplifies the ethos of the Wolof which is why he will be a guest of honor in Senegal in November when the 2012 season concludes.

 

Cameron Maybin lived through the accolades of being a highly touted prospect and the tribulations of a trade to Florida which saw him unable to crack a line-up permanently. The fragile psyche of athletes whose success is defined by a 70% failure rate often find themselves unable to cope with such disappointments as those endured by Maybin. 

 

As a 19 year-old playing for the West Michigan Whitecaps of the Midwest League, Cameron Maybin listened closely to the words of a Swahili teammate named Phil Napolitan. Napolitan counseled Maybin with this proverb of his people:

There is no bad patience. ~Swahili

Preparing to start his second season in San Diego the patience has paid-off for the young center fielder. With talk of a contract extension on the horizon, Cameron Maybin is now spoken of as an anchor for future Padres teams.

 

African proverbs -- they explain so much.