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.
While using African proverbs to identify Orlando Hudson's numerous missteps in a Padres uniform I also found a few others to explain the happenings down on 19 Tony Gwynn Drive. They didn't quite fit with the discussion of San Diego's second baseman so here they are in a post teeming with optimism...
If your cornfield is far from your house, the birds will eat your corn. ~ Pygmy proverb
What better way to explain the Padres decision to move their AAA club from Portland to Tucson with the endgame being a subsequent move to the Escondido area. Alas, California is a mess and with no redevelopment money coming the Tucson Padres are stuck in-- well, Tucson. Currently it is unclear if the birds represent the dry desert air that destroys the minds of pitchers and the mechanics of hitters or if the Nippon-Ham Fighters have advanced scouts in place. We may need a Pygmy to solve this one.
One cannot both feast and become rich. ~Ashanti proverb
This is clearly a proverb never considered by teams like the Yankees and Red Sox. They need not consider it because they live in another dimension. It's a fantasy world, one in which money does fall from trees. The Padres, on the other hand, face a far different plight. The San Diego club in many ways serves as a microcosm of the lifestyle most Americans must choose. Sacrifices must be made before rewards can be reaped. Slowly the Padres payroll is creeping upwards. Responsibly.
Blind belief is dangerous. ~ Luyia proverb
While blind belief is dangerous belief in and of itself is not. Belief accompanied by probing questions. Belief in the process. Belief in your people. Belief in the belief that "Believe SD" was a winning marketing slogan for an overachieving 2010 Padres team that played meaningful ballgames until game #162. What I'm saying is, that it's essential to believe in belief. Not blind belief, mind you. Just to be Big Believers In Belief. Ask Josh Byrnes.
A messenger cannot be beaten. ~ Luyia proverb
In 2009 Padres President and COO, Tom Garfinkel, proclaimed that San Diego was and forever shall be a Breakfast Town. This was not his message. He was merely the messenger for what Rolf Benirschke had conveyed to him over, conveniently, breakfast. While Garfinkel received a lambasting for the insinuation that he knew San Diego after such a brief tenure in town, something funny happened. We (I) decided that as lovers of breakfast perhaps San Diego is a breakfasttown. Now in the AJM household every Tuesday night is Breakfast for Dinner night and the omniscient Garfinkel sits back and smiles. While Mr. Garfinkel receives holiday cards from the Vocal Minority he sends his to the Luyia in Kenya. He took a beating and survived.
You do not teach the paths of the forest to an old gorilla. ~ Congolese proverb
In late 2011 and early 2012 two pivotal moments occurred for the Padres. They signed Mark Kotsay to serve as a bench player and as mentor to a young club in need of leadership. The experienced clubhouse gorilla, if you will.
Then Jeff Moorad attended the Baseball Owners meeting to seek approval for the full purchase of the Padres from John Moores. He was publicly rebuked. Moorad took the news calmly even though that no good bastard Ken Kendrickson of the Diamondbacks was doing everything possible to block the purchase. While John Moores flipped out and refused to vote for Bud Selig's continued stewardship of MLB, Jeffrey Moorad continued to stay the course. Calmly. Moorad understands the path.
Stolen things bring in misfortune. ~Kenyan proverb
On November 13th of 2010 the Padres obtained Cameron Maybin for Ryan Webb and Edward Mujica. On rare occasions African wisdom must be rejected.
Two male hippos do not stay in the same pond. ~ Azania proverb
After acquiring Yonder Alonso in the Mat Latos trade Padres General Manager Josh Byrnes decides that he doesn't want a Quarterback Controversy at first base with Anthony Rizzo. Rizzo is shipped to Chicago on January 6th for Andrew Cashner.
Money is sharper than the sword. ~ Ashanti proverb
In early 2012 the Padres decided to make a concerted effort to accumulate more monetary reserves. The first step in this process was to return all swords for cash-- a controversial decision to be sure, as everyone knows that swords are cool. First the trade of Adrian Gonzalez and now the Padres' surplus of swords. Nobody said it would be easy as a Padres fan.
Armed with the wisdom of proverbs the San Diego Padres' pilgrimage into 2012 continues.
Rain beats a leopard's skin, but it does not wash out the spots ~The Ashanti of West Africa
Utilized as teaching tools, Proverbs act as tools for the oral transmission of culture from one generation to the next in parts of Africa. The above proverb immediately came to mind when I heard some commentary related to Padres second baseman Orlando Hudson yesterday . . .
Padres beat writer Bill Center conducts a chat each week on the UT website, fielding questions from fans. A couple of fellow fans (@thesacbunt and @vocalminoritySD) generally transcribe interesting parts of the chat via Twitter under the hashtag #sezBill.
Orlando Hudson is 34 years old so I'm not holding my breath that a good rain beating down upon him will change who he is at a fundamental level. But I hope I'm wrong*.
*Only so we can trade him by July 31st.
I wondered if there were other proverbs that could retroactively help Orlando Hudson and discovered the following:
Perhaps Orlando Hudson would have thought twice about insulting fans last spring after they voiced displeasure about the play of Brad Hawpe had he heard this one:
Do not tell the man carrying you that he stinks. ~Sierra Leone
Fans are the ones who watch television and attend games. They are the ones who make it possible for the Orlando Hudson's of the world to clear nearly $12 million dollars in 2 years. Accept the stink and revel in it,
Hudson was not the best fit in the clubhouse because he was never exposed to this truth:
A real family eats the same cornmeal. ~Bayombe
In Hudson's defense I'd bolt the clubhouse early too if Jeff Moorad was serving cornmeal as the after game spread. Rekindling the fire at the age of 34, Orlando Hudson would do well to remember:There is no medicine against old age. ~Accra
The nature of reality is impermanence. Buddha said that. If the Buddha could speak to the O-Dog he'd likely say, "You dyin' dog."
After throwing a ball into the stands with only two outs remember these two proverbs when speaking to reporters:
When your mouth stumbles, it's worse than feet. ~Oji
The teeth of a man serve as a fence. ~Wolof
When your team is in last place and you exhibit the mental gaffe of the year DO NOT tell reporters you thought it was funny. It must be difficult to always be in self-censor mode but I advise the O-Dog to heed the collective wisdom of the Oji and Wolof.
If Orlando Hudson had the awareness of those in Kenya he may never have allowed someone else to speak on his behalf through Twitter:
The forest has ears. ~Kenya
Our modern day forest is Twitter and it has both ears and a zealous voice. I'd be remiss if I did not point out that without this transgression by Hudson we would have never heard the meme, #mowmylawn . . . so thank you, O-Dog.
Maybe Orlando Hudson will become a deep thinker during this off-season. It may or may not occur due to education by proverb.
