You have to admire her dream and her persistence and her skills (or skill). But you can't play if you don't have the requisite physical tools, too." -- ESPN's Rob Neyer, Friday
Oh, hogwash. Here, Neyer references Eri Yoshida, a 17-year-old who recently became the first female professional baseball player in Japanese history by taking the mound on Mar. 27, facing just two batters in the ninth inning for her Kobe 9 Cruise squad.
The Cruise and the other three teams in the Kansai league are like farm teams to Nippon Professional Baseball, the Japanese league that featured household names like Dice-K and Ichiro. Yoshida came in at an entry-level position and promptly walked her first batter but settled down to strike out the next.
While some scoff at this notion, Yoshida is completely serious. The 5'0" 114-pounder began playing baseball in the second grade and hopes to become the Japanese version of Tim Wakefield, using her signature knuckleball to baffle even the purest of hitters in the Kansai Independent League. So what's stopping her from doing so? Her size, evidently.
Neyer, among others, is crying foul at this move by The Cruise, saying that her diminutive size poses a risk that she could be hurt. "Will Yoshida have the quickness and the arm strength to throw anyone out at first base?" Neyer asks, referencing her stature. Well, she has the strength to throw the ball home and has been playing baseball since she was in second grade. To be fair, however, it may be a publicity stunt, as Yoshida herself stated that she has "not achieved anything" yet. Still, why can't she succeed? But don't pay any attention to me -- look at these guys.
Listen to David Eckstein, currently listed at 5'7" and 177 pounds, which officially makes him the shortest player in Major League Baseball and roughly the size of a shrunken Twinkie. Think he's heard the same short jokes that have been firing at Yoshida? Of course. Does he care? Hell no.
In his eight seasons playing pro ball, Eckstein has compiled a .284 batting average and a modest .351 OBP, and he is still one of the best-fielding infielders in the entire game today, having fewer than 100 errors in his eight-year career. Derek Jeter, to put that in perspective, has 116 errors in his past eight seasons. Even though watching him throw is like seeing a four-year old hurl a sand bag over a fence, Eckstein has remained consistently great. Simply put, Eckstein is the epitome of grit and determination, culminating in his World Series MVP trophy with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2006.
If Eckstein doesn't float your boat, turn to Muggsy Bogues, the shortest player in NBA history. At 5'3", he couldn't give a flying Space Jam about what people like Rob Neyer say. Even though he once was unable to don a dinosaur costume at his son's birthday party because of his size, Bogues has never let his size get in the way of his basketball dreams.
Sure, Bogues was an average player at best, posting 7.7 points and 7.6 assists per game, but he's a classic example of how height does not matter when the game is played the way it is supposed to be played. On his crossover dribble, Bogues' knuckles would regularly scrape the court, but that did not stop him from blowing by his vertically-superior counterparts. Seven-foot behemoths belong in the paint, but scrappy short guys like Bogues belong on the perimeter and certainly on the same court.
Go ahead, point out that Yoshida's a girl, that she can't hold her own against men. I dare you. Tell her that she's too short and too light, that she can't compete in a league of men bigger and stronger than she. You'll only be adding fuel to the fire, the same that spurred Eckstein, Bogues and others to stardom. It's ridiculous to say that a lack of physical tools makes one unable to play professional sports, especially when the intangibles outdistance pounds and inches. I'm not saying Yoshida is going to be the next Tim Wakefield, but she sure can come close.
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Alex Prewitt is a freshman who has not yet declared a major. He can be reached at Alexander.Prewitt@tufts.edu.
