He's had many nicknames such as Big Joe, Heavy B, and now The Other Guy. Joe Blanton is the 5th starter behind All-Stars, Cy Young winners, and a World Series MVP. There is one thing he can boast that none of these other guys can and that is having a World Series HR. As a matter of fact, Ken Griffey Jr. can't even say that. Am I saying Joe Blanton is better then Ken Griffey Jr.? No comment.
Blanton could be a 3rd starter on any team and maybe even a 2nd starter on many teams, but if he was, would you ever hear of him? As "The Other Guy," he can be in the spotlight with no expectations. He's kind of like a back-up quarterback, an assistant basketball coach, or the plot of "Avatar." No one expects anything from him, so when he succeeds it's over exaggerated, and when he stinks, no one notices.
The other week, "The 4 Aces" and "The Other Guy" got together for a press conference and there has been a lot of discussion as to whether or not Blanton should've been there. Some feel it was nice for him to be included to show the cohesive nature of the staff. Others feel it was sad and looked like they were charitably including him. Who's to say he was even invited? Maybe he just showed up and asking him to leave would've made an already awkward situation more awkward.
If it were me, I totally would've been there. Why not make the most of it? I equate it to my dog, August. When I take her to the dog park, she loves to run just outside of the pack. She can't run with the big dogs, but just being a part of the chase is enough. I'd rather her do that than be one of those dogs alone, chasing it's own tail, and wearing a sweater. Maybe that's not the best illustration, but the other one I thought of involving The Funky Bunch riding Marky Mark's success, seemed more contrived and outdated.
Joe is scheduled to make $8.5 million this year. He will only have to pitch 6-7 innings every 5 days, he has an amazing offense to back him up, and will probably be the top reliever for the Phils in the playoffs. I would take that job any day and I would totally live it up. For instance, in the press conference, Cliff Lee was asked what he thought was the best pitching staff in MLB history. He responded, "I think the best rotation I can remember is the Braves back with Glavine, Smoltz, Steve Avery, and Maddux. I mean, that was, I don't even remember who that 5th guy was, but those 4 were pretty dang good." If I were Joe, I would've shouted, "His name was Kent Mercker. How could you forget Kent Mercker!" and then stormed out muttering.
There's no need to think poorly of Joe Blanton as he sits behind greatness. He's probably not crying in a corner at night listening to Firework, by Katy Perry. He's stress free, getting ready to have the best seats to a hopefully historic season. For that I applaud him and sort of envy him as does Ken Griffey Jr. I'm sure.
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