Dirtbag Jones

Bunts▶️ Bombs, Greenies ▶️Red Bull, Bellies▶️ Buff, Command ▶️Cheese, AVG ▶️OPS, Old Heads ▶️Nerds, Smoking▶️Gum, Roids▶️Protein, Red Man ▶️Zyn, Instincts▶️Data

[Dirtbag Jones @SparkyJonesMLB]

@joelhegeman @shegone03 Or since at least 1994 when “little” dudes were doing this:

[Dirtbag Jones @SparkyJonesMLB]

@iamrags @GreggOlson30 Maybe you meant 97 out of the hand which would be 87-88 at home plate for a pitcher with average extension.

[Dirtbag Jones @SparkyJonesMLB]

@seattle_wayne

[Dirtbag Jones @SparkyJonesMLB]

@Steveman34 The political virus has eaten away at your brain. Get off social media and breath some fresh air.

[Dirtbag Jones @SparkyJonesMLB]

@fye_chris85795 @Steveman34 Same. Unfortunately, the biggest mouths on here can’t say the same.

[Dirtbag Jones @SparkyJonesMLB]

@Steveman34 @GreggOlson30 @gehrig38 Save it meat.

[Dirtbag Jones @SparkyJonesMLB]

@Steveman34 @GreggOlson30 @gehrig38

[Dirtbag Jones @SparkyJonesMLB]

As a 90s era pro, it’s not surprising the biggest mouths on this platform are dudes that thrived in the greatest expansion decade in history. Literal definition of watered down. If that wasn’t enough, the rampant use of amphetimines and roids make it hard to take many of these dudes seriously when they so aggressively criticize today’s players.

I can only explain it as insecurity as many wonder what performing in a “naked”, clean, and in a non expansion era might have been like. Would they have made it? Would they have performed the same. Maybe…maybe not.

It’s a question mark that will always remain. It’s not discussed enough when we compare generations. That tension comes out on this platform as former players from that era criticize today’s players in public ways never seen at such levels in previous generations. That criticism is a violation of the pro honor code and its laughable when fellow 90s era pros talk about respecting the game and then turn around and disrespect the very code that has been around between players for much of baseball history.

[Dirtbag Jones @SparkyJonesMLB]

That’s right! Not even close. At the elite levels of any sport the average(pick any metric) is typically far greater than it was 50 years ago. For example, the average 100m time of the finals(9.84) in the 2024 Olympics was faster than the winning time in 1988(9.92).

Advances in human performance in all aspects of life are undeniable. Averages will increases but extreme outliers will also exist across generations.

Also, no radar gun in the 80s/90s measured at home plate consistently. The tech in the 80s and 90s was so inconsistent and had so much variance …we just can’t have a serious conversation comparing velocity over the decades.

[Dirtbag Jones @SparkyJonesMLB]

On average, the vertical jumps at the combine have gone up over last 20 years with the record being set in the last 5 years at 48. Most certainly they have gone up over the last 50 years when we are comparing to plumbers and electricians that played in my day. I personally see way more dunking at the high school level that when I played 40 years ago. It’s not even close. So much of the pre 90s was not measured or at least not standardized so it leaves a lot of room for the mythology of athletic feats like Nolan Ryan’s 108, etc.

[Dirtbag Jones @SparkyJonesMLB]

I would suggest that the argument isn’t about the outlier velocity of a Miz or Nolan. It’s that today, the league average is superior(even when adjusted for gun differences) to yesteryear which is in line with the athletic evolution suggested. Sprinting is actually no different in that way. For example, the average 100m time of the finals(9.84) in the 2024 Olympics was faster than the winning time in 1988(9.92).

[Dirtbag Jones @SparkyJonesMLB]

@ABartholomew_05 @JamesRe53113261 @sportslarryk Exactly. Some of the best coaches in sports weren’t great players—or never played at the highest level. Great leaders lead. That holds true in every industry. Shoot, we have a president who had no governing experience.

[Dirtbag Jones @SparkyJonesMLB]

Great point! Ever heard of Nolan Ryan or Randy Johnson? These guys blasting this around obviously threw meat growing up and have no idea what it is like to have a gifted arm like this boy. Nolan had 5 walks in his first inning of pro ball at 18. Imagine if that was on social media today.

This is not new.

If a kid learns to drive a car with a Lamborghini it takes a long time to learn to control the power and explosiveness. This 16 year old BOY is learning to control his very very special arm(his Lambo). It will take time, just like it did for Randy, Nolan, and most other gifted hard throwers at young ages.

What is new...is having to learn how to do that where everything is recorded and scrutinized. Where people are posting videos of you without your permission. What is new...is having grown ass old men using and abusing minor children to make themselves feel better by blasting this kind of nonsense around X. Use pros to make your point. Don't use minor boys. Be better.

[Dirtbag Jones @SparkyJonesMLB]

Fair points. But, its not a company. Its not Power 5. Its an Ivy League league non revenue sport. The type of place where my grandson's high school baseball field appears to be nicer than Princeton's(at least in pictures).

In this day and age, one doesn't even have to have experience to handle these kinds of things. It goes like this for the department: "Hey ChatGPT, I have a coach who has coached here at our Princeton for 28 years. He has led the program to more championships and produced more MLB players than any coach in our history and more than any other Ivy program. However, he has had a tough stretch in recent years and we need to make a change. Please write me a press release that does right by that coach while also being mindful of our institutional obligations for such changes." Watch what that spits out. That seems like a pretty good way to go about it. Its just not that hard to do right.

[Dirtbag Jones @SparkyJonesMLB]

“You are worried about that being embarrassing but not the record every year? Lol”

Let me help you follow. You started with posting a misleading troll tweet. Then you got called on it and finally stated the facts. In the non X real world…if you just start with the facts then we can have a conversation about reality.

The reality is that the coach led the program to heights it had never seen. That isn’t to say as he stated himself “he hadn’t reached an expiration”. The broader point is that there is a right and a wrong way to send off a legendary coach. Maybe that will still happen but in my many decades of reading press releases of fired coaches I have rarely seen one so shallow and cold for a coach who has led a program for parts of 4 decades.

[Dirtbag Jones @SparkyJonesMLB]

@nonsenseballer @NJCollegeBSBNat @PUTigerBaseball You said “every year”. In the real world…details matter.

[Dirtbag Jones @SparkyJonesMLB]

Now do the entire Bradley era. Thank you.

As a long time Ivy fan it is evident that there have been dramatic structural changes within the conference the last 10 years. The winningest teams are generally the teams with the biggest rosters, most academic slots, and allow transfers.

Change is hard and sometimes necessary but athletic departments actually have to understand what needs changing in order to optimize the student athlete experience.

[Dirtbag Jones @SparkyJonesMLB]

@nonsenseballer @NJCollegeBSBNat @PUTigerBaseball No other Ivy program has more titles or produced more Major Leaguers this century(Bradley era).

There is a way to go about how a department communicates these kind of changes especially with program changing coaches.

[Dirtbag Jones @SparkyJonesMLB]

Longtime Ivy baseball fan here. The Ivy League first officially recognized baseball champions in 1956. Since then, Princeton has won 12 Ivy titles—7 of them under Bradley.

Since 2000, no Ivy League program has won more championships than Princeton. No Ivy program has produced more Major Leaguers.

What a run…taking the program to heights it had never seen prior!

[Dirtbag Jones @SparkyJonesMLB]

No doubt! Your eyedar is definitely more accurate than a Stalker Pro. More importantly, validating your eyedar with finger counting is the data we all needed to verify this is actually 80 poo! Thank you for shedding light on this @PrepBaseballNJ conspiracy!

Or just an idea...how about you just compliment a 15 year old doing unreal things instead of throwing shade! 🤷‍♂️