The Big Hurt? More like the Big Has Been
My buddy Jerry tells a funny story about getting ripped off by Frank Thomas.
Apparently, the Big Hurt used to never sign autographs, and this Jerry knew well, because he used to write him once a month trying to get him to sign a card, a ball, a piece of paper — anything. Jerry would rush home from school every day, digging through his parents mail to occassionaly find an envelope addressed to him. Inside would be a rejection letter, reading something like, “Sorry, Frank Thomas doesn’t sign autographs for his fans.”
Sometimes he wouldn’t even get his baseball card back.
So imagine Jerry’s delight when he opened a Beckett one day and saw a Frank Thomas autographed picture for sale. He begged his mom to order it for him, and one day she finally caved in.
Days must have seemed like months for Jerry after his mother sent the check in the mail. You can almost feel the the agony in his voice when he tells the tale of waiting for the piece of memorabilia.
Well, one day, Jerry finally got a hold of the package he had been waiting for – only it was nothing like he expected. Inside was an autographed picture of Frank Thomas all right. But it wasn’t the Big Hurt. It was from the Frank Thomas who played in the National League from 1951-1966.
Imagine Jerry’s heart sinking to the floor when he opened this package. I assume he dropped the signed picture or threw it in the trash. I still get a laugh when I think about this. And Jerry still gets a little fired up when he talking about it.
He got the wrong Frank Thomas.
I have to believe Oakland A’s fans are thinking today exactly what Jerry was thinking some 10 or 15 years ago. They got Frank Thomas, signing him shortly after the Toronto Blue Jays released him, but they didn’t get the Big Hurt. Oh, and there is a difference.
The Big Hurt played for the Chicago White Sox, from 1990 to around 2003. He was one of the best hitters in the game, possessing the ability to hit for average and power. Perhaps the Big Hurt’s best season came in 1994 when he hit .353 with 38 home runs, 101 runs batted in and 106 runs.
He was a deamon on the diamond — one of the most feared hitters in the game.
Today, Frank Thomas is just Frank Thomas. He’s not the Big Hurt anymore. And he needs to realize that.
Through Thursday, Thomas was batting just .167 and had more strikeouts (13) than base hits (11). He’s always looked slow and fat. But this season, he appears bitter, tired and old.
The Blue Jays had clearly had enough of him. They tried benching him, but when Thomas began moaning and pouting, they booted him. Wise move.
No one can know for sure what the A’s where thinking when they decided to sign Thomas. I guess the name looks good on paper and is hard to resist.
This is a feeling Jerry is familiar with…
