When the Indians signed Juan Uribe to a 1-year deal worth $4 million this off season, it wasn’t exactly looked at as a monumental acquisition. Sure, he’s a pleasure to have in the clubhouse, and the list of teams he’s played for over his lengthy career is extensive, but he’s just about reached that point in his life where things simply take him longer to do than they used to. In other words, he’s not able to cover the width of dirt or swing the wood as ferociously as he did as a young ball player.
That’s not to say he hasn’t been anything to write home about so far in 2016. Indeed, his presence in the clubhouse is felt from top to bottom. 162 games is an extended period of time to spend with a group of people. Even the smallest things can snowball into colossal disagreements during the hot summer nights. But Uribe’s distinguished career has equipped him with the tools to diffuse those tense moments and help his teammates relieve any stress they might have pent up as the season progresses. Exhibit A:
Now, if you or I took a 106 MPH ground ball off the bat of the best player in baseball directly off the jimmies, tears would be shed. Baseball would almost certainly be a thing of the past for us.
Not for Juan. He was back to his usual self before the game yesterday, popping off quotes like this:
https://twitter.com/MLBastian/status/742471487676768257
The legend just keeps growing.
Some other highlights from last night:
https://twitter.com/TomFHannah/status/742503720659849217
KEEP THE CHIEF
Bottlegate 