Skip to main content

Feeling Their Pain

Do ballplayers ever have sympathy for opponents?

JOHNNY ESTRADA, Brewers C
"When guys have unfortunate accidents and get injured, you feel for them. Whenever I see another catcher get run over, I feel for him because it could happen to me on any given night. No catcher likes to see it happen to another catcher. Other than that, I never feel sorry for an opponent."

JULIO FRANCO, Mets PH
"Nooooo. That's a sign of weakness. That means that you are underestimating your enemy. It's not that you enjoy beating them, but you enjoy winning. There's no time of sympathy."

DAVID WEATHERS, Reds P
"Yes, absolutely, but not for a hitter. It's when you've got a real good friend that you've played with and you're watching him give up runs—even though it's to your team. There's no mercy in this game. No one who hasn't been on the mound has a clue how it feels to give up runs. I remember Chris Hammond was pitching for the Braves. I was with the Mets. He had just gotten to Atlanta, and he came in and gave up a three-run homer to Jeromy Burnitz. He walked a couple guys. Me and him were best friends. I felt bad for him. It's happened a lot, but that's the one I remember."

CRAIG BIGGIO, Astros 2B
"No, because whatever goes around comes around. You respect them and you feel bad for it, but as quickly as it's going [well] for you, you know it can go bad on you."

RICHIE SEXSON, Mariners 1B
"If I hit a line drive that catches a guy in the head or if I hit a ball up the middle that knocks a pitcher out of the game, then I'll feel bad about it. Anybody would. But I don't think that's the same as feeling sorry for someone [because you're] winning 10--0 or something."

JON GARLAND, White Sox P
"No. They don't feel sorry for me, so I'm not going to feel sorry for them."

I pity the fool

The Pop Culture Grid

How do sports stars fit in?

The summer heat makes me want to ...

Ratatouille is ...

First celebrity crush

Plan to get an iPhone?

If I had a band, I'd call it ...

In my pockets right now

ALECKO ESKANDARIAN Real Salt Lake, F

Take all my clothes off

A thing you don't want a doctor to say you have

Tiffani Thiessen

Depends if my roommate likes his

This Guyyyy!

One hand ... other's giving a high five

TAJ MCWILLIAMS-FRANKLIN Sparks, C-F

Go outside

Cool. My kid can't stop saying it

Richard Simmons

No way. A $600 phone?

The Family

Nothing. Pockets are so '80s

CLINT BOWYER NASCAR Driver

Be on the lake

A movie, I think

Jennifer Aniston

I definitely have my eye on one

Rockstar

A cellphone

MAYKEL GALINDO Chivas USA, F

Go to the beach

A rat?

Jennifer Lopez

Perhaps next year

Los Cuba All-Stars

Nada

PHOTO

BUENA VISTA/PHOTOFEST (RATATOUILLE)

PHOTO

CASE-MATE INC./AP (IPHONE)

PHOTO

JENNIFER GRAYLOCK/AP (LOPEZ)

PHOTO

JEMAL COUNTESS/WIREIMAGE.COM (SIMMONS)

PHOTO

MEL EVANS/AP (BEACH)

PHOTO

JUAN MIRANDA/WIREIMAGE.COM (GALINDO)

PHOTO

NIGEL KINRADE (BOWYER)

PHOTO

FRANCIS SPECKER/AP (MCWILLIAMS-FRANKLIN)

PHOTO

TONY QUINN/MLS/WIREIMAGE.COM (ESKANDARIAN)

PHOTO

NBC/PHOTOFEST (MR. T)

PHOTO

DAMIAN STROHMEYER (FRANCO)

PHOTO

MARK J. REBILAS/US PRESSWIRE (ESTRADA)

PHOTO

BRAN MANGIN (BIGGIO)

PHOTO

NAM Y. HUH/AP (GARLAND)