August has been a really, really bad month for social media savvy athletes.
Just weeks after the Marlins demoted Logan Morrison despite the fact that he was among the team leaders in a number of different categories, the Tampa Bay Rays have cut ties with pitcher Dirk Hayhurst.
Hayhurst, also known as The Garfoose on his popular Twitter account (@thegarfoose), went 4-2 with a 4.12 ERA in 11 starts at Triple-A Durham, posting a strikeout-to-walk ratio of around 2:1. He was attempting to make it back to the Major Leagues following a shoulder surgery that sidelined him for the entirety of the 2010 season.
Like many athletes, Hayhurst was bummed about receiving his walking papers. Unlike many jocks however though, one of the first things he did after receiving the terrible news was to blog about it.
From his official blog:
“First, a deep and profound thank you to all the people who took the time to wish me good luck and stay strong via email, tweet, or blog comment. Things like that make me feel like my primary goal of somehow, someway becoming more than just another uniform occupant during my time in this game were met. As I’ve always said, baseball is tool with which a player can do many great things, chief of which is impacting lives around him for the positive. Your encouraging and supportive sentiments make me feel like I’ve done that, even from the minor leagues.”
In an era in which athletes are more refined in their public statements for fear of seeing them mocked in the social mediasphere, it’s refreshing to see a guy like Hayhurst acknowledging the support he received from the masses.
While not statistically one of the best pitchers in the game, Hayhurst has established a reputation for himself as an athlete that is eminently relatable if nothing else. My ESPN.com Page 2 colleague Wendell Maxey wrote an excellent feature on him last summer talking about his trip from minor league journeyman to major league reliever and best selling author with his release “The Bullpen Gospels”.
No matter how bright the lights or flattering the praise, this is a guy who clearly hasn’t forgotten where he’s come from and has set himself up to have a great life once the uniform comes off for good. And even if he doesn’t make it back to the show, he’s established a niche for himself that few pitchers with an all-time mark of 0-2, 5.72 ERA in 25 appearances have.
Godspeed, Garfoose.
