Men are very prone to ego inflating from success and adoration. We get a fat pay check for a few months and we think we are the shit and know everything, much less win a world series.
Its easy to be addicted to that success, and get desperate to regain it, next thing you know the young guys are pressing real bad.
I think some of what you are saying is absolutely going on too, in that Epstein makes it all about business by not extending Arrieta, and not re-signing Fowler, Baez is on the hot seat with Candelario and Happ pressing on the door, all of a sudden you feel expendable and see the writing on the wall....you know your place and your pressing.
This team made Perdomo look like a world beater and I think he could have gone 8 innings. He through like 10 strikes in 90 pitches. Its that bad. They suck THAT BAD!!
I mean they went innings without making him throw a strike. Chase the slider low. Chase the fastball in. strikeout up. It was ugly.
I was begging Baez, Schwarber, Heyward and some other at bats from everyone (though at least Zobrist, Happ, Rizzo, bryant, contreras learned to make him throw one strike and have a solid at bat in the game) but I was begging them to just take 3 pitches. 80% chance of a 2-1 count man. Just take. He was nibbling and they were biting. Know way he throws 3 strikes, he threw an occassional first pitch cookie fast ball to look for, but after that make him throw a fucking strike. It was disgusting.
