Talk:Rick Ankiel

"Unnecessary" Information
What was unnecessary about making a separate section about other players that inexplicably developed throwing problems? I would think a baseball researcher about the phenomena would like to have a convenient list. Heck, the problem even has its own name: Steve Blass Disease.Hunter2005 (talk) 18:16, 28 May 2009 (UTC)

Current status
It's incorrect to change to picture to the recent one of him hitting that three run homerun in his comeback...that picture should probably be moved down so it isn't the main photo

So he's currently in Triple-A am I reading this correctly? Trevor GH5 03:11, 10 May 2007 (UTC)
 * Correct --AW 13:26, 10 May 2007 (UTC)

Semi-protection added
I've added semi-protection to this page. Too many people (anonymous/unregistered users) have edited the newer sections commenting too much on his comeback story in stead of actually focusing on what should be encyclopedic. This is not an editorial for Rick. Steviedpeele 22:47, 11 August 2007 (UTC)

Ankiel NOT the first
Ron Mahay played as an outfielder in 1995 for the Red Sox. He was drafted as a centerfielder, and came up and played for the team before later becoming a pitcher. Enigmaman 16:11, 12 August 2007 (UTC)

Well Mahay was an outfielder he had to have a good arm to be an outfielder so it was easier. (No offense to him) Ankiel was a pitcher so he forgot about batting all he had to do was pitch and bunt. He lost it in the playoffs got hurt went down to single A double A got transformed into in outfielder climbed all the way back to triple A. Then led triple A with 32 home runs he got called up hit 3 home runs in his first 4 games back. He Has been a spark plug for the cardinals and a great story and you should not be downing on him. 12.202.103.39

I'm sorry, but can you read? I'm not "downing" on him. I'm pointing out a fact. I'm probably the biggest Ankiel fan there is. I've closely followed his career and I know exactly what he's been through. I was pointing out a factual error. Something you can't grasp. Enigmaman 02:57, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Ya I can read I see that big NOT is what made me so mad and who in the world is Ron Mahay? I have never heard of him and everyone knows Ankiel was not the first because another guy did it what was his name... o ya Babe Ruth thats who i remember not Ron Mahay (again no offense to him) So how can you be a red sox fan and a cards fan makes no sense they played in the world series against each other who were you rutting for? I really doubt that you have followed his career because everyone was thinking he is done in the majors.


 * Bandwagon. SashaNein 03:38, 8 September 2007 (UTC)

Position
User Street20 does not wish for Ankiel's former position of pitcher to be listed with his current position of right field. Other players who played more than one position and have both of them listed include:


 * John Montgomery Ward...did the pitcher/hitter transition
 * Babe Ruth...did the pitcher/hitter transition
 * Smoky Joe Wood...did the pitcher/hitter transition
 * Cal Ripken, Jr....shortstop to third base
 * Ernie Banks...shortstop to first base
 * Todd Zeile...third baseman/first baseman (Wikipedia omits catcher, his first position) Vidor 16:22, 12 August 2007 (UTC)
 * Also, Craig Biggio and Chipper Jones. Pandacomics 22:20, 13 August 2007 (UTC)
 * From what I see, current players have their current positions listed. After retirement, the title of Pitcher should most definitely be there alongside his field positions. SashaNein 14:21, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

Neutral Point of View?
In the interest of full disclosure, I'll first openly state that I'm a Cubs fan and immediately bring into question my own neutrality in that regard. While Ankiel's comeback is incredible, virtually unprecedented, and fun to watch, I'm concerned about some of the language in the article not meeting NPOV, such as describing a catch as spectacular, or a curveball as devastating.

Ankiel's career has been without a doubt one of success, adversity, and determination, so I'm not sure how badly removing such adjectives would affect the quality of the article, hence the reason I did not make any changes myself. I figured this discussion page was the most appropriate place to express my concerns, however, so that others could make those adjustments, if seen as necessary.Brent Butler contribstalk 20:00, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Alleged Steroid Use
I'm surprised this never came up in the article or in the previous discussions. He was definitely linked to a host of players suspected of taking performance-enhancing substances. Can big brother put in a word as to whether he did it or not? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.24.88.230 (talk) 01:20, 19 January 2009 (UTC)

Questioning the removal of the psch list
First, I don't have a dog in this fight. In fact, I'm not sure a simple list of names is appropriate from a context perspective (i.e. a list without context could be misconstrued or misinterpreted). Nonetheless, I hate to see aggressive editing - that appears to have a fair amount of disdain for no apparent reason. Removing the list of as "not a good list, unverifiable, possible original research, don't speculate" is a real big blanket. It took me all of 2 minutes to google a reputable source with a number of these players: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/bbw/2001-02-07/2001-02-07-head.htm Perhaps asking for source or better citation might be a better tact. I welcome more discussion re: providing better context or adding "Steve Blass Disease" section to the Yips page.Mjskord (talk) 03:52, 14 September 2009 (UTC)

Fact check
The following statement "Rick Ankiel joined the legendary Babe Ruth and Clint Hartung as the only players to hit home runs both as a pitcher and as a position player." needs a reference and context. I did a quick search, and Guy Hecker hit 12 home runs as a pitcher and 7 as a first baseman. Is this suppose to read "in the modern era"? I suspect that is the intent of the statement. Neonblak talk  -  12:01, 2 June 2010 (UTC)
 * A little more research brings up modern era players; Smoky Joe Wood (5 as a pitcher, 18 as an outfielder); Rube Bressler (1 as a pitcher, 31 at other positions); Jack Harshman (19 as a pitcher, 2 at first base); Willie Smith (1 as a pitcher, 45 at other positions). I am certain that this is not comprehensive, so I am going to remove the statement from the article due to referencing and factual issues. Neonblak  talk  -  12:57, 2 June 2010 (UTC)
 * After a closer look at the statement made in the body of the article, hitting a home run as a pitcher first, then later as a position player, it appears that Wood and Bressler still qualify. I will leave that part in the article for a bit, leaving some time for someone to reference it. Neonblak  talk  -  13:20, 2 June 2010 (UTC)

Downfall as a pitcher
I know that Ankiel's meltdown in Game 1 of the 2000 NLDS is very famous, but is the section detailing it a bit too lengthy? We could just mention that he walked four batters and threw five wild pitches while surrendering four runs and failing to escape the inning. Sanfranciscogiants17 (talk) 12:00, 18 July 2012 (UTC)

How to correct a quoted mistake?
Currently in the last sentence of the lede there is this: "His change of position, and the fact that he played for six teams in a five-season span, suggest that Ankiel's playing history represents "one of the stranger careers in baseball history" in the words of journalist Barry Petchesky." The use of the comparative word "stranger" is wrong, since it would mean that there is only two players in question. It's an all-too-common mistake today, but which is the best... I mean better ... way to correct it? Put a [sic] after "stranger" or put [strangest] in place of stranger?__209.179.93.170 (talk) 02:48, 12 October 2014 (UTC)

External links modified
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