Richard Justice tries to talk us down from the ledge.
Bud Norris had a bad night at the office on Tuesday, and there may be a few more in the months ahead. Patience, friends.
He's on his way to becoming a really good major league pitcher, but this was just his 14th start. To put it another way, he's about halfway through his rookie season.
Tal Smith:
“We'd like these guys to be polished pitchers on day one, but that's not realistic. Look at how long it took Wandy to get to this point. They're not all going to be Roy Oswalt.“
Brett Myers:
“I see a lot of myself in Bud. I'd get beat up when I first came up, but I'd keep fighting. I think Bud maybe loses his focus at times. Sometimes young guys try to strike everyone out instead of pitching to contact, doing things that get you deeper into games...
...“I just think they need to take the initiative. Arnie (pitching coach Brad Arnsberg) is the best I've been around in the big leagues. He's got to pick his brain. And then there's Roy. One of the reasons I signed here is to have the chance to learn from him, to have a friendly competition.“
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
