Ryan Zimmerman, Hanley Ramirez, and "hustle"

I am sure you have seen the uproar about Hanley Ramirez not hustling after a ball he booted into the left field corner. Both the play and his comments about manager Fredi Gonzalez were pretty egregious. Basically indefensible.

Last night in the 5th inning, Ryan Zimmerman fell down trying to catch a pop-up that went over his head. After he missed it, he sat on the ground watching the shortstop chase the ball, rather than getting up and playing baseball. He sat there for several seconds watching the play as though he were a fan in the stands. Because he didn't get up and cover third, Francoeur made it to third and later scored on a sacrifice fly.

The only difference between these two plays was that Ramirez at least jogged after the ball, and Zimmerman laid on the ground like a dog.

I am not a big believer in systemic racism, particularly in professional sports. However, these two plays, happening only days apart, lead to an interesting conclusion.

Zimmerman is thought of as Mr. Hustle. See: http://zimsfoundation.org/news/news/washington-nationals-third-baseman-ryan-zimmerman-nominated-for-mlbpaa-heart-hustle-award/

Indeed, during the game, Gary Cohen compared him (in PHYSICAL APPEARANCE!!!) to Scott Rolen, a malcontent who "hustled" his way out of St. Louis.

Hanley Ramirez is thought of as wasting his natural gifts.

I couldn't even find a story about Zimmerman's lack of hustle, let alone a reporter questioning him about it. Who knows what he might have said if he was asked about whether he would apologize to his team and his manager (as Hanley was)?

Everything is about perspective. People are looking for examples of Hanley not hustling, and are ready to jump on him. Zimmerman meanwhile gets awards for his hustle.

I am not condoning not hustling. Not at all. But I think EVERYONE has a mental lapse every now and then. The Hanley play and the Zimmerman play had the same cause (they were both frustrated that they had missed the ball and now would make SportsCenter looking goofy). Who reporters choose to focus on and question about it severely colors (no pun intended) our perception.