Yesterday it became official that Justin Duchscherer will not throw another pitch before his contract expires at the end of the season, and neither the A's nor Duchscherer has given any indication that they wish their future to include the other. Duchscherer, whose agent revealed yesterday that the pitcher is battling clinical depression, offers many important truths rolled into one.
Command trumps velocity every time. If any scout or fan was seduced by the radar gun, all they had to do is watch Duchscherer pitch, topping out at around 86MPH as he wound up, kicked, and then seemed to walk the ball right to the catcher's glove. Rick Barry once demonstrated he could make 10 free throws in a row with his eyes closed; you wonder if Kurt Suzuki could catch 10 Duchscherer pitches in a row with his eyes closed, because at times Duke's command was that good.
Man is no match for the dark and heavy cloud that is depression. If you've never felt what true depression feels like, you'll never quite understand because it cannot adequately be explained in words. And if you've felt it, you really don't need words because from one who has been there to another, "Yeah, I know" is more than enough.
I'm in the camp that agrees it was none of our business why Justin Duchscherer was scratched from his rehab starts, and that the team was 100% right to keep silent. At the same time, I'm glad to know the situation because baseball is a sport where fans get to "know" the players, by their faces, by the daily travails of a 162-game season, and so if someone you "know" is battling an illness that you know is a beast, you want to be able to say, "I'm really sorry you have this challenge, because it stinks." In other words, we want to know not because it's good gossip; we want to know because we want a chance to say that we care.
But what I'm really here to say today is that over the past several years, Justin Duchscherer has been my favorite pitcher to watch. He brings out the irrational fan in me, the one who would welcome a new contract for a 31-year old who breaks down physically every year and now has put his career on hold. His command, the cutter that batters can see repeatedly and still not find, the 12-to-6 curve that buckles some of the league's best hitters. I just love watching the guy pitch. Get well soon, Duke, and if you ever want to pitch for Oakland again...
11 recs | 88 comments
fans as rubberneckers
ok, so there is plain curiosity. i can be down with that. this news explains a lot. it still makes me feel like a voyeur even though duke allowed the announcement.
but then again, there are also stalkers. to be obsessed with someone’s personal life is borderline stalkerville. we as fans have no “right” (as some posters around here think) to know what is going on in the personal life of players. get it straight folks.
really now, is it really all of our business as to what personal issues a player has? no. plain and simple.
oh yeah, also make sure to get the hell out of my way if you want to rubberneck an accident on the freeway.
greendatitiz - August 22, 2009
We rubberneck because we care about our fellow man, on some level
Imagine a world where nobody cared enough to look at the ills that fall upon our fellow man.
How callous it would be to not even pause a moment to notice. It’s that pang of empathy, albeit mixed with the “glad it’s not me” feeling.
Just don’t gawk.
MobiusKlein - August 22, 2009
Also mixed with "ooh shiny!" mixed with
“Now what was I doing? OH CRAP, THE ROAD!!!!” followed by the next wave of rubberneckers checking you out.
Nico - August 22, 2009
The good thing about baseball
is the memories.
Future Ed - August 22, 2009
That
was such an amazing performance
BillMoresi - August 22, 2009
Yeah and to think:
At the time the Athletics were in second place in the division and had a wopping paid attendance of less than 13,000. Granted it was a Tuesday evening game but come on!
LowcountryJoe - August 22, 2009
EMIL BROWN
rbi..
skalordes - August 22, 2009
8 GAMES OVER .500
ElQuesoCapitan - August 22, 2009
I do not know what depression is like, but I like Duke a lot. I hope he is able to recover from what sounds like a debilitating disease and ultimately find happiness.
If the other option is keep pitching and never get better, well than I hope to never see you pitch again. I’ll always remember the moments you had in Oakland; by far my favorite pitcher to watch.
It’s been a pleasure – you are a true artist on the mound.
Here’s to recovery…..
BillMoresi - August 22, 2009
I dont care
if he ever pitches again, as long as he gets better.
If he pitches again, that’s just a bonus.
Dub_TC - August 22, 2009
That Duke/Harden combination was so lethal to begin last year
They were a 2-man wrecking crew. I’d love to see Duke return to the A’s, but only if he’s personally ready to continue his career. Honestly I’d love to see Duke, Huddy, AND Mulder all back in the green and gold (though I’m pretty sure the Braves would love to see Huddy back for them as well).
Duke’s career has always amazed me. He doesn’t throw much harder than you or I, but his pure mechanics and control have always been so great that he’s difficult to not love as an A’s fan. He’s one of those players that most baseball fans don’t really pay much attention to, but A’s fans will always remember. Here’s to you, Duke. May we wish you the best.
thashyt - August 22, 2009
Fastballs
Well, maybe you, but not me. I realize that low 80s is very slow for MLB, but it’s still a hell of a lot faster than I can throw.
iglew - August 22, 2009
I pitched on one of those guns when I was younger.
They have one here in St. Pete at The Trop, and I think they have one hidden in the Stomper Zone (look for Don) at the Coli…at least they used to.
IIRC, I think my top speed was either 63 or 69.
Leopold Bloom - August 22, 2009
Yeah, I'm 19, fairly athletic, and pitched for four years in HS
And I struggle to throw much harder than 72ish on those radar guns.
NateHST - August 22, 2009
hmmm, then maybe my top was 59...
Leopold Bloom - August 22, 2009
They have a gun you can try against at the
single-A park in Everett. I went there a few times but never tried the gun.
I’d be mildly surprised if I could reach 50, shocked if I could reach 60. I’m not in terrible shape, but I’m not particularly athletic either.
iglew - August 23, 2009
My fastball tops out at about 46
but it’s also very straight so it’s deadly. I think we all hope the best for Duke he pitched well for the A’s and you hate to see someone have to go through anything like depression. I agree with iglew that it’s been nice that fans here on AN has been respectful of the situation and it’s one of the reasons many of us enjoy the site.
sirbed - August 22, 2009
Your problem isn't your fastball
It’s that your changeup sits at 42. You need more of a differential. Get it down to 33 and you still have 5-6 good years ahead of you (not as a pitcher, obviously).
Nico - August 22, 2009
Heck somedays after a good workout I'm so sore
I don’t know if I have 5 or 6 good weeks ahead of me.
sirbed - August 22, 2009
Before I blew out my shoulder I threw in the low 80s
fun times. I can get back up there with a little more effort but now my fingers go all tingly when I do… fun times.
designatedforassignment - August 22, 2009
Low 80's that's pretty good
You definitely would have struck me out. Of course since I learned how to golf before I played little league I was used to the ball not moving before I tried to hit it.
sirbed - August 22, 2009
i had that same problem, i just got good at hitting a ball staying still and now your trying to throw it past me?
pfff
winchester5 - August 22, 2009
I feel your pain
of course the last few times I’ve golfed i’ve played so bad that maybe it would have been better if someone had just thrown the ball at me and knocked me out.
sirbed - August 22, 2009
36 MPH?
pam5981 - August 23, 2009
Best Wishes for Duke and His Progress
I have been a big fan of his style for some time. He’s the kind of player, and person, I want on my team. And no, I really don’t know what kind of person he is, but I’ve been in “team” environments on and off the field for a few decades and I can quickly spot various types of talent when I see it. He’s got a lot to offer, and I bet he offers more off the mound than on it. My 2 cents.
Dan_Honolulu - August 22, 2009
Well done! Highly rec'd.
LowcountryJoe - August 22, 2009
Nico, good job putting words to what alot of us are thinking and feeling.
the_rozeboom - August 22, 2009
Oh, yeah... and best wishes and prayers for Duke.
the_rozeboom - August 22, 2009
This whole situation has reminded me
of why I love Oakland A’s fans in general and Athletics Nations in particular. I have honestly been surprised at how overwhelmingly positive the reaction has been in all the various Duchscherer-related discussions on this site. Yes, there have been one or two insensitive “just get over it” type comments, but that is far fewer than I expected to see. For another group of sports fans in another city I wouldn’t be surprised if the reaction was more like 50-50, but here it’s been 99% supportive. The compassion, support, and understanding here has been really amazing. It’s a big part of why I love AN.
iglew - August 22, 2009
SSS
:-p
speckops - August 22, 2009
i know how he feels
depression ended my time on indiana university’s baseball team after a month and a half. i got better and got back on my feet at east bay, but i’ll never forget how bad i felt. it’s a very serious thing, and i hope duke can feel better about himself; hopefully getting healthy (structure-wise) will help his mind out.
flipgatey3 - August 22, 2009
I wonder if not pitching is the variable that pushed things to the next level
He had battled physical ailments, and a nasty divorce/custody battle before, but the lack of “purpose” of pitching, for the whole season, could easily have made a simmering issue bubble. I remember hearing about his bullpen session earlier this year where he had to stop it early and spiked the ball down in frustration. I hope he can pitch again soon, for his sake and for the sake of fans — who are lucky to get to see him pitch.
Nico - August 22, 2009
i would bet that it is
personally, i hurt my elbow from overuse when at IU. i was already struggling with homesickness, etc. and when i couldn’t use it effectively, the bad feelings only got worse.
not doing what you are good at never helps. it’s only magnified when you are at the level that justin is.
flipgatey3 - August 22, 2009
Nico, I have an issue with this statement
Not trying to be argumentative — and considering your line of work, you may have some more insight to add — but I’ve had some experience with this and I think it’s easy to cloud the issues a bit.
Being sad or grieving the loss of a loved one (whether through death or divorce), or some other traumatic experience that causes feelings of sadness, loss, and grief is not the same thing as clinical depression. Clinical depression is caused by things going “wrong” internally — it is a medical condition that can be helped, and often cured, through medication.
I think it would be wrong to assume that being sad over his divorce, or not pitching regularly, “caused” this condition. If I understand it correctly, the two things are not the same.
However, I do think that there remains a possiblility that a traumatic event like the death of a spouse or a divorce might — and I think MIGHT needs to be highlighted — cause the body to begin to malfunction (for lack of a better word) and result in a medical condition like clinical depression.
But saying that Duke was “sad because of the divorce” or “depressed because he couldn’t pitch” is NOT what clinical depression is, to my understanding. This may help people understand what’s going on a bit better.
Vacafan - August 22, 2009
Exactly -- what I'm suggesting is that
there was probably an underlying chemical imbalance (i.e., serotonin not released by the brain in precisely the ideal pattern) that was there independent of any life events.
However, a condition that lays more dormant at one time can be triggered to be more present by a lack of exercise, by poor sleep, by changes in eating habits, by a change in psychological state — or by all the above, and often these tend to go hand in hand.
Exercise is key (because the body naturally releases endorphins during exercise), and so just a change in the amount of aerobic exercise he may have been getting lately would be enough to potentially explain a change in the level of / manageability of depression.
Nico - August 22, 2009
The last A's game I've been able to attend in person
Was this one
Duke was Amazing. Thanks for the memories, man. Get well soon
Hegenberger Road - August 22, 2009
I was there also
great game, especially his performance
OaklandSi - August 22, 2009
I was also there
easily the highlight of last year
bobnothing - August 22, 2009
The game where K-Rod
Threw the ball into the bullpen also was up there
OaklandSi - August 22, 2009 via mobile
Hannahan leading off!?
brian.only - August 22, 2009
Kik
ElQuesoCapitan - August 22, 2009
Haha, I was there too.
That was a magical game.
ElQuesoCapitan - August 22, 2009
Well said
Flashfire - August 22, 2009
A Letter to Duchscherer
I was born in 1970, and have been an A’s fan since I was about five. Duchscherer is the current titleholder of My Favorite A — a list that has included Mitchell Page, Rickey Henderson, Vida Blue, Rich Harden, and others.
I was a baseball stud until I was about 11 and all the other kids got started to get bigger, and Duke’s the kind of pitcher I always imagined I’d be — better than everyone else because he had pinpoint control and was just smarter, just understood the psychology and the angles in a way that overcame an 88 MPH fastball.
I hope you get through this quickly, Duke, and I hope you come back as an A.
FassGlass - August 22, 2009
I will never forget
Joe Buck announcing the lineups for the 2008 all-star game, and him mispronouncing Duke’s name. I later heard him say, “I practiced his name over and over, and I still couldn’t get it right!” But you know what? His name is not hard to say, in any way. It’s hard to SPELL, but “dook-sher” is just not tricky. It’s not. It was his SECOND all-star appearance, and that fucker Joe Buck couldn’t even be bothered to say his name right. That right there pissed me off more than almost anything else in the world of bad sports coverage.
Duke was OUR player, and rarely have I loved a player more than him. Crazy name, insane curveball, incredible command of the strike zone, rarely gave up hits (in 2008 – 141.2 IP, 107 hits allowed!), and just an all-around awesome player. I truly hope he gets better soon – I have lots of people close to me with depression and it can be the most crippling thing in the world.
ORthey - August 22, 2009
I hate Joe Buck.
Leopold Bloom - August 22, 2009
I hate Buck Henry
will not really
sirbed - August 22, 2009
I hate Henry Ford.
Leopold Bloom - August 22, 2009
I hate Ford Fairlane
awful movie….well not really I kind of liked it when I was 15 but I haven’t seen it since.
sirbed - August 22, 2009
I hate Layne Staley.
damn drug addict.
Leopold Bloom - August 22, 2009
I hate Bobby Layne
well not really although Lions fans do talk about the curse of Bobby Layne so maybe they hate him.
sirbed - August 22, 2009
I hate bobby crosby
ElQuesoCapitan - August 22, 2009
I hate Crosby,Stills and Nash
well not really Southern Cross is a cool song.
sirbed - August 22, 2009
I hate Nash Bridges.
Stupid Don Johnson.
Leopold Bloom - August 22, 2009
Don Johnson.
JediLeroy - August 22, 2009
Fremont is basically a parking lot with a mayor.
Leopold Bloom - August 22, 2009
We could have been a ballpack with a mayor. :(
LoneStranger - August 22, 2009
spelling fail.
LoneStranger - August 22, 2009
I hate Jeff Bridges
well not really both he and his brother are good actors and his Dad Llyod Bridges deserved an Oscar for his work in Airplane.
sirbed - August 22, 2009
Looks like I picked a bad week to stop sniffin' glue.
Leopold Bloom - August 22, 2009
Greatest line in the history of cinema.
sirbed - August 22, 2009
or well not really
one of these days I’m going to learn how to type.
sirbed - August 22, 2009
it's duck-shire, right? like the county
bobnothing - August 22, 2009
The Duck of Death, I say.
Leopold Bloom - August 22, 2009
It's Duch-SHER-er
<<It’s hard to SPELL, but "dook-sher" is just not tricky.>>
C’mon. LOOK at the spelling! It’s long bothered me that people mispronounce his name. I’ve never heard anyone ever pronounce his name properly.
I’ve meant to ask him if I ever had the opportunity, but, he is from the South Dakota area where my family settled after originally leaving Alsace (Germany/France) and via Russia for several generations. I suspect that his family may have taken the same route and that’s what I wanted to ask him.
He is also one of my favorite A’s- along with Ricky, Huddie, Haren, Miguel and a few others.
Duch (dux) SHER (SHARE) er
Lavrentii - August 22, 2009
Regardless of it's supposedt to be pronounced, origin-wise
It’s always been Duke-sher around here, and that’s what he goes by.
ORthey - August 22, 2009
No, you're wrong. The pronunciation is entirely consistent with the spelling.
As a three-syllable word in German, the emphasis would be on the first syllable, not the second. DUKE-sher-er. Same idea as Federer, Klemperer, etc.
From there, it’s fairly common to drop the final weak syllable in a name ending with -rer. For example, Jim Lehrer, of News Hour fame, says his name like “lair”. Some (not all) people named Shearer say it like “shear”. My landlord’s name is Bohrer, and he says it like “bore”.
iglew - August 23, 2009
ok
Hmmm. Ok, on the syllable emphasis, though I KNOW I’ve heard the Duch-SHER-er pronunciation in the past, from Germans.
By the way, my family name is Scherr (share).
Lavrentii - September 12, 2009
Been there Duke
And well, we love you. Keep battling.
mikedaviswhereareyou - August 22, 2009
Classy Post Nico
Only the best wishes for Duke.
designatedforassignment - August 22, 2009
Get well soon
I thought it was incredibly brave for Duke to come out and admit about his mental condition when he is about to enter free agency. A player with mental problems scares the bejesus out of teams looking to add quality pitchers. It takes a lot of guts for Duke to come out and admit to the team and fans.
batterbatter - August 22, 2009
Yeah, it takes some cojones.
I’m just sad he cant keep healthy enough to start a whole season, he’s got the stuff for sure.
IMO- if he gets another contract its unlikely that he’ll ever be a starter again, so sad.
brian.only - August 22, 2009
Agrd
ElQuesoCapitan - August 22, 2009
First step to recovery.....
Thank goodness he is in the place where he recognizes that his mental health has to be the top priority or NOTHING in his life will be worth a damn. If he doesn’t take care of his recovery he may not have to worry about FA because he won’t be playing!!
I totally agree with you on this and hope that he knows his fans are supportive. I’m sure it was an agonizing decision to make. Good for you, Duke!!
BERRYJO - August 23, 2009
Good luck, Duke
I hope he recovers or is at least able to manage his depression and have a full and healthy life.
Slappyfrog - August 22, 2009
Duke is great. I mean, come on:
JediLeroy - August 22, 2009
That’s awesome. Did you make that?
speckops - August 22, 2009
Nah, it was a collaboration between Jennifer and the tenants of Bobble Village
JediLeroy - August 22, 2009
er! er! er!
+1
ElQuesoCapitan - August 22, 2009
Only 1 of those 6 bobbleheads is still on the team :(
Rickeyfan - August 23, 2009
Nice post.
I wish Duke all the best, and I hope he gets it together.
LeSaboteur - August 22, 2009
Wish ya well, Duke.
ElQuesoCapitan - August 22, 2009
Feel better, Duke!
Great post, Nico. Very sensitively handled. I work with a lot of people with depression and it can be very debilitating. I hope the team and A’s organization is being supportive of him in his recovery. I hope he comes back an A next year.
A'sfansince1970 - August 22, 2009
Nico, that was a wonderful post.
I enjoy reading the A’s-related information on AN very much as our local news services include little or no A’s information.
A's Fan in Virginia - August 22, 2009
Get well soon, Duke.
pam5981 - August 23, 2009
Get well soon, Duke.
I wish you all the best through this.
walkoff baltimore chop - August 23, 2009
Duke
We like you.
Boss Playa - August 23, 2009
Yes, indeed,
get well. And I selfishly hope to see you on the mound again next year.
thinwhiteduke - August 24, 2009
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