Jerrold Riggan Out of Baseball?

Jerrod Riggan is mentioned way too much on these forums. Hehe.

At least I heard of the guy. Some of these NPB gaijin players bandied about in fits of excitement are real mysteries to me.

Aw come on Westbay-san, how offensive can the word scrub be that you edit out the last two lines of my post? These no name gaijin are professional baseball players, which is quite an accomplishment, but in relative terms, they are scrubs. Most of these guys could not play regularly at the major league level, which is one reason why they are playing NPB.

Knowing fully well that Riggan's relatives read these boards, your full comment was mean spirited at best and blatant flame bait at worst. You even state that it is still quite an accomplishment to become a professional baseball player in NPB, and Riggan did very well here and is more deserving of respect than the taunts you made in those last two lines. Jerrold actually did something while with the Tigers, something that Major Leaguers that had a name for themselves (non-scrubs) like Rob Deer and Mike Greenwell failed to do.

My understanding of what a scrub is is that it's a player who filled in during the MLB player strike back in the early-mid 1990s. I have no idea if Riggan did so or not, and I don't really care. (This is not the place to argue MLB labor problems.) Riggan performed better than most foreign players that come over here, and is deserving of more respect than you showed.

Here is the definition of "scrub" according to the New Dickson Baseball Dictionary (1999):

"A substitute or member of the B or second team; a backup player on the bench. The term tends to be used in a derogatory manner."

Please have a look at this for a fuller description of the word scrub. It is from the Middle English word schrubbe, meaning shrub, or little bush.

scrub (Houghton Mifflin dictionary)
NOUN:

1. A straggly, stunted tree or shrub.
2. A growth or tract of stunted vegetation.
3. An undersized or poorly developed domestic animal.
4. An undersized or insignificant person.
5. In Sports: A player not on the varsity or first team.
6. Australian: Remote rural land; the bush.

There is also a popular US TV show called Scrubs, about comedic interns in a hospital. Interns are not yet doctors, ergo they are second string, underdeveloped scrubs, even though they have trained for years.

Riggan is not on the varsity or first team, ergo, the use of the word.

Speaking of flame, what exactly would you call YOUR diatribe?

Mijow's definition is accurate.

You are a very sensitive fellow and you are have mistaken my meaning. Scrub is used quite regularly in the US for a second string player. It is slightly derogatory, as it implies a less than top drawer player, but not necessarily mean spirited. In NBA basketball, the bench players coming in during a blow out could be refered to as scrubs by a group of fans having a beer in a bar. A scrub is just a guy who doesn't start.

Greenwell and Derr are hardly household names either. Scrubs in my book.

You mistakenly think scrubs are "scabs," fill-ins for striking workers. Scabs have a much more visceral connotation, especially among union men. The scabs in the baseball strike were pariahs for years after the strike, if they continued to play in MLB.

I wish Riggan well, but at 31, he is not in the majors and he has a challenge ahead of him. I had no idea Riggan's relatives read this board, so your accusation is inaccurate. I do appreciate the skill needed to play ball at the professional level, whether it be in MLB, NPB, or the minor leagues for that matter. The painful truth is that all professional players are not created equal. That is why gaijin choose to play in NPB, and why they are generally treated like discards when they stumble, don't pan out or subject to ridicule because they don't fit in culturally. So please do not lecture me on respect and spare me your self-righteousness. I dare you to print that.

In medicine, scrubs is the term used for the outfit doctors wear. It has nothing to do with age or rank. The title of the show is a play on words, if that's what you meant. I still think it's a term used to talk down on people (especially in baseball), and I agree with Michael about Riggan being an important member of the Hanshin bullpen during his tenure.

Thank you. I will sit down and shut up now. This never happened.

On another subject, the NY Times ran a story on Iriki-san. Seems he has a large peony tatoo on his shoulder with his son's name. He said he was trying to embrace a samurai spirit. He pointed out that samurai often carried peonies into battle as a sign of bravery.

I also learned that he and Masato Yoshii have something in common - both throw a shuto. There is much competition for a spot in the bullpen and for the fifth starter slot. I hope he has a good Spring and realizes his dream.

If you do as you claim remain ignorant of Jerrod Riggan or his relatives participation in this board then that suggests a lack of knowledge or opening your mouth before thinking.

Secondly, your choice of a word that can be considered insulting is hardly accidental. Your reply is disingenuous in the extreme - you knew what you were saying and your outrage and offense at the deserved rebuke is likewise difficult to credit.

There is also a subtext to your posts that suggests you believe NPB to be inferior. Think carefully about what you write and how you write it. People do not make it in either MLB or NPB for all sorts of reasons besides not being good enough and it would be useful to remember this.

While I post here from time to time, I am not a habituee like some others. I really are not terribly interested in Riggan. I doubt he will make it to the Mets since he had his shot like other minor leaguers and at 31, he is a longshot. I wish him well nevertheless. I honestly did not read any posts on him, nor did I follow any links other than this recent post. I did not see any posts from relatives.

My use of the word was intentional. He is a second stringer in the world of professional baseball. That's the fact. I agree that some people make it to the pros due to luck and others don't, though they have talent. I have already stated elsewhere that for anyone to play pro ball is an achievement. There is no doubt Riggan has some talent, but he is where he is, for the time being.

Scrubs, yes, they are what doctors wear, but interns are also second stringers, underdeveloped doctors, so to speak. That is why there is a play on words.

Lastly, Christopher, I laugh when you bring out that old worn epithaph, "You must suggest NPB to be inferior." Please, read my first post where I took a bit of offense to the NYT story saying Riggan was out of baseball when he was playing in Japan. Please, read carefully and think before opening your mouth to write or speak, as you admonish. Too many of you have said too much without knowing the facts or understanding the meaning of words.

It is wonderful you all have such fond memories of him. Much of the stuff I read about gaijin players are derogatory.

As several of you have noticed, posts have not been going through to this thread. The situation I tried to avoid erupted when I tried to explain why I cut out two lines I thought overly rude. (I wrote to one person who'd posted twice, thinking the first one didn't go through, thanking him/her for the thoughtful post, but the registered e-mail address appears to be invalid.)

Thank you all for the definitions of the word(s) I mis-interpreted. I need help with English sometimes as well.

Nonetheless, there were several posts that I didn't even have to finish the first line of to know that I'd made a mistake by allowing this thread to go on as long as it did. Whether a post is thoughtful or not (and there were a few that were rational), a few of you had stepped well over the line and all are now punished for it.

If you want to continue to discuss how it is the New York Times lost a couple of years of Riggan's career, please feel free to continue that discussion. But this one's over.