Ron Cook inspires rage in me

Ron Cook churned out a giant turd today. He more or less says that Jack Wilson lied about still being bothered by his appendectomy and that he shouldn't make excuses for his poor play. OK, fine. In January 2001 Adrian Beltre underwent an emergency appendectomy. He struggled all year with the injury, with his batting average dropping from .290 to .265, his homers dropping from 20 to 13, and his RBIs plummetting from 85 to 60. His year was salvaged by a strong second half, and he spent considerable time on the DL, only playing in 126 games. His numbers didn't make a full recovery until 2003. My point is simple. I've watched a lot of players go in and out of Pittsburgh over the last 12 years. Derek Bell would lie about pain caused by an appendectomy to excuse poor play. So would Brian Giles. Or Aramis Ramirez. Jack Wilson would never make excuses. The fact that Jack is even hinting that he's hurt probably means that he's in excruciating pain. Just now, as I'm typing this, he singled, moved around the bases to third, and scored on a shallow flyout. No one hustles like Jack Wilson, no one cares more than Jack Wilson. Anyone that's watched him swing the bat this year sees his front side fly open to favor his right side, the side where your appendix is. He's in pain. Cook says that it must not be there because Lloyd plays him every day so Lloyd must not see a problem. EARTH TO RON! EARTH TO RON! LLOYD MCCLENDON IS THICK AS A BRICK!!! Ron Cook despises players that make excuses. I despise sports writers that take the easy way out instead of digging a little under the surface to find the truth. I despise sportswriters that criticize athletes for playing hurt and talking about their very real injuries that have affected their performance this year, when their writing makes you wonder if they would know the difference between a football, a baseball, or a basketball if one smacked them in the face. One thing I don't despise is Jack Wilson. He plays with a passion for baseball that 98% of the league doesn't have. If Jack says his appendectomy is bothering him, I believe Jumpin' Jack, not some fat hack.