August 14th, 2012 at 6:16 am 
by Harold Uhlman Several times a year on ThinkBlueLA, we get into a bit of a debate over “heart.” That is, if our boys are playing with heart, playing half- heartedly, or without heart. I expect that we may vary in our definitions of “heart”, as it is an intangible quality on a baseball team, but probably we have a general concurrence of what we describe as heart.
To me,” heart” is simply not giving up in the face of adversity, regardless of the circumstances. It is scratching and clawing every at bat, every pitch, getting the uniform dirty, not giving in to what seems to be insurmountable odds. It is doing things greater than we actually are. That is from where we get over achievement, doing things we should not be able to do based on our innate ability. A team’s skill level is pretty much a constant throughout a season, but the heart level is infinite, hence, over achievement.
I recently came across an article about the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association. The MLBPAA, beginning in 2005, has awarded the Heart & Hustle Award. It is voted on by Alumni and active Major League players and is presented annually to an active player who demonstrates a passion for the game of baseball and best embodies the values, spirit and traditions of the game. It is based on the passion, desire, and work ethic demonstrated both on and off the field. What a great award, heart and hustle! In the past few years we have had Russell Martin, Matt Kemp and Jamey Carroll nominated, although none have been selected by the MLBPAA for this award. Our nominee this year is Jerry Hairston.
Jerry Hairston Jr. is the Dodgers nominee for the 2012 Heart and Hustle Award.
As I thought about, “heart”, a number of players quickly came to mind who have demonstrated it in a number of different ways. Pete Rose (“Charlie Hustle”), is always in the mix, especially with his… hustle. I personally believe Pete was an over achiever, doing so with his heart and hustle.
Regardless of the controversy surrounding Pete Rose, no one can dispute that ‘Charlie Hustle’ played with “heart.”
Which Dodgers stand out in our glorious history? There are many choices. Jackie Robinson has to be the King of Heart. He played with the weight of all black players, coupled with the civil rights of his people, on his shoulders – every game. There has been no greater heart in the history of baseball.
Jackie Robinson – the King of Heart
Sandy Koufax demonstrated heart by pitching with severe pain in his golden left arm for an extended period of time. At times he threw fastball after fastball, unable to bend off a curve, and kept mowing them down, not taking a game or an inning off, never complaining.
Drysdale and Koufax played with “heart.” They also gave opposing batters heartburn.
Don Drysdale, a likable gentle giant off the field, made himself even better by taking things personally on the field. Don simply demanded his share of the plate, and took it regardless of who was hitting. In fact, Don demanded all of the plate. He didn’t pitch half-heartedly. Don wrote, “Sooner or later you have to say, it’s my ball and half the plate is mine. Only I never let on which half of the plate I wanted.” No one doubted his heart.
Mickey Hatcher, displayed heart in very different way. He gave it his all but always played with a smile on his face, teasing his team mates, simply enjoying the game. Mickey got immersed in each daily adventure as if the rest of the world didn’t exist.
Not a day goes by that Mickey Hatcher isn’t happy to be at the ballpark – especially Dodger Stadium.
I’m sure many other examples, along with Orel, Fernando, Kirk, can be cited, but I would be remiss not to mention Roy Campanella. Roy’s career was cut short by the automobile accident and the rest of his life was spent in a wheel chair. He never gave up, carried on a productive association with Dodger baseball, always had a smile on his face, and wrote, “It’s Good to Be Alive”. Roy became an effective advocate for people with disabilities and his positive attitude helped him grapple with the physical and emotional problems resulting from his condition. Next to Jackie, Roy had the greatest baseball heart that I know.
Next to Jackie, Roy Campanella had the greatest baseball “heart” that I know.
Do we have “heart” on our present team? That’s difficult to assess, although we fear at times that we might not be battling hard enough. If we do have “heart”, it will come out. All it takes is one individual because “heart” is contagious. You gotta have heart.
Do the Dodgers have “heart” on their present team? All it takes is one individual because “heart” is contagious. (Photo credit – Sarah Glenn)
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Great stuff, Harold. I would only add that teams, as well as players have heart. And if the Dodgers as a team exhibit heart they can win the West and proceed to the NLCS and even the World Series. But, it must be a team effort and they can’t rely on a few players to carry the load. Personally, I believe they can do it and much lies on the shoulders of Mattingly, Lopes, Wallach, Hillman, Hansen, Honeycutt (hopefully), and Hatcher to instill that spirit and confidence which will get them there.
I agree Dick. Those teams that have heart win as a team. Witness the past two WS champions. Sometimes a manager can instill heart in the team. Other times I believe it starts with an individual(s) and infects the team. It also seems to be fragile. We seemed to have heart early in the season and it seemed to dissipate. Perhaps that was due to the injury parade.
Excellent post, Harold.
Because of the success that the Dodgers have enjoyed this season, I believe that the Dodgers are playing with more heart than they have in quite some time. I suspect that the recent acquisitions of
Shane Victorino and Hanley Ramirez has a lot to do with this, much like it did when Manny Ramirez first arrived in L.A.
That said, I do not believe that everyone on the team has heart (it is difficult for me to wrap myself around the idea that Juan Uribe has heart).
While there are those who clearly exhibit heart, guys like Victorino, Kemp, Kershaw, Gordon, Hairston, both Ellis’s, Cruz, Herrera, and several others; there are others who may have it but do not visibly shown it – guys like Loney, Harang, Rivera, Billingsley, and even Ethier. I’m certainly not saying that these guys don’t have heart (stay Uribe), but they do not exhibit the enthusiasm and excitement that the others do. And though Hanley Ramirez was never known for having heart while with the Marlins, he certainly seems to be showing it with the Dodgers (e.g. “I see you”).
Like you, I believe that heart is contagious, but only to a certain degree. I honestly believe that it is something that you either have or you don’t and that it doesn’t just rub off on others. I believe that confidence and enthusiasm does, but hot heart. Guys who have heart seem to have always had it and guys that don’t, don’t. Your Mickey Hatcher example is a classic example. Mickey always played hard and always had (and still has) that perpetual smile on his face that you described. And though Hatcher was never a star player, you could always count on him trying his absolute best and always giving 110%. The guy simply flows with enthusiasm. Can this be said about Ethier or Loney?
While I don’t necessarily agree with ebbetsfld that an entire team can have heart, I do agree with him wholeheartedly that Mattingly and his entire coaching staff play a major role in getting these guys fired up, but in my opinion, heart has to come from within each individual player and not everyone has it.
Heart isn’t necessarily exhibited by rah-rah antics or demonstrations. Some players are far more reserved and moodier than others, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have heart. They just display it differently, and, believe me, their teammates recognize and understand that very well. I believe that both Ethier and Billingsley have heart. I know Loney used to have it, but fear he’s been so beaten down by the press and, yes, the fans that he may have lost it. Uribe may stink, but he always seems fairly upbeat and encouraging. Harang has the most deadpan face I’ve seen since Burt Hooton and for the life of me I can’t read him at all.
I truly believe there is such a thing as “Heart” you can see it in some players. Some players have a look on their face, I think this is what they mean by a “Game Face”. A “I’m going to beat you every time face”. They are very intimidating.
I think this look or face can be seen more by their opponents.
I really don’t think it has anything to do with individual statistics, although most of these guys have pretty good ones.
I also don’t think you can say that the players that aren’t producing don’t have “Heart”.
Some players have good years and down years.