Versatility plays. Matt Stairs was a specialty guy. - Ruben Amaro, Jr., Phillies GM, today
The term "journeyman" originally indicated an individual who had completed a trade apprenticeship and was, therefore, qualified to work in that trade for another employer. Of course, as apprenticeships - as such - blew away into the winds, the term loosened to mean something like "a person who changes jobs frequently." This is what the designation came to mean for baseball players - those guys who change teams frequently, usually not the stars, but often pieces in a championship "puzzle," the guys who can "plug holes," play different positions, or help a clubhouse dynamic.
Today it is with some sadness that it must be reported that one of baseball's great journeymen, Matt Stairs, may be about to hang up his spikes. Stairs, now 41 and a free agent, was informed yesterday that the N.L. Champion Phillies will be attempting to find a better alternative to him for their bench - although, as per The Philadelphia Inquirer, he is "welcome" to attend spring training next year on a minor league contract. Stairs had only been with the Phils for a little more than a full season, but became an instant cult hero for an unabashed approach to his pinch-hitting job. Simply put, his philosophical imperative was: Hit It over the Ben Franklin Bridge (which sits several miles north of the right-center field wall at Citizens Bank Park in Philly).
The term "journeyman" originally indicated an individual who had completed a trade apprenticeship and was, therefore, qualified to work in that trade for another employer. Of course, as apprenticeships - as such - blew away into the winds, the term loosened to mean something like "a person who changes jobs frequently." This is what the designation came to mean for baseball players - those guys who change teams frequently, usually not the stars, but often pieces in a championship "puzzle," the guys who can "plug holes," play different positions, or help a clubhouse dynamic.
Today it is with some sadness that it must be reported that one of baseball's great journeymen, Matt Stairs, may be about to hang up his spikes. Stairs, now 41 and a free agent, was informed yesterday that the N.L. Champion Phillies will be attempting to find a better alternative to him for their bench - although, as per The Philadelphia Inquirer, he is "welcome" to attend spring training next year on a minor league contract. Stairs had only been with the Phils for a little more than a full season, but became an instant cult hero for an unabashed approach to his pinch-hitting job. Simply put, his philosophical imperative was: Hit It over the Ben Franklin Bridge (which sits several miles north of the right-center field wall at Citizens Bank Park in Philly).
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