Sidekicks

What Robin is to Batman. What Marvin Harrison is to Peyton Manning. A John Stockton to a Karl Malone. This is what defines a sidekick in sports; a talented individual that makes a more talented individual better. These relationships are crucial for things like winning championships and catching diabolical villains. Do you think Malone could have beat Michael Jordan for 2 MVPs without the play-making and passing of Stockton? Could Manning have earned the 7th spot all-time in passing yards without having Harrison to constantly connect to? Would Batman have defeated Joker and Penguin without the help of Robin? This concept does apply to baseball. Hitters in the 3, 4, or 5 spot in the lineup usually do better when they have a better hitter behind them. The pitcher doesn’t want to face the tough hitter behind them with a man on, so they end up throwing a lot of hittable strikes to avoid a walk. Mark Teixeira and David Ortiz are perfect examples of this theory. Teixeira started this year hitting .198 with 5 home runs and 15 RBI’s in the first few months without Alex Rodriguez in the lineup. Due to the fact that pitchers fear A-Rod so much, you would think that Teixeira would get more pitches because they don’t want him to get on. After A-Rod returned on May 8, that’s just what happened. And it resulted in far improved numbers for Tex. Mark is hitting over .300 with 6 homers and 16 RBIs since A-Rod’s return less than 2 weeks ago. Having Rodriguez hitting behind him has boosted the play of Teixeira, and for once in his life, A-Rod seems to be the sidekicks giving the helping hand instead of vice-versa. Ortiz has been one of the most feared hitters in the game for the Red Sox, bashing homer after homer with plenty of runs batted in. Big Papi has hit 209 home runs from 2003 to 2007 with Manny batting behind him. Manny, a probable Hall of Famer, had been a great sidekick to Ortiz, and obviously helped him get better pitches with the fear he instilled into pitchers. After Manny left the Red Sox for the Dodgers in 2008, Ortiz has struggled mightily. Just three years after hitting 54 homers in 558 at-bats, Big Papi has just one homer in 138 at-bats this year. Going back to last season, Ortiz went 149 at-bats without a homer. He ended this unexpected streak with a homer May 20, and received a curtain call from the Red Sox faithful in Fenway. This just goes to show how much Manny meant to Big Papi, what A-Rod meant to Tex, what Robin meant to Batman, and what sidekicks mean to heroes, whether they get recognized or not.