In the 2052 Boise Spuds team photo, something looks off. Something besides Toshi Kubo’s mutton chops/soul patch combo, I mean.
Most teams will structure a team photo by grouping the tallest players in the back row, then the next-tallest in the next row, and so on down, creating even tiers so that no one looks shorter or taller than anyone else. This is a tried and true method that has been the unspoken standard for many years.
Boise’s team photo this year looks different. Flanking the left and right sides are two enormous humans, like walls fortifying an ancient castle. The rest of the team is huddled in the center, looking rather puny in comparison.
Spuds team photo, 2052. The team fined Sergio Salazar an undisclosed amount for not showing up.
The two behemoths are Brian Ioneki and Josh Dougherty, both listed at 6’10”. They have at least three inches on the next-tallest person on the team (Danny Leach at 6’7”), but the discrepancy looks much bigger when viewing them side-by-side.
Team photographer Katie Rainey, who works for the Spuds part-time while taking art history classes at Boise State, said the photo’s composition was intentional. “Ioneki is a starting pitcher. So it’s fitting that he’s on one side, with Dougherty, the closer, on the other. The metaphor is very literal, ‘to defeat this team, you need to get through the first and last lines of defense.’”
Manager Kang Der also enjoys the strategic advantages of having such extreme heights on his pitching staff.
“They can keep an opponent guessing, because of all the different release points. Brian comes over the top, which at his height means the ball is about nine feet off the ground. Then Félix comes in and hits you with his sidearm slot at 5’10”. And Dougherty’s three-quarter release brings the ball up high again. It’s the perfect flow for late-game situations, where you want any advantage you can get against your opponent.”
Ioneki and Dougherty have both used their height to overpower opposing batters this season, with Dougherty’s 13.5 K/9 rate one of the highest in the league, and Ioneki’s 8.4 K/9 the fourth-highest rate among qualifying JL starters.
Though with Boise’s difficult early-season schedule, they’ve had a hard time finding wins. Maybe the upcoming week at home will help the team find their footing again. As for Ioneki and Dougherty, well, they’re keeping their heads high.
Tater Talk (2052.03): The Arms of Giants
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Tater Talk (2052.03): The Arms of Giants
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Re: Tater Talk (2052.03): The Arms of Giants
Great idea for a TN.
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