THERE COMES A point where being a switch hitter turns into an ego-driven exercise for some players.
I’m not talking so much about the Mickey Mantles and Mark Teixeiras of New York Yankees fame.
Those hitters were/are proficient in power and average from both sides of the plate, so it makes sense for them to switch as the pitching dictates (left for right-handers and right for left-handers).
No, I’m referring to hitters who insist on carrying the label despite the fact they are obviously better on one side compared to the other.
Take Houston’s Lance Berkman as Exhibit A.
Throughout his career, Berkman has proven to be an excellent left-handed hitter.
On that side he has a .308 career batting average with 283 home runs and 1.016 OPS (slugging plus on base percentage).
By comparison, his right-handed stats — .263 average, 42 homers, .785 OPS — are mediocre at best.
So why stick with going right-handed against a left-handed pitcher?
Is “playing the percentages” really a good idea for a hitter who has shown to be significantly more dominant on one side?
I doubt it.
This may very well become a complaint of Seattle Mariners fans in the near future.
Why? Because newly-acquired switch hitting first baseman Justin Smoak looks like he might fall into the Berkman category more than the Mantle.
His splits early into a promising Major League career: .231 average, seven homers and .734 OPS as a lefty compared to .176 average, three homers and .578 OPS as a righty.
Yes, we’re talking about a small sample size.
But perhaps it should be a clue for Smoak: Ignore the ego, and go with what works best.
Kingly thoughts
As sportswriter No. 2,352 to weigh in on the LeBron James debacle, let me offer just a few thoughts:
• Yes, jilting his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers in such a public and perverse fashion was, indeed, tactless.
• Yes, James probably took the easy way out by joining forces with another superstar (Dwyane Wade) to win an elusive title.
• Yes, it is hard to imagine Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson or Charles Barkley doing the same.
• No, this was not quite the shameful act it has been made out to be, no matter how disappointing it might be.
James’ decision to opt for less money on a team where he would have to share the spotlight is actually selfless in some ways.
That being said, I’ll find it hard to ever cheer for King James again . . . although I’ll certainly be watching.
Pac-12 alignment
Expect Washington and Washington State to be jockeying hard once the Pac-12 athletic directors start talking about divisional alignment.
No doubt, each would like to keep as much of a Southern California presence as possible once the conference is split into six-team divisions.
It appears the conference can go several directions once Utah and Colorado join in 2012.
ADs could decide to split geographic rivals into two separate divisions, allowing them to play each other every season.
Thus, an L.A. team (UCLA or USC) would be in each division for football (important to many since that market drives league revenues).
More likely, the ADs will go with some sort of geographical arrangement.
I’d bet on a North Division with the Oregon, Washington and Bay Area schools and a South Division with the L.A. and Arizona schools combining with Utah and Colorado.
But what do I know?
Two months ago, I had Texas, Oklahoma and Colorado joining the Pac-16.
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Matt Schubert is the outdoors and sports columnist for the Peninsula Daily News. His column regularly appears on Thursdays and Fridays. He can be reached at matt.schubert@peninsuladailynews.com.