There’s an old truism in football: the backup quarterback is the most popular player on the team. He is all promise, all potential, he is not yet tainted by thwarted effort and frustrated hopes, he will carry the team to a bright tomorrow so much better than the mundanity of today. But no parallel truism seems to exist in baseball. Hearing that the backup catcher is in today’s starting lineup is something like hearing that the understudy will be playing the lead role in a Broadway show. Even more so if your typical starter is an All-Star. Like the understudy, though, the backup catcher has a crucial role to play: the player lending their name to the marquee can’t be on stage every night; someone needs to bridge the gaps that emerge in even the most dedicated performer’s schedule.
Earning His Pay Stubbs
