Farewell to Giants right fielder and former Olympian Nate Schierholtz, shown here annihilating the Chinese catcher during the 2008 Games.
Nate never quite won a starting job in San Francisco, losing his spot at different points to Carlos Beltran, Cody Ross, Gregor Blanco, and, bizarrely, Jose Guillen. There’s a burden for any athlete named Nate who falls short of greatness, due to the rhyming name. “Nate The Comfortably Average” just doesn’t have the same ring as “Nate The Great.” If your name is Jake and you are not at all snake-like, you face the same sort of pressure.
Nate will be remembered for his rifle throwing arm and his uncanny ability to hit in late innings, as well as the time his little brother hit a bunch of cars driving drunk in Danville. That experience should prepare Schierholtz well for living and playing in Philadelphia. We wish him good luck in the City of Brotherly Love, and warn him against eating too many Tastycakes.
