If you think sports talk radio is bad; even the most vitriolic and bitter host is tame compared to the conversations we have in the bullpen.

And what’s even worse are the thoughts that we don’t say, mostly because they would be aimed at our own teammates.

Pitchers and catchers are always looking at batters and seeing how we would get them out; what pitches we would throw in that situation and why our outcome would likely be better than what is happening in the moment.

It’s arrogance and bravado at its highest level, something necessary to remain in the League. If you don’t believe you can get anyone out, you likely belong in Triple-A…or sitting next to the manager as a coach.

But since we’re not coaches, our opinions about what’s wrong with someone usually go unheard. It’s not like high school or college, where we might face against teammates during practice and use the same techniques to get them out.

Sometimes I miss that.

Then I remember the difference between walking through the terminal with my luggage and my gear towards a small passenger plane to an even smaller terminal and I wince.

I mean, I would rather risk the wrath of telling our star outfielder that he’s lunging out with his shoulder, handicapping his swing and making the inside fastball near impossible to hit than go back to “the joys of college life”.