A couple of weeks ago we were listening to the Braves game on radio, and the announcers were commenting on Nate McLouth, injured at the time, and how he was a guy who worked hard and hustled every step. Don Sutton added that such hustle really stood out nowadays, adding that in days rather long past it was the guy who did not hustle who stood out.

Boy, did he hit the nail on the head!

Not sure when it all started. Back in the ancient days, it was said of Eddie Stanky that he couldn't hit, couldn't run, couldn't field, but he could win because he hustled 100 percent of the time.

Then there was Pete Rose who stood out only because he ran to first when he was walked!

Then came the more lackadaisical type of player. If the ball isn't coming to me, I won't post up. If I'm not receiving the pass, I jog the pattern. If I hit a grounder to the infield, I jog to first. If the ball comes to me in the outfield, I may or may not go all out to get it.

I remember well when one of the all-time hustle leaders, Billy Martin, was managing, and TV cameras caught his shouting match with Reggie Jackson for Jackson's costly lack of effort. And Leo Durocher in Nice Guys Finish Last had several scathing paragraphs concerning the new players and their consistent lack of effort.

All this came to mind when I found the following statistic: Every time Alex Rodriguez takes a called strike, he earns $15,856. That's how much A-Rod earns per pitch, according to the Wall Street Journal. Just think: Six pitches and his gross income is almost $100,000. And while there is no doubt about his talent at bat and in the field, giving the proverbial 110 percent has never been his strong point.

By the way, to earn the same near $100,000, Ben Roethlisberger takes 3.6 snaps, Tiger Woods shoots 11.2 holes, and LeBron James plays 21.2 minutes.

As a former high school coach I can attest to the trickle-down effect. A kid who really hustled, did extra sprints, practiced on his/her own, was rare indeed. Of course that kid was the champion. The rest had excuses.

Not going anywhere special with this. Just a comment. But the next time you attend a game, any game at any level, observe.