Interesting article if you subscribe. A few things of note:
This Thursday, according to STATS Perform, Olson is in line to play in his 477th consecutive game as a first baseman. And why is that so special? Because he will tie Pete Rose that day for the longest streak of games played at first base in the last 80 years.
and
“The way I look at it, you’re either hurt hurt, or you’re able to go,” he said. “So knock on wood, I haven’t had a lot of those, like, halfway injuries — you know, something where they tell you rest would help but you’re not totally hurt.”
So he’s a firm believer in the old Marcus Semien adage: If it’s not broken, you can play.
[snip]
(when fans say "he needs a day off")
“I hear it,” Snitker said. “But I don’t pay attention to it, because I’ll talk to the player. And if he feels like he needs a day off, then I will. But I never (thought that), watching (Olson) and how he handled everything. It wasn’t going like he really wanted. But you know what? He came to work every day, the same guy, and I never saw that he was tired. … So I just never felt like he needed it.”
Olson, not surprisingly, seconds that motion.
“You never know when your day is going to be,” he said. “You know, if it’s going bad, sure, I can see the benefit of sometimes sitting back and watching the game. But it doesn’t solve the problem. The only thing you can do is go out there and work your way out of something that’s not going well. So it’s never been something that’s really crossed my mind.”
