Well said. And re: feted gods - with aau teams, this special treatment can start around age 12. Certainly see this with basketball, and I assume baseball as well. AJ seems to be managing egos well - team first, all in.
It seems like more often managers try to avoid the dreaded third time through the line-up. It does take a toll on bullpen arms as the season wares on. Per Yankees fans, the reason they didn't match Kahnle's offer (and he openly stated he wanted to stay) was that his production historically drops off toward the end of the season.
Francisco Liriano comes to mind. I saw him pitch in person several times his rookie year. His hard slider was awesome, but he threw it all time time. Tommy John the next season. Decent career after, but nothing like his rookie season.