It is all about production. Mark Teixeira has learned that lesson across 13 major league seasons. People love good players and loathe bad ones. He has been both.
But the worst thing to be, in terms of perception, is a player who is struggling, hurt and candid. If you are struggling and hurt but look people in the eye and say you feel fine, you trade credibility for perceived toughness. If you are struggling and hurt and admit that the pain affects you, you are labeled an excuse-maker.
At 35, Teixeira understands this. He is thriving again, a strong All-Star candidate for the first-place Yankees, and nobody criticizes him anymore.