mlb-general
Before last Sunday afternoon, every time Barry Bonds came up to the plate my stomach started churning. That was because I couldn’t imagine this person was going to pass Babe Ruth as second on the all-time home-run list. He passed just about everyone and you would think people would be impressed by this feat.
Why do we care about Barry Bonds anymore? The media surrounding him has been more than overwhelming, but for what reason? There’s much greater things going on in baseball right now. Why is everyone so fascinated with this tainted Giant? Can’t we all just focus on the brighter things the MLB has to offer?
I’m sick of it. The absolute contempt that the media holds against Barry Bonds is descending into the depths of pathetic spectacle.
Does anyone else actually see what the hell is going on here? Are we all just mutually pleading ignorance?
I recently asked a friend of mine to accompany me to a Philadelphia Phillies game. Seeing as though the Phillies are only two and a half games behind the Mets, I figured it was about time for me to mosey my way down to Citizen Bank Park. “Is it dollar dog night?” my friend asked. “Um, no. But the Phillies are playing the Boston Red Sox.” I said with enthusiasm. “Oh, no dollar dog night, huh? Well are we getting a free bobble head?” he asked with his head slightly tilted like that of a bobble head. “No, but the Philles are playing the B-O-S-T-O-N R-E-D S-O-X. You know, one of the best teams in baseball? The Phillies don’t play them too often! We can even boo Curt Schilling and throw things at him!” I exclaimed. My friend hung his head down and said glumly, “Well I guess I’ll go. Maybe we’ll get a rally towel or something?”
The Tigers are still on the rise, the Reds seem be falling. Yankees injuries might have the boss reaching for his pocketbook again, and a couple DC men reach for their pocketbooks and write MLB a big check. Woods makes his return to the rubber, but gets shelled. And Bonds hasn’t hit 714. Maybe he never will…
Swing. Miss. Caught looking. Why, all of a sudden, are veteran pitchers making more headlines than younger players? Why can’t anyone seem to hit consistently off of pitchers who have been in the majors for at least ten, fifteen years, even close to twenty years? And why does it seem that certain pitchers we were ready to ride off a year ago are posting the lowest earned run averages, highest strikeouts and most wins so far this season? Getting older means reinvention, and perhaps, renaissance.
You put your left arm in, you take your left arm out, you put your left arm in, and shake it all about, twist the needle in and pour all the juice out, that’s what the Bonds Boogie’s all about.
I have written a few articles for this web site and some off-line, but none have ever slandered any player or team throughout the MLB, now and in the past. In an article I posted a few weeks ago, I proclaimed how Bonds will forever be an “ageless icon, no matter how many pills he pops”, but I regret to inform a direct feeling of remorse towards that statement. After witnessing his chase for Ruth, there have been a few conclusions brought to my attention, and not just the fact that this week has been the most boring week of Bonds/Baseball coverage EVER! It’s the fact that we are watching a seemingly deceiving cheater chase down one of the most prestigious records in sports, held by on my account, the greatest baseball player ever. It has got to stop. “Should we take the record away if Bonds gets it?” “Should we allow him to be put into the record books?” All pay attention to what this article entails. This is not a direct boast against steroids even though it has penetrated Sports forever, but it is to recognize Bonds as a “timed icon” that drains baseball of it’s credible past every single time he interrupts Sports Center so they can bring coverage of him striking out.
Some things never change. Griffey’s hurt. The Cubs are without Prior and Wood. Barry Bonds is still a jerk. The Yankees are atop the East, with the Royals, Rays, and Pirates dwelling in the basement.
But, there is hope. The Reds and Tigers are challenging for their division leads, and the Rockies have some young talent on the rise. Jimmy Rollins may have lost his hitting streak, but Edgar Renteria has started his own. And, the best thing of all… the increasing likelihood of a postseason free from the Tomahawk Chop.
With the new season well underway, the Chicago White Sox are the reigning champs. However, due to umpire miscues, they did not get to the World Series without help. Major League Baseball must stop ignoring the problem of their umpires’ inability to be perfect. After all, what team wants to be considered lucky rather than great?
Week three of the MLB Power Rankings and neither the Reds or the Tigers have fallen out of the sky. And, to think, Sparky Anderson is nowhere to be seen.