I love baseball. No, correction, I am in love with baseball. My parents know this, my friends know this, and my girlfriend knows this. If there is a game, a story, a book, or a picture of something having to do with baseball I will lose my focus on whatever I am doing and start thinking about hot dogs, beer, and baseball.
The history of the game is some of the most interesting reading anyone could do. From the humble roots (which we still havent totally pinned down, though we have our ideas) to the deadball era, to the home run boom to the war to the pitching fueled 60's to today, the long ball era, there are great stories that we know and thousands more we may never know. Men from all walks of life played the game, from college boys to illiterate farm hands to the poorest of the poor in Latin America, the game is filled with the every single story line of success, failure, hardship, and victory all combined with honesty, cheaters, hard workers, bums, stars, role players, perfection, imperfection, and, of course, the fans who pay to watch it all unfold in front of them on a daily basis. No, no sport has captured the American people for as long as baseball has, and no sport has a fan base as knowledgeable and rabid as the most die hard of baseball fans.
Growing up in the 1990's provided me with a unique view of the game. The era of the Free Agent began to take off. Guys making 5, 10, 25 MILLION dollars to play a game. The incentives created were just too big for there not to be shenanigans. Guys have always tried to find ways to circumvent the rules to their advantage. Horse pills to boost stamina, speed to keep themselves going at a super human pace. All these things were there the whole time. Everyone knew it, but why get in the middle of it. Sure it may have enhanced the performance of a few people, but it did nothing to prevent injuries, recover faster, boost strength, or, most importantly, teach you how to hit a curveball. All of this was done during the era of the Reserve Clause which bound players to teams whether they liked it or not. There are stories of negotiation tactics by players who had leverage (Koufax and Drysdale are a famous example) but until the clause was lifted there was not much that could be done. It was lifted, the money flew into the game like never before, and now players were able to be paid what they thought they were worth.
This brings us to today. Baseball, if you did not know, is a multi-multi-multi-BILLION with a B dollar industry. There is lots of money to be made because after all, this is a business. The number one goal is to put fans in the seats and get them to buy jerseys, t-shirts, and foam fingers. In 1994 MLB lost the trust of the fans. The fans saw the players strike as greed that was unbecoming of a group of individuals who were lucky to be where they were. Then, a few years later, came 1998. The most magical, amazing summer that baseball had seen in a long time. Mark McGwire v. Sammy Sosa. Each going back and forth chasing the most coveted record in American Sports...61. 61 Home Runs in a season. 61 times the ball was hit just right, launched at the right angle, and sent everyone on the base path home. It's the most exciting play in sports...hands down. The chase captured America and as a 10 year old it captured me more than anything in sports had up until this point.
Now we know the true story. Yes, there were guys who played the game right. Ripkin, Griffey, Biggio, and men like them who held themselves with integrity. There were, also, the legends, our heros, who decided to take short cuts. McGwire will never make the Hall of Fame because of it. Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Rafael Palmero, and Alex Rodriguez, all locks for the Hall, are now on the edge because of what they did. Everyone who grew up during the same time I did has a hero who was dirty. Downright stinking dirty. It doesn't hurt anymore, our memories will never go away, but we will never look at success in the game of baseball the same way we did before we heard of anabolic steroids and hgh. I have come to terms with it, and after today's revelations, a new handful of kids will have to come to terms with it. It is part of growing up. Life is a messy game that gets increasingly more complicated every single day. The days of Pete Rose running full force into Ray Fosse at the All-Star Game are over. The eras of men who smoked, drank, and played like overgrown sandlot kids is gone. I'm not complaining, like I said, it doesnt change how much I love the game. It doesnt change how I view the game, it doesnt change what I still believe to be true. I know the game is not a sacred virgin, in fact, anyone who knows the history of baseball knows that it never was. Today was just another one of those days that makes you shake your head and realize that in life, just like sports, 'If you ain't cheating, you ain't trying'.
By the way, the Red Sox won today...David Ortiz knocked in the go ahead runs...a 3-run 400+ foot home run to centerfield. Hopefully this is a sign that things are going to be back to normal at Fenway....the crowd wanted a curtain call and got it. Like I said, we don't care anymore, it doesn't change a thing, it just sucks to hear.
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