Not very exciting, huh?
Can you believe that Sammy Sosa signing a new contract isn't exciting? Hard for me to imagine. If you've been under the sea for the last ten years, Sammy is the former Cubs' right fielder who has exceeded 60 home runs more than any other player in MLB history. He was the fan favorite who ran hard to rightfield every day. The guy who carried an American flag with him after 9-11. Who helped Mark McGwire through his grumpy days in 1998, and carried him to the most fun and most dramatic baseball duel in my lifetime.
But he's also the guy who used a corked bat. And is roundly suspected, if not presumed, to have used steroids to get to those heights. And, like McGwire, he wasn't helped by that day on Capitol Hill when Sammy forgot how to speak English. And that happened after he fell out with the Cubs and left the last game of 2004 while the game was just starting. Then there was the pitiful 2005 season in Baltimore.
Sammy is 38 now. He disappeared for a year. He has just signed a minor league deal with the Rangers. He's going home. The Rangers were his original organization. You may recall that a bone-headed owner in Texas once traded Sammy to the White Sox for a worn out, over the hill Harold Baines. That guy moved on to make bad decisions for the whole state of Texas, and is now responsible for the needless deaths of over 3,000 American men and women in a totally unjustifiable war in Iraq. It's a real, genuine shame that the people of our nation couldn't recognize that that buffoon couldn't run a baseball team, or any of several oil companies that he rode into the ground; why did anyone ever think this idiot could run a country? But I digress.
Sammy's gone home.
I hope he makes it.
I sat in the stands in Wrigley and watched Sammy charge out to right field. You can't fake that kind of hustle. I watched his reaction from the stands in Busch when Big Mac tied Maris, and then had the TV on the next night when Mac hit #62. You can't fake that kind of decency. I treasure that smile, bright enough to light a small city. You can't fake that kind of enthusiasm. Sammy was everything that's good about baseball.
I hope he can be again.
We Americans like to build people up. And then tear them down. But, perhaps most of all, we like to see them rise again. If people like Paris Hilton, who have never done anything but take up space in this world, can be forgiven to rise to great heights (she still ain't done nothing worth the air she uses up), then surely we can root for Sammy Sosa, the shoe polishing kid from the streets of the Dominican, who brought so much joy to so many people during his brilliant run with the Cubs. After all, Harry Caray defended Sammy relentlessly. And Harry's word was always good enough for me.
Good luck, Sammy. Here's one fan who's rooting for you, big time!
Monday, January 29, 2007
Monday, January 15, 2007
What Makes a Hall of Famer?
Apart from the time qualification-five years retired, no more than 15 years on the Baseball Writers' ballot-there is only one line in the Hall of Fame's guidelines on how to judge candidates who are not on Baseball's ineligible list:
"Voting shall be based upon the player's record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played."
That's it. No more, no less.
Pete Rose is on the ineligible list. He won't be part of this discussion.
Mark McGwire is not on the ineligible list. He is the point of this discussion.
Big Mac used Andro. Everybody knows it. It was found in his locker during the Summer of 1998. He answered questions about it. It wasn't against Baseball's rules. Mac is suspected of using other substances. He has been accused by Jose Canseco of using anabolic steroids. His physical appearance changed significantly from his days as a skinny pitcher at USC to the years of The Great Home Run Chase. My appearance has changed significantly since college days, too, although not as impressively as McGwire's.
Mark McGwire never failed a drug test. He wasn't given one. Because whatever he and Sammy Sosa were doing in 1998, Baseball loved it. Cal Ripken had done a remarkable job rescuing Baseball after the 1994 debacle. Big Mac and Sammy took it to new heights in 1998. Attendance soared, merchandise sales went berserk, tickets just disappeared wherever the two sluggers showed up. And we showed up early. 15,000, 20,000, 25,000 were going to the parks for batting practice every day that the Cardinals were playing. Do the math: when crowds show up in those numbers at 5 pm, you've got them for the night. Concessions, souvenirs, t shirts, jerseys, bats, games for the kids, everything for sale at the ball park did land-office business.
Nobody wanted to ask any questions.
It was too much fun, so we fans didn't want to know.
It was too good for business, so management didn't want to know.
It was making all of his bone-headed decisions recede in everyone's memory, so Bud Selig sure didn't want to know.
And the Baseball Writers had the best story of their generation, so they didn't report on the whispers, the accusations, what they all claim to have known in retrospect.
Mac retired after the 2001 season because he could no longer play every day, rather than collect what I believe was another $30 Million in guaranteed money that would have been paid to him if he had been an everyday player, an infrequent pinch-hitter, or a name on the Disabled List. That's what I call integrity.
Mark and Sammy exulted in sharing the stage in 1998. The reactions of one to the other's exploits were amazing. The Cubs', The Cubs', reaction to Mark's 62nd, and his sharing it with Roger Maris' family were moments indelibly imprinted in my mind. That's what I call sportsmanship.
Mark gave and gives his money and his time on behalf of abused children. That's what I call character.
He single-handedly kept the Cardinals' attendance at World Series year levels when they were a very average team. And while a very private man, he endured the endless media demands at every stop. That's what I call contributing to your team.
His 586 Home Runs rank 7th all-time. His .982 OPS ranks 11th all-time. That's performance, by any standard.
Does the question of steroid use so influence the character issue so as to keep McGwire out of the Hall of Fame? That's the only question. That's the only argument. And don't give me his lifetime batting average. When Mac retired in 2001, everybody-that's EVERYBODY-assumed that three first ballot inductees would be announced this January. Is the character of a man who was never tested for steroids so sullied by an albeit poor performance before a congressional committee that he can't be included with those already in the Hall of Fame?
Assume Mac used steroids. Does that make him worse than Cap Anson, the man universally credited/blamed with instituting Baseball's color line that would stand from the 1800's until Jackie Robinson and Branch Rickey started the process of erasing it in 1947?
Assume Mac used steroids. Does that make him worse than Ty Cobb? Cobb went into the stands and beat a heckler who had been born without arms. Cobb slapped a black elevator operator, and when the hotel's black nightwatchman tried to intervene, Cobb stabbed him for his efforts.
Assume Mac used steroids. Does that make him worse than committed alcoholics Jimmie Foxx, Hack Wilson and Grover Cleveland Alexander? Worse than suspended gambler Leo Durocher? Worse than the skirt-chasing, beer-swilling, gorging to the point of being unable to play Babe Ruth? Worse than any number of amphetamine-popping players from the 60's and 70's who also never tested positive because they weren't tested either?
Rafael Palmeiro changed the terms of his debate when he tested positive. If Bonds tested positive for amphetamines, that changes his position. But Mark McGwire retired before testing came in. And one of our leading principles as Americans has always been that a person cannot be prosecuted with laws that were enacted after the fact.
Mark McGwire may well have used steroids. In fact, he probably did. But even if he did, there are far, far worse characters already enshrined in Cooperstown, and I haven't heard the Defenders of Purity in the Baseball Writers' Association of America calling for a purge of all the bad actors in Baseball's history.
Big Mac belongs in Cooperstown. And all the writers, executives and fans who now say otherwise are nothing but hypocrites.
"Voting shall be based upon the player's record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played."
That's it. No more, no less.
Pete Rose is on the ineligible list. He won't be part of this discussion.
Mark McGwire is not on the ineligible list. He is the point of this discussion.
Big Mac used Andro. Everybody knows it. It was found in his locker during the Summer of 1998. He answered questions about it. It wasn't against Baseball's rules. Mac is suspected of using other substances. He has been accused by Jose Canseco of using anabolic steroids. His physical appearance changed significantly from his days as a skinny pitcher at USC to the years of The Great Home Run Chase. My appearance has changed significantly since college days, too, although not as impressively as McGwire's.
Mark McGwire never failed a drug test. He wasn't given one. Because whatever he and Sammy Sosa were doing in 1998, Baseball loved it. Cal Ripken had done a remarkable job rescuing Baseball after the 1994 debacle. Big Mac and Sammy took it to new heights in 1998. Attendance soared, merchandise sales went berserk, tickets just disappeared wherever the two sluggers showed up. And we showed up early. 15,000, 20,000, 25,000 were going to the parks for batting practice every day that the Cardinals were playing. Do the math: when crowds show up in those numbers at 5 pm, you've got them for the night. Concessions, souvenirs, t shirts, jerseys, bats, games for the kids, everything for sale at the ball park did land-office business.
Nobody wanted to ask any questions.
It was too much fun, so we fans didn't want to know.
It was too good for business, so management didn't want to know.
It was making all of his bone-headed decisions recede in everyone's memory, so Bud Selig sure didn't want to know.
And the Baseball Writers had the best story of their generation, so they didn't report on the whispers, the accusations, what they all claim to have known in retrospect.
Mac retired after the 2001 season because he could no longer play every day, rather than collect what I believe was another $30 Million in guaranteed money that would have been paid to him if he had been an everyday player, an infrequent pinch-hitter, or a name on the Disabled List. That's what I call integrity.
Mark and Sammy exulted in sharing the stage in 1998. The reactions of one to the other's exploits were amazing. The Cubs', The Cubs', reaction to Mark's 62nd, and his sharing it with Roger Maris' family were moments indelibly imprinted in my mind. That's what I call sportsmanship.
Mark gave and gives his money and his time on behalf of abused children. That's what I call character.
He single-handedly kept the Cardinals' attendance at World Series year levels when they were a very average team. And while a very private man, he endured the endless media demands at every stop. That's what I call contributing to your team.
His 586 Home Runs rank 7th all-time. His .982 OPS ranks 11th all-time. That's performance, by any standard.
Does the question of steroid use so influence the character issue so as to keep McGwire out of the Hall of Fame? That's the only question. That's the only argument. And don't give me his lifetime batting average. When Mac retired in 2001, everybody-that's EVERYBODY-assumed that three first ballot inductees would be announced this January. Is the character of a man who was never tested for steroids so sullied by an albeit poor performance before a congressional committee that he can't be included with those already in the Hall of Fame?
Assume Mac used steroids. Does that make him worse than Cap Anson, the man universally credited/blamed with instituting Baseball's color line that would stand from the 1800's until Jackie Robinson and Branch Rickey started the process of erasing it in 1947?
Assume Mac used steroids. Does that make him worse than Ty Cobb? Cobb went into the stands and beat a heckler who had been born without arms. Cobb slapped a black elevator operator, and when the hotel's black nightwatchman tried to intervene, Cobb stabbed him for his efforts.
Assume Mac used steroids. Does that make him worse than committed alcoholics Jimmie Foxx, Hack Wilson and Grover Cleveland Alexander? Worse than suspended gambler Leo Durocher? Worse than the skirt-chasing, beer-swilling, gorging to the point of being unable to play Babe Ruth? Worse than any number of amphetamine-popping players from the 60's and 70's who also never tested positive because they weren't tested either?
Rafael Palmeiro changed the terms of his debate when he tested positive. If Bonds tested positive for amphetamines, that changes his position. But Mark McGwire retired before testing came in. And one of our leading principles as Americans has always been that a person cannot be prosecuted with laws that were enacted after the fact.
Mark McGwire may well have used steroids. In fact, he probably did. But even if he did, there are far, far worse characters already enshrined in Cooperstown, and I haven't heard the Defenders of Purity in the Baseball Writers' Association of America calling for a purge of all the bad actors in Baseball's history.
Big Mac belongs in Cooperstown. And all the writers, executives and fans who now say otherwise are nothing but hypocrites.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Cal and Tony: All That's Good About Baseball
Cal Ripken, Jr. and Tony Gwynn were elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Tuesday. Their vote percentages were among the highest ever, Cal's 98.53% coming in 3rd behind Tom Seaver and the absurd vote for the fair-to-middling Nolan Ryan, while Tony placed 7th with 97.6%, following the above and Ty Cobb, George Brett and Hank Aaron. Nice company to be in.
Both players gave their entire careers to a single team. Cal was a product of The Oriole Way in the days when that meant something great. His dad was, of course, a baseball and Oriole lifer, and Cal followed closely in his footsteps. He changed the conception of shortstops. In the early days of my fandom, Ed Brinkman, Mark Belanger and Bud Harrelson were the exemplars. Great gloves all, they couldn't hit a lick. Cal changed that. He made shortstop an offensive position, too. But he never forgot his glove, either. The Streak is all the more remarkable because it was achieved by such a big shortstop. Cal saved the game. When owners and players and Idiot for Life Selig had done all they could to kill the game in 1994, Cal brought it back. On the night he broke Lou Gehrig's record, Cal's lap around Camden Yards might as well have been a lap around America, as he reminded the whole country what was good and right about baseball.
Tony Gwynn is the Ernie Banks of the San Diego Padres. Best player ever, best person ever, best face of a franchise ever. My personal experience of Tony Gwynn was at AutoZone Park (as I recall it, the first game ever played there, an exhibition between the Cardinals and the Padres). While the evil, arrogant, pathetic Rickey Henderson stood maybe two feet from the retaining wall separating the fans from the field and the players, ignoring every plea from every kid that dreamed of being the next stolen base king, a genuine baseball god, Tony Gwynn, stood at that wall, smiling, speaking and signing autographs for everyone even into the player introductions. When they called his name and he had to go line up, he apologized for having to go. That's Tony Gwynn.
These guys did it right. When Ryne Sandberg gave his powerful induction speech at Cooperstown, he talked about the value of honoring the game and doing things the right way. Ryno, and baseball fans everywhere, were proud on Tuesday when two good men, two great baseball players, two guys who always did it right, were elected for induction. It will be a great day in July when Cal and Tony join their fellow immortals in the only Hall of Fame that matters.
Both players gave their entire careers to a single team. Cal was a product of The Oriole Way in the days when that meant something great. His dad was, of course, a baseball and Oriole lifer, and Cal followed closely in his footsteps. He changed the conception of shortstops. In the early days of my fandom, Ed Brinkman, Mark Belanger and Bud Harrelson were the exemplars. Great gloves all, they couldn't hit a lick. Cal changed that. He made shortstop an offensive position, too. But he never forgot his glove, either. The Streak is all the more remarkable because it was achieved by such a big shortstop. Cal saved the game. When owners and players and Idiot for Life Selig had done all they could to kill the game in 1994, Cal brought it back. On the night he broke Lou Gehrig's record, Cal's lap around Camden Yards might as well have been a lap around America, as he reminded the whole country what was good and right about baseball.
Tony Gwynn is the Ernie Banks of the San Diego Padres. Best player ever, best person ever, best face of a franchise ever. My personal experience of Tony Gwynn was at AutoZone Park (as I recall it, the first game ever played there, an exhibition between the Cardinals and the Padres). While the evil, arrogant, pathetic Rickey Henderson stood maybe two feet from the retaining wall separating the fans from the field and the players, ignoring every plea from every kid that dreamed of being the next stolen base king, a genuine baseball god, Tony Gwynn, stood at that wall, smiling, speaking and signing autographs for everyone even into the player introductions. When they called his name and he had to go line up, he apologized for having to go. That's Tony Gwynn.
These guys did it right. When Ryne Sandberg gave his powerful induction speech at Cooperstown, he talked about the value of honoring the game and doing things the right way. Ryno, and baseball fans everywhere, were proud on Tuesday when two good men, two great baseball players, two guys who always did it right, were elected for induction. It will be a great day in July when Cal and Tony join their fellow immortals in the only Hall of Fame that matters.
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