General: This n'That on... The state of baseball

This past week was probably one of the worst in the history of baseball.

An All-Star Game fiasco, steroids, contraction, a potential strike and the "icing" of a legend.

What's a fan to do?

Here are some thoughts on the week just past in MLB.

* A tie in the All-Star Game because they ran out of pitchers? What was Bud Selig, Joe Torre, and Bob Brenley thinking? Come on. Where are the men in baseball today? Can you imagine pitchers like Bob Gibson, Steve Carlton, Sandy Koufax, Tom Seaver, Jim Bunning or Nolan Ryan not staying out on the mound and pitching until the game was over? No way. I'm sorry, but these rich millionaire players today are a bunch of ... well, we don't want to get sued.

* Then again, maybe a tie was the right thing. With the home run derby, intergalactic play, games starting so late in the east so that kids (the future fans of the sport) never get to see the end of a game anymore, the Designated Hitter, pitchers only allowed 100 or so pitches per game every four days when Venus and Mars are aligned, but only 80 if Saturn comes into the picture, and everything else that is messing up the sport, does anyone really give a hoot about the All-Star Game anymore? I don't think so.

* By the way, did you see how fast Barry Bonds exited to his limo after the All-Star Game? What a joke. He really wanted to be at the game, didn't he. Sheesh!

* The fans, of course, will be the losers in a few more weeks when these same millionaire players go out on strike. The cause -- money, what else. I'm beginning to agree with New York Daily News columnist Mike Lupica, who said on Sunday's ESPN's "The Sports Reporters,", and I'm summarizing, that he believes that this stoppage could be a good thing. It would give baseball a chance to rebuild itself because it cannot continue going the way it is. I agree. Baseball needs to rebuild. A salary cap. Some revenue sharing. Some plain ol' common sense needs to be instituted to save the game.

* Then there's the steroids issue. Are a lot of players taking the stuff, or is this all blown out of proportion because a couple of ex-players just have to find some way to stay in the spotlight? Who knows.

* One of the things the media and people keep saying on the steroid subject is that the records, especially the home run records that have fallen the last few years, are now in question. Why? Because some of these players have hit higher numbers than they have ever done before in their careers.

For example: Mark McGwire -- In 1997, he hit 58 home runs (with Oakland and St. Louis), then set the record in 1998 with 70. Was it all steroids? (Ok, he did admit to taking andro -- well, actually, he was forced to admit it when he was dumb enough to have it in plain sight in his locker. But, did the andro really have anything to do with his home run count, or was it just plain hard work? I'm betting, hard work.)

Now look at Sammy Sosa. He had 36 home runs in 1997, then 66 in 1998. Bonds -- 49 in 2000, 73 in 2001. Steroids?

Well, here's a little historical research data for you to compare.

Babe Ruth -- 1919 he hit 29, 1920 he went up to 54. Was it steroids? Doubt it. The only drugs Ruth was on was food and beer.

How about Ted Williams -- 25 HRs in 1948, 43 in 1949. Willie Mays had the same kind of jump between 1960 with 29 home runs and 1961 with 40 home runs.

Finally, there's Roger Maris and his record of 61. Well, check this out. In 1960, Maris had 39 home runs, then the record 61 home runs in 1961, then back to 33 in 1962. After that, Maris never hit more than 26 home runs in a season the rest of his career. Was he ever questioned about how he did that?

So were some of these baseball greats on steroids too? Or maybe, just maybe, only a handful of today's players might be taking them -- especially the ex-players who want to stay in the spotlight, and probably will be writing books on the subject.

And maybe, just maybe, some of the big stars of today are actually building their muscle the old fashioned way -- hard work, diet, weightlifting, and other training methods. I think the media might have just blown this one out of proportion and given a couple ex-jocks some time on TV that they don't deserve.

* That brings us to contraction -- Excuse me, but who told MLB to expand in the first place? What Ivy League business brain said to expand the league to, what is it, 72 teams now? Yes, that was sarcasm, but you get the point. There are, simply, way to many teams right now.

Whose fault is it? Maybe if that same business brain had used a real brain, the league would have a reasonable number of teams and there wouldn't have to be talk of contraction and taking a team away from a city that does support it (read Minnesota Twins.)

MLB should not punish a city because of their own ineptitude. They need to just wake up and fix the real problems. And those problems revolve around, what else,...

* Money. I wish I had some of MLB's money problems. Give me a billion dollar bank account and I bet I can do a better job than some of the brains running the sport right now. Ok, maybe not, but, hey, these guys are supposed to be smart in the first place and they sure aren't acting that way.

* Let's take a moment, though, and look at the situation. In a nutshell, albeit a simplified nut, here is how the life of a team seems to go these days.

A billionaire comes along and pleads, begs and buys his way into the private club of baseball owners. Then, he buys as many good players as he can, pays them a ton of money, then realizes -- "whoops, I can't meet that payroll." So then he holds the city hostage and pleads, begs, whines, and threatens the city to build him a new stadium. Then, he throws even more millions to bring more players to his team. He raises the price of seats, refreshments, and souvenirs so it costs a family of four an entire week's paycheck to come and watch his precious team, which unless it is the Yankees, is already out of contention in June.

Then, after all of that, the owner and his players whine and cry that they still can't make it. They all want, what else,... more money.

More, more, more. Give us all a break will you guys. up.

* As for the potential strike -- go for it you idiots. Yes, the game will survive. There will always be kids playing on sand lots, on inner city streets and in parks around the country.

* Even funnier -- did you hear that player (missed his name, sorry) in an interview on ESPN on Sunday that said that the "players are the game?" I disagree. The fans are the game. If the players go out and play the game in front of a stadium of empty seats, they won't make any money. No fans, no game... at least at a professional level. It is as simple as that. To that professional player I say -- Wake up dude. Let's see how long you get to make a living playing a game without the fans who pay your salary.

* Finally, what's with Ted Williams' son, John Henry Williams, wanting to freeze his father's body to harvest the DNA? What is he hoping to do -- create an entire team of Ted Williams' clones for all eternity? Wake up kid and do what your father requested in his will -- cremate him, bury him and let him rest in peace. (Psst -- to the guys wearing the white jackets -- after the kid does that, would you please put him in a well-padded room and throw away the key. Thanks.)

So those are just some thoughts on the state of MLB after the 2002 All-Star break.

As for a final thought -- well, I think most of you would agree, the sport needs a makeover and needs it fast. Here's hoping they go and get it done now and get it done right.