Don't break baseball's rules

By Brandon Engebretson Sports Central Columnist

You've probably read the list of Murphy's laws -- a collection of sayings for those improbable things that happen in life.

Major League Baseball has its own brand. For rules of simplification, we'll refer to them as Dale Murphy's laws.

Law No. 1: Age is nothing more than a number.

Here are some guys who didn't listen to their AARP Representative: Roger Clemens, 39, is 19-1 for the Yankees. Andres Galarraga, 40, is hitting .250, with 16 homeruns and helping to keep the Giants in the wildcard chase. Ruben Sierra, 36 in October, is having a comeback year with the Rangers. Barry Bonds, 37, has 60 homeruns. Julio Franco is even back in the big leagues with the Braves.

Law No. 2: Homeruns are nice, but they aren't always everything.

Chicks dig the longball. Fans dig the longball. But, the teams leading the majors in homeruns aren't going to be going to the playoffs. The Texas Rangers (211) and the Chicago White Sox (188) are one and two in the American League. Cleveland checks in at three with 179. The National League looks a little more in line. San Francisco (198), Houston (189), and Los Angeles (183) hold down the top three spots. Atlanta and Philadelphia, both battling for the division title, are 11th and 12th respectively.

Law No. 3: Speed kills.

In the American League, the two top teams -- New York and Seattle -- are one and two in stolen bases. In the National League, the Phillies have stayed in playoff contention thanks to their ability to run the bases. The team leads the NL with 139 stolen bases.

Law No. 4: Power can bloom at a late age.

Arizona's Luis Gonzalez was 34 when he found his homerun stroke. Now, he's chasing Barry Bonds. The Dodgers' Paul La Doca waited until he was 30 to find his swing. He has 21 so far in 2001. Bonds, always a power hitter, is having his best years as he gets older.