Why Babe Ruth Should Have Hit Lead-off | Bullpen By Committee | SABR

I buy the numbers. I get the logic. As a manager, I would probably not do it. I guess I would need more of a differential before I would buck trend / tradition whatever you want to call it. I would probably be more inclined to do it at the lowers levels, meaning HS and below - more AB's to more productive hitters - rather than be chained to position in the order.



But still fascinating work and food for thought.



Why Babe Ruth Should Have Hit Leadoff | Bullpen By Committee:

We did the same for Babe Ruth, using the 1921 version of Ruth that won our League of All-Time Greats. With Ruth, we found different results.



 

Hitting Ruth leadoff resulted in a significantly greater number of wins than expected by chance, due to the number of additional plate appearances by the leadoff hitter (4.66 PA/game as a leadoff hitter compared to 4.46 in the #2 spot, decreasing steadily down to 3.81 in the #9 hole).

'via Blog this'

Ichiro logs 4,000th hit, but should it count

This is fine. Ichiro is the "Global Hit King" ahead of Pete Rose. And now the argument can be made that Sadaharu Oh with 868 HR's is now the "Global HR King".

from SABR.org
http://sabr.org/latest/sabr-asian-baseball-research-committee-salutes-ichiro-suzuki-4000th-career-hit

The Asian Baseball Research Committee of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) proudly salutes New York Yankee outfielder Ichiro Suzuki on achieving milestone hit 4,000 in his international professional baseball career.

“Since his MLB debut in 2001 Ichiro’s disciplined, zen approach to hitting has thrilled fans, earned the respect of his peers, and established his place in baseball history as one of the game’s greatest hitters,” said Bill Staples Jr., chairman of the SABR Asian Baseball Committee (http://research.sabr.org/asianbb).

Despite the fact that sports historians and writers have debated the significance of Ichiro’s combined career hits on both sides of the Pacific, his 4,000 hits is an incredible record worth appreciating.

Pete Rose (4,256) and Ty Cobb (4,189) are the only players in MLB history to reach 4,000 hits. However, some say that if Ichiro's statistics in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) are considered, then minor-league statistics should be included as well. MLB.com writer Bryan Hoch points out that only six players would reach the 4,000 hit milestone with the inclusion of “minor-league” stats:

• Pete Rose – 4,683 (4,257 MLB + 427 minors)

• Ty Cobb – 4,355 (4,189 MLB + 166 minors)

• Hank Aaron – 4,095 ( 3,771 MLB + 324 minors)

• Jigger Statz – 4,093 (737 MLB + 3,356 Pacific Coast League)

• Stan Musial – 4,001 (3,630 MLB + 371 minors)

• Ichiro Suzuki – 4,000 (2,722 MLB + 1,278 NPB)

And please, to all you bed-wetters out there:
WE ARE NOT GOING BACK BABE RUTH AS THE HR KING!!  

from baseball-reference.com:

Statistic Description: Home Runs Hit/Allowed

Rank	Player (yrs, age)	Home Runs	Bats	HR Log
1.	Barry Bonds (22)	762	L	HR Log
2.	Hank Aaron+ (23)	755	R	HR Log
3.	Babe Ruth+ (22)	714	L	HR Log
4.	Willie Mays+ (22)	660	R	HR Log
5.	Alex Rodriguez (20, 37)	649	R	HR Log
6.	Ken Griffey (22)	630	L	HR Log
7.	Jim Thome (22)	612	L	HR Log
8.	Sammy Sosa (18)	609	R	HR Log
9.	Frank Robinson+ (21)	586	R	HR Log
10.	Mark McGwire (16)	583	R	HR Log

So let's see where that leaves us. Four of the top ten HR leaders, soon to be two of the top five and 6 of the top fourteen -- 40% and more of the top HR hitters in the sport will be persona non grata to the sports Hall of Fame and it's voters.

You may as well do something to increase membership. Open it up to international players like other sports do. I'm sure you don't need the permission of the guys who like to sign things with the initials HOF after their name. They have a vested economic interest in keeping the membership exclusive.

Baseball keeps getting itself entangled in the "but, does it really count" argument. Again, it's good for talk radio, but not necessarily great for the sport overall. Four thousand hits is four thousand hits. It's a monument to consistency, excellence and longevity wherever it happened. I'm not going to get into this hair-splitting of hits as if hits were posted on the currency exchange. I mean what's the value of a Japanese(hit) today vs. and American(hit) vs. a Cuban(hit).

Sorry, not doing it. Too complicated, too volatile.

1 US Dollar equals
98.68 Japanese Yen
Disclaimer

Rodman: LBJ 'average' if he played in '90s - Chicago Bulls Blog - ESPN Chicago

This must be the NBA equivalent of David Wells' assertion that Babe Ruth's stat line would be something like 15-75-.275. An average hitter. Both examples clearly demonstrate the pervasive and deleterious effects of alcohol, and God knows what else, on the brain cells.

I'm not the greatest fan of LeBron James, although he does appear to be maturing nicely, but this is just silly talk.

from ESPN Chicago:
Rodman: LBJ 'average' if he played in '90s - Chicago Bulls Blog - ESPN Chicago:

Dennis Rodman says LeBron James would be "average" if he played in the 1990s, and insists James' Miami Heat would be no match for his old Chicago Bulls team.

'via Blog this'

DOES SIZE REALLY MATTER? Today's major leaguers are bigger and stronger than those of earlier eras - physical size of baseball players | Baseball Digest | Find Articles at BNET

The debate surfaces periodically and revolves around the "is today's player better than players from other eras", whether it be the 70's and 80's -- the WWI era -- or the Ruth / Cobb era.

For certain, I believe the quality of the athlete that baseball is recruiting is better now than ever before. Whether that always translates into better players centers around my belief that coaching, especially at the major league level -- but in the minors as well -- has not kept up.

Coaching may be as good or better than ever at the collegiate and HS level. The youth level, IMO still leaves something to be desired. Generally speaking the level of coaching is improving there, if only sporadically.

Putting aside for a moment the segue arguments
- "Do bigger players equal better players?"
and the pejorative fallback argument
- "How did they get bigger and stronger?"

clearly the trend toward bigger, stronger, faster equaling "more productive" players has pretty much been settled. "Better" is in the eye of the beholder and is dependent on many variables that can not be extracted or accounted for through statistical analysis or the dreaded "eyeball" test.

Some fans will prefer 1-0, 2-0 pitching duels and some will continue to prefer the "chicks dig the long ball" era. The pendulum tends to swing from one extreme to another and back again.

The following article touches on many of the relevant areas of discussion.

DOES SIZE REALLY MATTER? Today's major leaguers are bigger and stronger than those of earlier eras - physical size of baseball players | Baseball Digest | Find Articles at BNET:

"Current baseball scouts generally focus their attention on larger prospects, particularly pitchers

BABE RUTH STILL STANDS AS ONE of the legendary giants of baseball, but if he were alive today, he would stand taller than only 48 percent of the players who were on major-league 40-man rosters at the start of spring training.

The Bambino was listed at 6-2 and 195 pounds before his weight became a major problem during the second half of his career. He is remembered as a much larger man because most newsreel footage of him was taken during his last few seasons-- and because he was always much bigger than the average player of his time.

But if the young, strapping Ruth were magically transported into the 21st century, he would not stand out in the team picture of any major-league club. His wonderful baseball skills aside, he would be--in terms of vital statistics--a very average guy."

The 1927 "Murderers' Row" New York Yankees were one of the most dominating, intimidating teams in history, yet the average height and weight of a member of that storied group, even with such big bruisers as Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Bob Meusel at the heart of the lineup, was just 5-11 and 176 pounds.

The 1975 world champion Cincinnati Reds--immortalized as "The Big Red Machine"--illustrated what a difference a half-century can make. The players on that Reds club averaged 6-1 and 188 pounds.

The 2001 three-time defending world champion Yankees are not really known as one of the most physically imposing teams on the planet, but they weigh in with an average height and weight of 6-2 and 204 pounds.

Changes.....through the years. Sometimes, it's difficult to see the forest for the trees and remember how things used to be in the 'good old days'. Then you see an old ESPN classic and you realize that "Hey, Jennie Finch actually looks more athletic than some major leaguers from the 70's appeared.

BUD HARRELSON - 1969 METS 5'11", 165 POUNDS (MAYBE)

JENNIE FINCH - USA!!! USA!!! - 6'1", 170 POUNDS

Advantage Finch!!!!

My money is on Finch even if it goes this far...

Specialization and AAU-ization...always a factor. Participation in other sports, in conjunction with or to the exclusion of other sports has changed the landscape somewhat.

If it were totally a matter of evolution, the process presumably would take place at a much slower rate. It appears, in this case, that the Darwinian notion of natural selection has been replaced with just plain selection. Baseball players are taller because scouts are out looking for taller baseball players.

"In our industry, as far as evaluating talent, you're driven to larger bodies," said Cardinals director of baseball operations John Mozeliak. "When you go to the Dominican Republic, for instance, you get all these kids at the tryouts. The first thing you look at is how a guy looks in the uniform. You're very unlikely to give any money to a guy who's 5-9 and 170 pounds."

This isn't necessarily a new concept, but several other factors may contribution to the greater availability of tall athletes during the past decade or so--most notably a vast increase in the number and diversity of youth sports programs.

The average 1960s kid played Little League and maybe Pop Warner football. The 1980s kid also had soccer, basketball and other team and individual sports to keep them active year-round.

"I think one thing that's happening is that participation is at its highest level as far as youth sports, so the pool of talent to choose from has grown," said Cardinals trainer Barry Weinstein. "And you're developing a more well-rounded athlete, so a kid doesn't have to like basketball just because he's 6-9."

And the generational shift from sandlot sports to highly organized youth programs probably has the added effect of weeding out kids with less natural athletic ability much earlier--creating a better youth talent pool at the expense of some of the young people they were supposed to benefit.

You can see from the following table that HR champs have been getting bigger over the course of the last few decades. The typical HR slugger from the good old days would be average sized today.

BIG LEAGUE SLUGGERS ARE GETTING BIGGER--Despite the fact that league home run champions have had little change in size over the last 80 years, the most dramatic change has been the number of power hitters. From 1921 through 1940, hitting 40 or more homers in a season was accomplished 32 times by 12 different players. From 1941 through 1960, it was accomplished 44 times by 17 different sluggers. From 1961 through 1980, the number rose to 54 times that a player hit 40 homers in a season, reached by 30 different players. And during the last 20 years (1981-2000), the number of 40-homer hitters jumped to 98 times accomplished by 49 different players. Below is a chart of the average size of league home run champions dating back to 1921.

Total Avg. Avg. Avg.
ERA HR Champs Height Weight HR Output

1991-2000 15 6-3 218 48
1981-1990 20 6-3 208 40
1971-1980 13 6-2 201 40
1961-1970 11 6-1 202 46
1951-1960 15 6-1 194 42
1941-1950 13 6-0 195 36
1931-1940 11 6-0 194 40
1921-1930 10 6-0 187 41

Largest HR Smallest HR
ERA Champion Champion

1991-2000 Mark McGwire (6-5, 250) Howard Johnson (5-11, 178)
1981-1990 Jose Canseco (6-4, 240) Kevin Mitchell (5-11, 210)
1971-1980 Dave Kingman (6-6, 210) Dick Allen (5-11, 190)
1961-1970 Frank Howard (6-7, 255) Willie Mays (5-11, 180)
1951-1960 Hank Sauer (6-4, 200) Al Rosen (5-10, 180)
1941-1950 Hank Greenberg (6-3-210) Mel Ott (5-9, 170)
1931-1940 Hank Greenberg (6-3, 210) Ripper Collins (5-9, 165)
1921-1930 Babe Ruth (6-2, 215) Hack Wilson (5-6, 190)

COPYRIGHT 2001 Century Publishing
COPYRIGHT 2001 Gale Group

From the table in this article, the player of today has to compete against more potential players today than ever before, even with expansion. Although they do accommodate for the exclusion of black and Hispanic players in the past, the pre-war major leaguer did not see the diversity of talent culled from around the globe that today's player competes against.



Another factor, to be considered but not readily apparent from the table above is the effect of the various wars on the availability of 18 - 30 year old males, a crucial variable at times.

Think of how much that talent pool was diluted during the war years -- a time during which "One-armed" Pete Gray played.

Pete Gray, Universal Newsreels, 1945.ogv
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pete_Gray,_Universal_Newsreels,_1945.ogv

Other current stars gave up years of their career to the war effort, as illustrated in the following two articles.

Baseball in Wartime
http://www.baseballinwartime.com/

Baseball in Wartime is dedicated to preserving the memories of all baseball players (major league, negro league, minor league, semi-pro, college, amateur and high school), who served with the military between 1940 and 1946.

World War II was a trying time for the United States and equally so for baseball. More than 4,500 professional players swapped flannels for military uniforms to serve their nation and future Hall of Famers like Bob Feller, Hank Greenberg, Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams lost vital playing time in the prime of their careers. What is far less commonly known is that at least 130 minor league players lost their lives while serving their country.

Major League Baseball's Popularity During WWII by Joey Corso
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/161265-major-league-baseballs-popularity-during-wwii

Before WWII began, Major League Baseball enjoyed record popularity. Ted Williams batted a record-setting .406, Joe DiMaggio, set a record with hits in 56 consecutive games, 41-year-old Lefty Grove won his 300th career win, and the New York Yankees collected an unprecedented ninth World Series championship.(Baseball in Wartime)

Following Pearl Harbor, overwhelming patriotism spread throughout the nation, causing many young men to enlist including future Hall of Fame players Hank Greenburg and Bob Feller who gave up the prime their careers to be a part of the war effort.

Greenburg summed up what all players at the time were feeling, telling the Sporting News that “If there's any last message to be given to the public, let it be that I'm going to be a good soldier.”

Although a small minority of Americans expressed displeasure towards apparently fit men participating in sports and shirking military duties, Private John E Stevenson, expressed the more widely held view that, "baseball is part of the American way of life. Remove it and you remove something from the lives of American citizens, soldiers and sailors."

Along with future Hall of Famers, many other quality major league players enlisted or were drafted, significantly lowering the quality of play. Average players were now stars, and scrubs who were destined to be career minor leaguers received opportunities to play significant roles on big league clubs.

Using David Finoli’s highly embraced statistical formula, as seen in For the Good of the Country: World War II Baseball in the Major and Minor Leagues, a list of the top 64 ball players during the war seasons (1942-1945) was developed, headed by a Roy Sanders.

Although a fine player, it was clear a somewhat obscure player today, benefited playing against lesser competition. This can be seen by comparing his statistics during and after the war.

The list contains several other fine players, but does not include a future Hall of Fame player until the 14th player on the list, Cleveland Indians shortstop Lou Boudreau. Four highly productive seasons along with six to eight above average ones can usually make a player’s case for entry into the Hall of Fame.

Yet none of the top 13 players during the war made the Hall, proving that these players were unable to perform at the same level when up against the best and that statistically speaking the level of play during the time was lower.

Over time, we have seen baseball players, and the game at large, adapt to many significant changes that have collided to bring about many of the observed changes to the perceived caliber of play.

- The mound was lowered in 1969 from 15 inches to 10 inches in height after the dominance of pitching ( think Bob Gibson's 1.12 ERA ). As a result, scouts and coaches preferred to select taller pitchers to make up the lost difference in leverage the lower mound provided. The short (under 6-foot) RHP became an endangered species in baseball as a result IMO.

- Free agency and guaranteed contracts resulting from the Curt Flood battle against the Reserve Clause has resulted in players beginning treated as more valuable commodities. Prior to 1969, even star players were considered expendable if productivity diminished even slightly. Players were on year to year contracts, security was day to day. Pitch Counts and increased use of bullpen specialists has been the slow, but inevitable outgrowth.

Structural changes such as Astroturf, Questec and increased use of PED's have brought about both observed and statistical changes and anomalies that can never be fully accounted for and so the debate will continue forever.

If you don't think that Questec was a huge and underrated development in the offense / defense equilibrium, take a look at the "strikes" called in some of those Braves - Twins World Series highlights or the infamous Eric Gregg / Livan Hernandez playoff game. There's a reason why Curt Schilling took a bat to an early version of Questec machinery that was in the Diamondbacks dugout. The handwriting was on the wall that a subtle but important pitching advantage was about to be lost.

It's one reason why I like to look to the Olympic sports, specifically track and field or swimming events, to observe and evaluate macro changes in athletes over different eras. The skill sports are too complex to assess causes and effects. The Olympic sports are ideal for statistical analysis because of their inherent simplicity: Running is a universal and fundamental athletic event. Distances don't change, gravity and friction are constants. Even in swimming, the resistance that water provides doesn't change materially over time.

----

In swimming, the 1924 Men's Olympic champion and symbol of virility for machismo for the era, Johnny Weismuller of Tarzan fame, swam a 59.0 sec. 100 meter freestyle.

USA'S JOHNNY WEISMULLER - 1924 PARIS OLYMPICS CHAMPION

In the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Germany's Britta Steffen swam the same event in 53.12 seconds. American Natalie Coughlin swan it in 53.39 seconds for an American record. Both times would have obliterated Weismuller's time.

GERMANY'S BRITTE STEFFEN - 2008 BEJING OLYMPIC CHAMPION

In fact, Weismuller's time would have finished 47th in the world in the 2008 100 meter freestyle qualifying heats. In the women's qualifying heats.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swimming_at_the_1924_Summer_Olympics_-_Men%27s_100_metre_freestyle

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swimming_at_the_2008_Summer_Olympics_-_Women%27s_100_metre_freestyle


---

In track and field, the 1936 Olympic champion Jesse Owens would be challenged to beat the current women's 100 meter champion, Jamaica's Shelly-Ann Fraser. Owens won the 1936 event with a 10.3 sec. time. Fraser's 2008 100 meter time of 10.78 would have placed her sixth in the 1936 men's 100 meter championship heat and made her the fourth fastest American at the time.

Jesse Owens was 5'10" and 165. Fraser tips in at 5'3" and 115. A shorter version, pound for pound of Owens. Looking at some of these comparisons, I am with David Wells -- a Babe Ruth fan -- when he says "15-70-.270" to state what he believes Babe Ruth's stat line would be today.

No night games, no sliders, he may have been exaggerating a little bit, but not by much.

The pre-war American athlete, in many instances, can only compare favorably to female athletes today. Once again demonstrating that the Nixon-era Title IX legislation may have been one of the most underrated pieces of legislation of all time in this country.

There are simply too many factors to consider to make a definitive answer to the underlying question we started with, which is why this question will continue to be fuel for debate for many generations to come.

10 Babe Ruth Facts Every Baseball Fan Should Know

An interesting article about the Sultan of Swat sent to me by a reader at the website Collegecrunch.org. I was not aware of a couple of the tidbits of information and I thought I was a pretty good student of the game. Collgecrunch.org is a site that has information from some of thee online college course providers around the country, but they also have some interesting sports articles listed on their site. Check them out.

From the mailbox:

Hi Charles,

We at Collegecrunch.org recently came across your blog and were excited to share with you an article “10 Babe Ruth Facts Every Baseball Fan Should Know” was recently published on our blog at (http://www.collegecrunch.org/feature/10-babe-ruth-facts-every-baseball-fan-should-know/), and we hoped that you would be interested in featuring or mentioning it in one of your posts.

Either way, I hope you continue putting out great content through your blog. It has been a sincere pleasure to read.


Sincerely ,
Florine Church

10 Babe Ruth Facts Every Baseball Fan Should Know:
"These are just a few of the indelible marks he left on America's pastime.

1. Ruth was bestowed the nickname 'Babe' once he joined the Orioles: Nineteen years old and fresh out of St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys, George Herman Ruth, Jr. signed with the then-minor league Baltimore Orioles, his hometown team, for $250 in 1914. In order for the contract to be valid, Jack Dunn, owner and manager of the team, became Ruth's legal guardian — 25 was the age of majority at the time. When Orioles players first encountered Ruth, they referred to him as 'Jack's newest babe,' which thereafter stuck as 'Babe' publicly. Interestingly, as his career progressed, his teammates refused to call him by 'Babe,' instead calling him 'Bam,' 'Jidge' and 'The Big Fellow.'

2. Ruth could've been a Philadelphia Athletic: Before the Red Sox jumped at the opportunity to acquire Ruth for cash, Dunn dangled him in front of Connie Mack, then the Athletics manager and part owner, who elected not to send $10,000 in exchange for Ruth, Ernie Shore and Ben Egan. Although the Athletics were the defending World Series champs and were in the process of winning their second consecutive AL championship, the organization was undergoing financial problems, and the team was dispersed after the season, resulting in eight straight last-place finishes starting in 1915. New York Giants manager John McGraw was angered that he wasn't offered Ruth, and chose to never do business with the Orioles again. That decision eventually cost him Lefty Grove.

--

HERE IS THE KIND OF CHEATING WE SHOULD BE REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT

FROM ST. PETE TIMES STORY - MICKEY MOUSE GETS TO VOTE??

MAYBE IF ACORN HAD THEIR WAY HE WOULD

This is the type of cheating that the media should be exposing.

This is the type of cheating our congressional leaders should be holding hearings on.

This is the type of cheating that people should get worked about and yet apparently they do not. If you want to use terms like "sacrosanct" about the right to vote, I'm with you. People fought and died for the right to vote and many have fought and died to protect that right. Nobody died so Babe Ruth would have the right to set A FREAKING HOME-RUN RECORD.

In fact, people also marched and died fighting for the rights of those who were excluded from having the right to vote to eventually gain that right. As an aside, some of those same citizens were eventually allowed to participate in the game of baseball.

So let's get our priorities straight once and for all, shall we?

Instead, what do we get from our congressional leaders? They wanted to fund the organization responsible for this type of mischievous behavior with the proceeds from the original House bailout bill.

Instead, we get media coverage that seeks to exonerate this type of practice of watering down every one's right to vote because it benefits those who continue to believe that the 2000 election was "stolen" from them. Tit for tat, I guess. That makes sense to a lot of people on some level, but I guarantee you the jails are filled with people who employed similar logic.

I hate to say I told you so, but my goodness, sometimes it's just too easy.

While the idiots in Washington were holding the dog and pony show steroid hearings, our economy was sinking and our financial system was pushed to the brink of Armageddon.

And some of us were asking suspiciously, "Don't these guys have anything better to do with their time?". Apparently not. And so we have an economic meltdown because these clowns don't focus on the things they need to focus on and stick their nose in where it doesn't belong or what it will do little or no good.

It was good to see Rep. Henry Waxman and his committee hold hearings with the principals from AIG ad Lehman after the damage to our financial system had already reached historic, crisis proportions. A case of too little, too late.

Now we have the same people turning a blind eye to the right of every American to have the right to vote, to expect that their vote will be counted and that everyone will play by the same rules and the same principle of one-person, one-vote.

When behavior like this is encouraged or condoned, it puts the faith and confidence of all citizens in our system of representative democracy at severe risk.

We've already seen recently what disastrous consequences follow when there is a diminished confidence in our banking and financial system. It destroys it. And what would follow would be the kind of civil unrest and chaos none of us have ever had to live through. The same type of destructive crisis will follow if there is a similar erosion of confidence in our right to vote.

I don't think we really want to find out what happens when we continue to tear away the fabric of confidence in our voting system. This goes right to the heart of our representative governmental system. And the type of behavior we see here is an attempted knife stab at that heart.

These people are not just playing games here. They are, in effect, counterfeiting votes and lowering the value of the every citizens vote. THEY ARE CHEATING EVERY AMERICAN CITIZEN.

We deal very harshly with those who attempt to debase the nations currency by counterfeiting because of the potential dire consequences to the nations economy, why do we not place the same value on individual voting rights?

"The best way to destroy the capitalist system is to debauch the currency." -
Vladimir Lenin

The currency of our representative system of government is the theory of one-man, one-vote. We can't allow criminals and lunatics like this to turn our system into a plural voting system. We shouldn't allow this cheating to continue any longer. I would feel cheated when I register ONCE, and vote ONCE--AND ONCE ONLY--and I see instances where these ACORN knuckleheads are registering people to vote multiple times (as many as 50 times??). What a coincidence that the activity seems to be focused in the key battleground states. Or in areas where they can manipulate or intimidate the polling place employees to allow multiple votes to be cast. I know this is Chicago where the phrase "vote early and often was born" but this is getting to be beyond ridiculous. At least now we don't have to ask what community organizers do anymore.

Our so-called leaders need to look into this quickly and thoroughly to ensure that law-abiding people aren't punished again by people who not only fail to play by the rules but end up profiting by their anti-societal behavior.

This is too important an issue to ignore. Our future as a nation depends on it. We may be on the cusp of turning over to future generations a nation that doesn't look or act anything like the nation that which we grew up in, never mind one that is based on the principles a majority of us still hold dear. God help us if we can't get some of these issues straightened out.

"The goal of socialism is communism." - Vladimir Lenin

The socialists currently plying their trade--from both parties--in the House, the Senate and within the administration need to be fired from their jobs ASAP. It's not enough for Congress to lay all of the blame at Bush's doorstep, when this has been without a doubt the worst Congressional class in the history of the country.

Failure by the electorate to accomplish this governmental housekeeping is to give our implied approval to the path they are taking this country. We will get the type of government we deserve.

MAYBE THE ROCKIES ARE GOD'S TEAM

The Rockies approach, as noted in a post from 2006 cited below, has paid off in spades. They are in the World Series.

The pressure now turns to the Devil Rays to get there. The Marlins have made it to the World Series and won. The Diamondbacks have made it and won. And now the Rockies have made it and have a punchers chance, a David vs. Goliath chance I suppose if the Red Sox make it. The Rockies get to take some time off and realign their pitching rotation, but you have to think that as hot as they are, they would just as soon keep playing everyday. Just a historically phenomenal stretch run just to make it to the playoffs. A one-game, do or die against Jake Peavy to get in and now quick dust offs of the Phillies and the D-Backs.

Looking ahead to the Big Show, can there be a better potential World Series match up than Cleveland - Rocks ?? It's meant to be. Two newbies, another team with a long string of futility could finally reward it fans patience, putting further pressure on the Giants and the Cubbies to participate.

GO ROCKIES!!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

THIS IS FROM JUNE 8, 2006 POST @ Yahoo Discussion Board:

Interesting stuff from Dave Zirin and the "Edge of Sports". It must be difficult
for them to distinguish between those that can talk the talk, and
those that can walk the walk.

Sure every player says, "I'm a warrior", "I have what
it takes". They all think they have the requisite work
ethic and character. Most don't know what the word
character means.

Baseball is the ultimate character game however. And
it doesn't necessarily build character as much as it
reveals it. Although for most players, true character
is not revealed until times are tough and they can't
make the tough decisions, the right decisions. Sooner
or later, true character is revealed.

It's good to see an organization applying this type of
litmus test to it's players. While I'm sure it won't
be applied perfectly, I'll bet they will be able to
get rid of a lot of "players" and find out who the
true players are.

Too many organizations have the philosophy "We'd draft
Charles Manson if he could hit the curve ball or run
the 40 in 4.4." Who wants to see scumbags like that
succeed?

Go get 'em Rockies..weed out those with weak
character, you'll be better off in the long run.


Thu Jun 8, 2006 11:09 pm

Go Tell it on the Rockies: Baseball's Faith-based Team

This article can be found on the web at
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060619/zirin

by Dave Zirin

In Colorado, there stands a holy shrine called Coors
Field. On this
site, named for the holiest of beers, a team plays
that has been chosen
by Jesus Christ himself to play .500 baseball in the
National League
West. And if you don't believe me just ask the
manager, the general
manager, and the team's owner.

In a remarkable article from Wednesday's USA Today,
the Colorado
Rockies went public with the news that the
organization has been explicitly looking for players
with "character". And according to the Tribe of Coors,
"character" means accepting Jesus Christ as your
personal lord and savior. "We're nervous, to be honest
with you," Rockies General Manager Dan O'Dowd said.
"It's the first time we ever talked about these issues
publicly. The last thing we want to do is offend
anyone because of our beliefs." When people are
nervous that their beliefs will offend, its usually
because their beliefs are offensive.

As Rockies chairman and CEO Charlie Monfort said, "We
had to go to
hell and back to know where the Holy Grail is. We went
through a tough time and took a lot of arrows,"

Club president Keli McGregor McGregor chimed in, "Who
knows where we go from here? The ability to handle
success will be a big part of the
story, too. [Note to Keli: you're in fourth place.]
There will be
distractions. There will be things that can change
people. But we truly
do have something going on here. And (God's) using us
in a powerful
way."

Well, someone is using somebody, but it ain't God.
San Francisco
Giants first baseman-outfielder Mark Sweeney, who
spent 2003 and 2004 with the Rockies told Nightengale.
"You wonder if some people are going along with it
just to keep their jobs. Look, I pray every day. I
have faith. It's always been part of my life. But I
don't want something
forced on me. Do they really have to check to see
whether I have a
Playboy in my locker?"

Then there is manager Clint Hurdle and GM O'Dowd.
Hurdle who has guided the team to a Philistine 302-376
record since 2002, as well as fourth or fifth place
finishes every year, was rewarded with a 2007 contract
extension in the off-season. Hurdle also claims he
became a Christian three years ago and says, "We're
not going to hide it. We're not going to deny it. This
is who we are."

O'Dowd, who also received a contract extension,
believes that their
27-26 2006 record has resulted from the active
intervention of the
almighty. "You look at things that have happened to us
this year. You
look at some of the moves we made and didn't make. You
look at some of the games we're winning. Those aren't
just a coincidence. God has
definitely had a hand in this." Or maybe the
management that prays
together gets paid together.

O'Dowd and company bend over backwards in the article
to say they are "tolerant" of other views on the club,
but that's contradicted by
statements like this from CEO Montfort: "I don't want
to offend anyone,
but I think character-wise we're stronger than anyone
in baseball.
Christians, and what they've endured, are some of the
strongest people
in baseball. I believe God sends signs, and we're
seeing those."
Assumedly, Shawn Green (Jew), Ichiro Suzuki (Shinto),
or any of the
Godless players from Cuba don't have the "character"
Montfort is
looking for.

Also, there are only two African-American players on
the Rockies active roster. Is this because Montfort
doesn't think Black
players have character? Does the organization endorse
the statement of their stadium's namesake William
Coors, who told a group of black
businessmen in 1984 that Africans "... lack the
intellectual capacity
to succeed, and it's taking them down the tubes"?
These are admittedly
difficult questions. But they are the questions that
need to be posed
when the wafting odor of discrimination clouds the
air.

Then there are the fans. I spoke with journalist Tom
Krattenmaker who
has studied the connection between religion and
sports. Krattenmaker
said, "I have concerns about what this
Christianization of the Rockies
means for the community that supports the team in and
around Denver--a community in which evangelical
Christians are probably a minority, albeit a large and
influential one. Taxpayers and ticket-buyers in a
religiously diverse community have a right not to see
their team--a quasi-public resource--used for the
purpose of advancing a specific form of religion. Have
the Colorado Rockies become a faith-based
organization? This can be particularly problematic
when the religion in question is one that makes
exclusive claims and sometimes denigrates the validity
of other belief systems."

You might think MLB Commissioner Bud Selig would have
something
stirring to say about this issue. But Bud, who hasn't
actually
registered a pulse since 1994, only said meekly, "They
have to do what
they feel is right."

It's not surprising Bud would play it soft. First and
foremost, Bud's number one commandment is "Thou shall
not criticize the team owners." Also Bud and Major
League Baseball are experimenting for the first time
this year with something called "Faith Days at the
Park." As if last season's Military Appreciation
Night's weren't enough, the New York Times reported
yesterday that this summer "the religious promotions
will hit Major League Baseball. The Atlanta Braves are
planning three Faith Days this season, the Arizona
Diamondbacks one. The Florida Marlins have tentatively
scheduled a Faith Night for September. These religious
promotions are attractive to owners because they
leverage a market of evangelical Christians who are
accustomed to mass worship in stadiums at events
staged by sports-driven proselytizers like the Promise
Keepers and Athletes in Action.

As part of the MLB promotion, local churches will get
discounted
tickets to family-friendly evenings of music and
sports with a
Christian theme. And in return, they mobilize their
vast infrastructure
of e-mail and phone lists, youth programs and
chaperones, and of course their bus fleets, to help
fill the stands."

At one of the Faith Days in Atlanta, the team will
sell special
vouchers. After the game, the stands will be cleared
and then only
those with the specially purchased vouchers can be
readmitted. Those
lucky chosen "will be treated to an hour and a half of
Christian music
and a testimonial from the ace pitcher John Smoltz."
Smoltz is the
player who in 2004, opined on gay marriage to the
Associated Press
saying, "What's next? Marrying an animal?" Good times
for the whole
family.

The Rockies right now are a noxious reflection of a
time in US history
when generals speak of crusades, and the President
recounts his
personal conversations with Yahweh. ("You're doing a
heckuva job
Goddy!")

If Monfort, O'Dowd, and Hurdle want to pray on their
own time, more
power to them. But the ballpark isn't a church. John
Smoltz isn't a
preacher And fans aren't a flock. Instead using their
position of
commercial power to field a God Squad, the Rockies
might want to think about getting some decent players.
There was once this guy named Babe Ruth. Not too much
for the religion, and his character was less than
sterling. But I hear he could play some decent ball.

Dave Zirin is the author of "'What's My Name Fool?'":
Sports and Resistance in the United States. He is
speaking at the conference Socialism 2006, June 22-25,
in New York City, with Etan Thomas and Toni Smith. See
www.socialismconference.org. Contact him at
dave@edgeofsports.com

For the times they are a-changin'

Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon
For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who
That it's namin'.
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin'.
- Bob Dylan

Times change; nothing stays the same. That's a given. Sometimes thing change with the passage of time that make you stand up, look back and wonder; "How in the heck did we get here?"




Johnny Weissmuller
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Johnny Weissmuller (June 2, 1904 – January 20, 1984) was an American swimmer and actor who was one of the world's best swimmers in the 1920s, winning five Olympic gold medals and one bronze medal. He won fifty-two US National Championships and set sixty-seven world records. After his swimming career, he became the sixth actor to portray Tarzan in films, a role he played in twelve motion pictures. Other actors also played Tarzan, but Weissmuller was the best-known. His character's distinctive, ululating Tarzan yell is still often used in films.

On July 9, 1922, Weissmuller broke Duke Kahanamoku's world record on the 100-meters freestyle, swimming it in 58.6 seconds.

Today, according to USA Swimming:
3 girls in the 11-12 year old category swam better times.
88 girls in the 13-14 year old category swam better times.
over 100 girls in the 15-16 year old category swam better times.
over 100 girls in the 17-18 year old category swam better times.

Now, Weismuller along with maybe Jim Thorpe, was considered to be one of the top athletes of the 1920's and 30's. He was Tarzan, the King of the Jungle. The embodiment of masculinity at the time. Babe Ruth's time. Lou Gehrig's time.

And now his times would not impress many high school womens swim coaches.

And yet the composition of water hasn't changed since the 20's such that athletes of today would have any material advantage. And the distance, 100 meters, has not changed from the 1920's to today, such that the comparison would be materially different.

In fact, it hasn't changed at all. So this would appear to be as much an apples to apples comparison of the athletes of one era when compared to another. So as much as we may want to remain romantically attached to the idea that what was great when we were young will continue to be great generations down the road, I would just respectfully say, I certainly hope not!!

I would hope that cars of today are better and safer and more efficient today then those made back in the days of the Model T. Even though it is still fascinating to look at the models of yesteryear and recognize that in their day, they reigned supreme.

It's called progress, or evolution if you will. Things change, times change. Not always for the better, but in most cases we advance forward.



Mark Spitz
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mark Andrew Spitz (born February 10, 1950, in Modesto, California) is an American swimmer.

He holds the record for most gold medals won in a single Olympic Games (seven), which he set at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany.

Between 1965 and 1972, Spitz won 9 Olympic gold medals, 1 silver, and 1 bronze; 5 Pan American golds; 31 National U.S. Amateur Athletic Union titles; and 8 U.S. National Collegiate Athletic Association Championships. During those years, he set 33 world records.

At the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany Spitz swam the 100 meter freestyle in 51.22 seconds:

The current records are:

World: 47.84 Pieter van den Hoogenband, NED Sydney, AUS 09-19-00
American: 48.17 Jason Lezak, Irvine Long Beach, Calif. 07-10-04

So, even a more modern "Superman", which Spitz was when he won the seven gold medals in Munich, is forced to endure seeing his world records, not only broken but shattered over the years. Does it detract from the magnificence of what he accomplished? I don't think so, not in any way at all.

It's just the nature of things.

That's the way it's always been is sports, and it's even more pronounced now in baseball since the demise of the Reserve Clause and the explosive escalation of salaries.

This take on the situation from Johnny Bench illustrates the point very clearly:

Bench elaborates on what many vintage MLB players
think: their achievements are clearly undermined by
many factors in favor of younger hitters.

"We're second-class citizens now, our era. Our
records are bygone", he said.

"They're making $15 million or $20 million a year.
I made $11,000 my first year. I was rookie of the year
and made $20,000, was MVP and made $40,000, was MVP
again and made $80,000. So I'm only like $19,920,000
behind."

"There are guys out there who make two All-Star
games and they've got their own planes flying back
East. I'm trying to drive to Reno to get the 6:45 a.m.
Delta so I can change planes and go to Orlando", he
said.

The old-timers feel disrespected and unappreciated compared to the modern ballplayers. That, I guess, may never change.

Miscellaneous Weekly Notes:

A-ROD: MORE HR'S BY AGE 32 THAT ANYONE EVER!!!

Lost in A-Rod's ascension to the throne as the white knight in shining armor, who has been anointed to remove the stain on baseball's record book left by the dragon that is Barry Bonds, is this simple fact:

A-Rod has hit approximately 25% more home runs, vis-a-vis during a comparable period of time in both career stage and chronological age as Henry Aaron himself.

Which begs the question: If it was such an insult to the sensibilities of baseball purists that Bonds passed Aaron all-time by 1 HR, why doesn't anybody bat an eyelash when the graphic is displayed showing A-Rod 25% ahead of Aaron career-wise from age 20 to 32?

On a comparable basis, Bonds would have to finish with approximately 930 career home runs to assault the record book in a similar fashion.

And doesn't this show conclusively how the OVERALL environment in which to hit home-runs has changed for the better again by a value that approaches 25-30% better across the board? (smaller parks, less foul territory, harder baseballs, harder bats, softer pitching, better strength training and legal nutritional methods)


Jayson Stark wrote an article about A-Rod and listed the top HR hitters and their production before and after 32:

Alex Rodriguez 500 ???
Hank Aaron 398 357
Barry Bonds 332 421
Babe Ruth 356 358
Willie Mays 373 282
Sammy Sosa 386 218
Ken Griffey Jr. 460 129
Frank Robinson 399 187
Mark McGwire 277 306
H. Killebrew 393 180
R. Palmeiro 232 337

Is A-Rod really a 25% better home-run hitter than Aaron? I'm not sure, but he is hitting in an era that allows him and others to appear to be. And in a sense he and the HR hitters to follow benefit from playing their ENTIRE careers within this environment whereas, the Bonds, Sosa, McGwire era players, for the most part, played half their careers in the Astroturf era where speed and the stolen base was emphasized vs. those who came along from the mid 1990's. By that time, Astroturf became a relic and the long-ball replaced the stolen base and the hit and run as the offensive weapon of choice.

SMALL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES IN BASEBALL MAKE FOR BIG DIFFERENCES IN THE GAME.

When the mound was lowered by a few inches after 1969, in my opinion it ushered out the short right handed pitcher (under 6-0 tall) at the major league level. Pitchers, especially rightys, had to get taller to compensate.

When you combine many small changes, all of which benefit the hitters, why is it such a surprise that the 500 HR and 600 HR club is going to increase it's membership by leaps and bounds in this generation?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------



THANK GOD LITTLE LEAGUE'S PITCH COUNT RULE HAS NOT TOTALLY DONE AWAY WITH "COACH TROPHYCOLLECTORS" ABILITY TO PLAY TO WIN AND RUIN KIDS ARMS

Yesterday's LLWS Western Regional final between Arizona and California featured an incident that demonstrates why the newly minted pitch count rule may not work as well as intended and may in fact have some unintended consequences.

California had just replaced their starting pitcher with a reliever who began to noticeably poke, prod and otherwise manipulate pain that appeared on the inside of his elbow. This is the tell-tale trouble spot for "Little League" elbow. The announcers commented on it, but the coaches were either oblivious to it or since the kid had not come anywhere near the pitch count limit that would REQUIRE they take him out, were stubbornly going to let him "pitch until his arm fell off" with a trip to Williamsport on the line.

It won't be long before the pitch count is listed on the scoreboard as the way it looks and sounds, it is going to change the hitting strategy for teams when they face the other teams top pitcher. "Take some pitches Johnny, he's at 57" and "What's his pitch count" are going to be common phrases around the old ball yard. It's going to rise to as important a level as knowing what the game score is, the inning and the count on the batter which have traditionally been the important "game situation" stats. Going forward, add the pitchers pitch count.

I guess I rail on this topic every year around this time, but here we go again.

Listen clearly, I'll only say this once for you corporate sponsors and telecasters (ESPN & ABC) who along with your exposure and money and nationally televised pressure have created and perpetuate and profit from the conditions under which this epidemic of arm injuries emanates and continues. Because you know, or should know that what I am saying on this subject is true:

Stop saying this rule is what is going to initiate a downtrend in the amount of injuries to young pitching arms. The only thing that is going to stop it is if you either ban national broadcasts of these events or ban the tournaments themselves outright. The pressure to get EXPOSURE for their kids led to the Almonte incident and leads to borderline child abuse across the country year after year. And a rule change that the parrots behind the mike will laud, while at the same time calling the sliders that pitchers throw along with the curve balls, "breaking balls" and "off speed pitches" in a lame attempt to divert attention from the abuse is disingenuous at best and criminally fraudulent reporting at worst. PLEASE STOP IT.

The parents sell their collective souls and potentially their children's future in baseball in this insane chase for "exposure". Who's watching these kids for future reference anyway? College scouts? Pro scouts? I doubt it. How'd the added exposure work out for the Almonte kid? Not very well.

REMEMBER THE WORD THAT I THINK MOST PEOPLE WOULD ASSOCIATE WITH "EXPOSURE" IF WE WERE PLAYING A WORD ASSOCIATION GAME. THAT'S RIGHT "INDECENT". IT APPLIES HERE.

If you don't know that what I am saying is true and correct regarding the problem and the conditions that brought us to this place, you are either woefully ignorant regarding the topic or criminally and shamefully negligent by putting profits and ratings over kids LONG-TERM health.

YOU CANNOT CONTINUE TO PUT LIPSTICK ON THIS PIG AND SELL IT AS PRETTY. Time and another generation of ruined arms will be the legacy you have created and continue to perpetuate. And you will divert attention or blame someone/something else. SHAMEFUL.


The best part of the game I watched was when the California team coach yelled to his batter from the 1st base coaching box to move up in the box in order to "get the curve ball". Hit it before it breaks, I suppose (pure youth coaching genius since a curve ball breaks from virtually the moment it's released by the pitcher). You could hear the Arizona coach retort (he was miked also) from his dugout, "Yeah, move him up so he can't catch up to the fastball". Sure enough, they called for the FB and one weak swing later, the result of looking CB with two strikes and getting FB, is you have a strike out to the batter, with an assist given to the hitting coach. That's if you're scoring at home.

Priceless. And we wonder why Johnny can't hit the curve ball. If he stays back, he doesn't telegraph to the opposition what he's looking for, he has a longer look at the curve if he gets it, so you have less swings at CB's in the dirt, and you can still attack the FB. The Arizona coach was ex-major leaguer Clay Bellinger, so what does he know, right? The Cali approach has been a pet peeve of mine for years and years, it was great to see it's weakness exposed so conclusively. Thanks, Clay.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

THE BONDS WATCH: WEEK IN REVIEW

The "news" of the week was that the Grand Jury investigating Barry Bonds for perjury and tax evasion was extended once again. So the "strong" case documented in the Pulitzer Prize winning book Game of Shadows....uh Pulitzer Prize nominated book?....what it wasn't even nominated? Oh darn. Looks like the Pulitzer committee knew bad journalism when they saw it, even if the brethren did not.

Star witness Kimberly Bell makes another trip to the ATM machine that seems to describe her relationship with Barry, by showing her worthless goods to all the world via Playboy. She'll be an attractive witness for the government, although I must say, she'll fit right in with the crowd. Vindictive whores of a feather are flocking together on this sinking ship. She'll be a great witness.

It must be a coincidence that this is timed out to when the GJ term is about to expire. I would think if she was going to testify at a pending trial, this would not have been cleared by her attorney or the government's attorneys for that matter.
I'm certain it's timed to Barry breaking the record, for maximum exposure to the magazine. No pun intend....oh please, of course I selected that term for a reason. They must be having a big circle jerk over this one. That is if they have an advance copy of the magazine.

I don't think Bonds' attorney Michael Rains would be publicly calling these guys out like he has been lately if most signs didn't point to this being one of the most botched investigations since the OJ trial. The government must be hoping for a Perry Mason-type moment to keep this thing alive, maybe a last minute alley-oop pass from Radomski or Giambi or the Mitchell white-wash, er...investigation.

We've had the Scooter Libbey perjury trial come and go, Michael Vick's investigation and indictment come and go and the whole Duke lacrosse thing come and go in less time than this one. Maybe the government should get those attorneys on this case, huh? Oops, one of them is no longer practicing. It will be interesting to see how they try to perform a face-saving moon-walk out of this one.

The ship that is the case against Bonds appears to be sinking. And those who initiated the investigation (IRS Agent Novitsky) should now concern themselves with whether they can at minimum save face with a tax evasion charge that they'll likely lose.

The haters will say the worst if he's convicted of that, but does anybody really believe that on April 15th, a time of year the Giants are usually playing games, that Bonds is sitting in his hotel room with a pencil, an abacus and various IRS forms and publications doing his own taxes? I didn't think so. The odds of them nailing anything substantive on Bonds even in this area, appear to be nil.

I stioll maintain that the court of public opinion is where these people truly want this thing to be. It's where all the crap about hat size, shoe size, head size, etc.
Half of the stuff in Game of Shadows that is related to to Bonds, is of such circumstantial nature or even outright garbage when examined fairly (as one judge characterized a piece of "evidence" used liberally by the book).

ENJOY THE SHOW.

FROM BASEBALL MUSINGS - BELL POSES FOR PLAYBOY

Bell in Playboy
Kimberly Bell, former mistress of Barry Bonds, tells her story in the November Playboy and poses nude as well.

Bell's appearance in the magazine can't help the government's case against her former lover.
Defense lawyers are widely expected to argue that Bell was a woman scorned because of Bonds' decision to marry another woman during their relationship. Her appearance on Playboy may only add fuel to the defense's case.


Really? Haven't we learned anything from the Gennifer Flowers case? Her story was dismissed because she sold it to a tabloid, but it turned out to be true. If Bell does have tapes to back up her story, my guess is her story will hold up in court just fine

SLAV'S TAKE:
Yes, she sounds like a fine witness:

"He was very envious of Mark McGwire," she said from her San Jose home. "He never said that was the reason, but I know it was."

Now, I'm not an attorney, nor do I play one on TV, but even I could rip this one to shreds.

Greg Anderson is more likely protecting his own behind not Barry's. He's a non-factor, or he would have been one by now.

Just MO, but come on, use some common sense. Self-preservation or preserving the reputation of a guy the rest of the world knows as the biggest a-hole out there. And only you see another side of him, a side worth doing time in prison for?

WOW, I want to see that story as a made for TV movie.

I said from day one, the best they would get out of this was a tax case. Now, it looks as if they might not get that.


From ESPN.com SELIG'S NON-STATEMENT ON BONDS SAYS PLENTY:

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=stark_jayson&id=2944073

Selig's non-statement about Bonds says plenty


SLAV'S TAKE:
Who cares? Selig and Aaron can play their little 69 act in Milwaukee when
Bonds breaks the record for all I care. Who needs
Selig's pickle sucking expression in SF? If I were
Bonds and he showed up I would walk right past him and
ignore him, not shake his hand, although I'm pretty
sure Bonds wouldn't do that. Aaron would never show up
in SF because he would once again wilt under the light
that shines upon Willie Mays. He was in Mays shadow
all throughout his career and didn't like it, and I'm
sure he doesn't like it now. Get over it, Hank you
freaking cry-baby.


UPDATE: Selig speaks:

"Out of respect for the tradition of this game, the magnitude of the record, and the fact that all citizens in this country are innocent until proven guilty, I will attend Barry Bonds' next games to observe his potential tying and breaking of the home run record, subject to my commitments to the Hall of Fame this weekend."

Ironic that he added the "innocent until proven guilty" jab. Hasn't been the csae so far. I'm glad to hear he won't be on the field and hopefully Barry hits it when he's not there at all. We don;t need the cut-aways to old pickle-puss to damper the moment.


BASEBALL MUSINGS What About Bonds

What About Bonds?
A commenter to this post writes:

Is it wrong to wish injury or failure on Bonds at this point, or is the integrity of Baseball's record books so trashed that it really doesn't matter?
Is Baseball Musings really happy about this?


When Roger Maris broke Babe Ruth's single season home run record, people complained. He wasn't Mickey Mantle. The season was too long. Expansion made home runs easier. When Henry Aaron broke Babe Ruth's career home run record, people complained. He wasn't as good a player as Ruth. He was black.

People like to complain when a record gets broken. They find all sorts of reasons why the new record holder isn't as good as the old record holder. But now Maris is recognized for his achievement as he never was in his lifetime. Aaron is universally adored as a great player and a fine human being.

Bonds pursuit of the record is a story. It's interesting if he breaks the record. It's more interesting if he breaks down short of the record. I'm fine with either one. What I know is that in 30 years, his chase will likely be remembered fondly, just as Maris and Aaron are today.

SLAV'S TAKE:To all the people who cling to the "mountain of
evidence" argument the the book Game of Shadows
provides, (most of whom I believe have not read one
page of the book). I have just one simple question:

Since this book is based on the "mountain of evidence"
the government has at its disposal to presumably bring
perjury charges against Bonds, WHERE IS THE INDICTMENT
AND WHY HAS IT TAKEN SO LONG TO BRING IT?

This mountain of evidence is crystal clear and
compelling and overwhelming and convincing, right?

And yet no indictment, after all this time. When as
the saying goes, you can get a grand jury to indict a
ham sandwich.

And they sure brought down an indictment on Vick
fairly quickly in another case that was initially
described as complicated to prosecute.

Perjury is not THAT difficult to prove, ask Scooter
Libby. Neither is tax evasion. IRS does it all the
time.

It is difficult when you don't have the evidence. And
those closest to said evidence and hearing all of it,
apparently remain unconvinced. Therefore, so do I.

Your tax dollars at work.


FROM ESPN.COM - SANFRANCISCO ROSTER

Also see: Giants Lineup Change team:

Pitchers
NUM NAME POS BAT THW AGE HT WT 2007 SALARY
18 Matt Cain P R R 22 6-3 234 $650,000
31 Vinnie Chulk P R R 28 6-2 195 $396,000
32 Kevin Correia P R R 26 6-3 202 $400,000
41 Brad Hennessey P R R 27 6-2 195 $400,000
34 Steve Kline P R L 34 6-1 210 $1,750,000
55 Tim Lincecum P L R 23 5-11 170 N/A
51 Noah Lowry P R L 26 6-2 202 $1,365,000
23 Randy Messenger P R R 25 6-6 247 $380,000
22 Matt Morris P R R 32 6-5 220 $10,037,283
48 Russ Ortiz DL P R R 33 6-1 222 $380,000
53 Jonathan Sanchez P L L 24 6-2 165 $381,000
37 Jack Taschner P L L 29 6-3 208 $382,000
75 Barry Zito P L L 29 6-4 210 $10,000,000
Catchers
NUM NAME POS BAT THW AGE HT WT 2007 SALARY
50 Eliezer Alfonzo DL C R R 28 6-0 223 $382,000
72 Mike Matheny DL C R R 36 6-3 227 N/A
1 Bengie Molina C R R 33 5-11 225 $4,000,000
39 Guillermo Rodriguez C R R 29 5-11 195 N/A
Infielders
NUM NAME POS BAT THW AGE HT WT 2007 SALARY
35 Rich Aurilia 1B R R 35 6-1 190 $3,500,000
5 Ray Durham 2B B R 35 5-8 191 $7,000,000
7 Pedro Feliz 3B R R 32 6-1 210 $5,100,000
19 Kevin Frandsen 2B R R 25 6-0 175 $380,500
21 Ryan Klesko 1B L L 36 6-3 220 $1,750,000
13 Omar Vizquel SS B R 40 5-9 175 $5,140,084
Outfielders
NUM NAME POS BAT THW AGE HT WT 2007 SALARY
25 Barry Bonds LF L L 42 6-2 228 $15,533,970
14 Fred Lewis RF L R 26 6-2 190 N/A
10 Dave Roberts CF L L 35 5-10 180 $5,000,000
9 Mark Sweeney LF L L 37 6-1 215 $900,000
2 Randy Winn RF B R 33 6-2 193 $5,000,000

Average Age: 30.7
Average Weight: 204
Average Height: 6-1
Right-Handed Pitchers: 8
* Batter totals exclude pitchers Left-Handed Pitchers: 5
Right-Handed Batters: 7
Left-Handed Batters: 5
Switch Hitters: 3

SLAV'S TAKE:
Average Height: 6-1 Barry Bonds Height: 6-2
Average Weight: 204 Barry Bonds Weight: 228

It's interesting to note that the "average" player is only 1 inch shorter and 24 lbs lighter. The extra inch in height is usually good for 10-15 lbs. Interesting, barely above average.

IT'S ALL RELATIVE I GUESS.