>>>>>>Baseball is of little interest to many here. Please feel free to skip on to the next message.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>I am really upset about the current steroids scandal. It has taken down many of baseball's biggest stars, including the guy who was my favorite player, Ryan Braun. Sure, these are people we don't even know other than vicariously. It still stings. The best word I can think of is betrayal. I really liked and admired the guy. It wasn't just that he could hit a baseball. And I wasn't alone. The past few years I have spent a lot of time in Wisconsin and it seemed like he was the spokesman on half the ads on Brewers telecasts. My ex-GF gave me a Ryan Braun jersey for father's day. According to the news lots of Brewers fans feel the same way and so do some of his teammates.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>A-Rod is less complicated for me. Unlike Braun, he was widely disliked before his ban. And he's still fighting it. Throw away the key.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>I have discussed this off to the side with my fellow baseball phanatic, Tamar. She feels the same way. She said there should be a clause in the standard player contract saying the contract can be voided if the player is found guilty of using performance enhancing drugs. Right now the worst that can happen if you get caught is a 50 game suspension without pay. (Braun and A-Rod are the only two who have gotten more). To a guy who makes millions of dollars a year on a long term contract that is like a speeding ticket. Baseball needs to clean up the game for real.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>As sports fans we are a forgiving group. After every player strike or owner lockout we always say we won't be back, and then we are. There is beauty in the game itself. But this feels different.
>>>>>
>>>>>Professional sports has changed a great deal since I was a kid. We saw the San Francisco Seals (a Boston Red Sox farm team) play ball for 20 cents. Today it is all about money – big money. The fans support this by purchasing tickets, contracts are let between teams and television. By the time you get through millions of dollars are involved. A Rods $275 million contract is but a part of the story.
>
>It says everything that you align yourself with Homer Simpson. You know I am just joking. You are one of my favorite conservatives, if that isn't a contradiction in terms.

DOH! ;)

>>>>>
>>>>>To remain competitive and worthy of the big bucks players will do whatever is necessary. The baseball industry has overlooked this for decades. The entire industry suffers if the players suffer. They all want a part of the action. For a family of 4 to see the San Francisco Giants play baseball, you can expect to spend from $300 to $1000 depending upon where you sit and what you drink and eat. Parking is extra and that is from $50 to $150.
>>>>>
>>>>>Players with what I would term lousy statistics have contracts worth tens of millions of dollars. Every time you pay for a MLB ticket you enable the baseball industry and cause players to take action to be sure you get your dollars worth. What can you expect when the almighty dollar is involved?
>>>>>
>>>>>So A Rod takes a little juice and the fans go wild! What a terrific player! Such a personality! The guy is a hero to all the kids. Where is the juice? I want to be just like A Rod. Look how stupid MLB is letting him play. Ha, ha. Where is my money? When he is 90 he will still be playing - as long as he gets his juice! :)
>>>>
>>>>That, and baseball is just boring. ;)
>>>
>>>The late, great Red Smith: "Baseball is only dull to those with dull minds" ;-)
>>
>>"I never realized how boring this game was." - Homer Simpson watching baseball while sober. ;)
>>
>>>10 quick thoughts on things I like about baseball. Tamar can surely add to the list.
>>>
>>>1. A triple, the most electrifying play in baseball. Home runs are fascist in comparison.
>>
>>I thought strikeouts were fascist? (Channeling Bull Durham) ;)
>>
>>>2. The cat and mouse game between a pitcher and a base stealing threat on first base.
>>>3. A double play turned by the real pros, so fast you can hardly follow it.
>>>4. A batter trying to leg a double into a triple and the relay throw to third. And the umpire signals! --
>>>5. A batter staying alive against a pitcher who has his best stuff going by fouling off pitch after pitch.
>>>6. A manager trying to buy time for his reliever to warm up by standing around the mound until the umpire comes out and breaks it up.
>>>7. Mariano Rivera. You can add any number of great players to this list; it's just that Mariano is the best relief pitcher the game has ever seen and is nearing the end of the road. He is the son of a fisherman and approaches every appearance with an almost eerie detachment. He might have been a great assassin if he hadn't been blessed with his right arm.
>>>8. A bloop double that no one can quite get to. It's a reminder that life is not always fair. One guy can knock the cover off the ball and have it caught by an outfielder 400 feet away and another gets if off the end of the bat and it's a double in the box score.
>>>9. The 7th inning stretch.
>>>10. An infielder holding one or two fingers up to the outfielders to let them know how many outs there are. Like they don't know.
>>>11. Kids standing next to major league players during the playing of the National Anthem. Can you imagine how that feels to a 10 year old?
>>>12. A pitcher who has his cutter going so it's like falling off a table at the end, making big league batters look foolish.
>>>13. Payback by batters on pitchers -- "It's deep and I don't think it's playable."
>>>
>>>I have exceeded my 10 and could add a hundred more. I love this game.