One image that will never get old for me is walking into gate 3 of Comiskey Park (Yeah, I still call it Comiskey), take the escalator up to the first level of seats, stop at the ticket checker to make sure I have a ticket for the 100 level, walk through the doorway, the smell of hotdogs, popcorn and nachos fill up my nose as I step onto the concourse. I walk forward about 25 feet and gaze out onto the field and there is never a better site in the world. That is the great thing about baseball. No matter how old you are, staring at that green grass sends chills up my spine.
Baseball is my sport. I pay more attention to the sport, specifically the White Sox than any grown man should. I have been surrounded by it my whole life. My dad has shared stories with me of Aaron, Mays, and his hero, Mickey Mantle.
“You wanted to see a baseball player? Mickey would be out partying the night before, come to the park the next day, hit 500 foot homeruns, diving catches in the outfield, all while he was hung over…” For awhile I had arguments with my dad, about players like AROD, Bonds etc… but now he comes back with…
“They have state of the art weight rooms, the best doctors, the best medicine, personal trainers, the parks are smaller, and they still feel like they need an edge with steroids…” I now have nothing to say back to him and just cross my fingers that Ken Griffey Jr. (chills watching the video) and Frank Thomas’ names never get mentioned in the same sentence as steroids. I have admired these two players for their accomplishments and pure excitement they have given me as a fan of baseball. I have emulated their batting stances, hung their posters, bought their autographs, and even at age 25 want to play CF because that’s where Junior played.
Now baseball has become a joke. Every homerun hit from 1998 – 2004 (if not a few years before, and after) will be questioned from any player, in any stadium, on whether it was legit or some All-Star looking for that big contract. I almost feel cheated at times, as I thought I was witnessing greatness happen before my very eyes. We were awe of Big Mac and Sammy Sosa in 1998. We watched an already great player in Barry Bonds, become greater. We saw Luis Gonzales hit 57 homeruns in 2001. Alex Rodriquez hit 57 in 2003. We couldn’t have said it any better than Elaine Benes said it in Seinfeld, “Fake, Fake,…Fake, Fake…”
We might never know the full truth about steroids. Who took them? When they took them? How they took them? We all know why they took them. To get better, to recover from an injury, to get paid, etc. As a fan of baseball, someone who appreciates the greats of the game, I just hope that baseball will clean its self up and we can move on and truly be grateful for America’s Past time.
Articles to come:
Spring training and Predictions
Bulls gearing up for 2010?
March Madness Baby!
A Break In The Action
17 years ago
Your Dad is right, the game has changed dramatically, while the players today may be bigger and stronger, they played the game for the wrong reasons. It is all about money now, 30 years ago you could approach a ballplayer and get him to give you an autograph. Their was no SoxFest or events that people had to pay to see their heros. Today players are in it for themselves and not for the good of the team or the game. All they are concern about is how much money are they are going to make, the owners, how much money do I have to spend. The fans allow this to happen because they continue to believe these people are heros. Coppperstown should set up a new wing called, "Hall oF Shame"
ReplyDeleteFor the most part I don't have problem with players using the juice, it is the lying about it that concerns me. If they are lying about this who knows what else are they holding back.