What I hear so often to describe Barry Bonds is not how amazing he is, or how he would have blown away pitching back when Babe Ruth played, but how he must have cheated to become this good.

When people talk about the end of Roger Clemens' career, all I hear is how he must have had help doing what he has done.

Enough already.

One thing the people who actually played in the last 20 years with these two men would know is how amazing their feats have been. Forget the cheating stuff because it's all nonsense anyway. It's never been proven that taking anything, whether it be steroids or vitamins, can make you into a Hall of Famer. If it were, more players and non-players would be lining up to swallow every pill on the planet.

What we should be doing instead of bashing greatness, is appreciating it for what it is. When Barry is gone and Roger throws his last pitch, two of the greatest players that ever played will be gone.

Let me just tell you from listening to the critics what they haven't really said: To play today, you have to face the world's best every day. Do you think the Babe, smoking and drinking the way he did back in the day, would've survived today's best? Have you ever seen Barry and Roger work out? I have, and that's why today's ballplayers should get way more respect then they do.

Pills don't make the players. Hard work, passion and a huge gift from God make the players. Let's just love the game in 2006. Stop the hating.

I was listening to a writer who had a Hall of Fame vote. He was saying he didn't know where to put relievers that are eligible for The Hall of Fame.

I have a tip.

Put them in The Hall of Fame.

For some reason, writers can't figure out how history will remember closers and bullpens. How about we take a look at the last time a team won a world championship without a good or great closer and or bullpen. Well that would be in the early '60s. Since then every team that has won a championship has had help down in the 'pen.

If that isn't helping to judge the great relievers, then let's look at the salary increases to some of the relievers just in this off-season. The reason for the money being spent is an indication of how valuable an asset short relievers and closers are. Toronto paid $47 million to B.J. Ryan and he only has 42 career saves, Billy Wagner and the Mets? Try $43 million for his 284 career saves. Kyle Farnsworth got $17 million from the Yankees to set up future Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera.

The Cubs gave Bob Howry $12 million and he saved only <i>three</i> games in Cleveland last year. Before that, he hadn't had a save since 2001 when he was with the Chicago White Sox. He has been great as a set up man in Cleveland the last 2 seasons.

Let's take Braden Looper and The St. Louis Cardinals; he got $13.5 million over the next three seasons but was 28 for 36 in saves last year, and that's why.

Pitchers are used in a totally different way than they were 50 years ago. We take pitchers, mostly with the best arms on a team or in an organization, and make them relievers. These are pitchers who can get loose in 10 pitches or less and can throw strikes in the highest pressure situations of a game right out of the 'pen. Yet when it comes to voting them into the Hall of Fame we look upon them like they are half of a starting pitcher, or freaks or DH's.

Let's take a look at some of the recent Hall of Famers. Some of them just hung around five or 10 more years, flipping the ball up there just to get 300 wins. Yet many of those games were completed by bullpens. Oh, he won 300, he's in ... please. Lee Smith, the all-time save leader with 478 (and throw in another 71 wins), helped his teams win 549 games over his career. He's the Cy Young among closers, yet writers can't figure out how GREAT he was. Or Goose Gossage, 310 saves and 124 wins and 22 years in the big leagues. Find one of his peers including myself that would say he wasn't the best they've ever seen, but hold on, The writers won't say that. Bruce Sutter, one of the best ever, shouldn't have to beg to get a pass to The Hall.

How come every year history shows us that you can't win a championship without a great bullpen? Maybe we should have history explain it to the writers.

First posted on Monday, Oct. 10

Maybe the grass isn't always greener.

Have you ever heard that old saying? Well, maybe the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees should write it down somewhere to remind themselves in the off-season, that you should be happy with who's on your team, not whoever's on the free-agent market.

Just look at the case of the defending world champions: The Red Sox let Pedro Martinez, Derek Lowe and Orlando Cabrera go in favor of David Wells, Matt Clement and Edgar Renteria. Pedro won 15 for the Mets, Derek won 12 for the Dodgers and Orlando made only seven errors in Los Angeles with the Angels and he's still playing in the playoffs.

Now Wells won 15 and Clement won 13, but Renteria committed 30 errors in his first season with the Sox. I think it's safe to say that the Red Sox didn't get past the division series this year because of Wells and Clement and had they had Martinez and Lowe, I think they would still be playing.

Now as for the Yankees, remember when you had Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte? I do. How about Jon Lieber? Clemens the past two years has been, well, Cy Young. Meanwhile, a now healthy Andy Pettitte won 17 games this year and was 11-2 after the All-Star break with a 1.69 ERA. As for that old guy Jon Lieber, you waited a year to get healthy, then you let him go as a free agent to the Phillies. He also won 17 games and was 4-1 in September and was the ace of the Phillies all year.

What I'm saying now, I said before the season started. You didn't know when Curt Schilling would be ready, but you would have known about Lowe and Pedro and how they pitch in the playoffs. As for the Yankees, just think of the headaches you would've stopped had you held onto your players and not wasted money on Carl Pavano, Jaret Wright, and Randy Johnson.

Now the Yanks may still pull it out, but it will be because Brian Cashman bailed the Yanks out with Aaron Small, Chien-Ming Wang and Shawn Chacon.

The Yankees and Red Sox should stop trying to top each other and be happy with the players who brought you championships, not the ones who didn't.

First posted on Wednesday, Sept. 1

How are you feeling today?

Do you think your team let you down by not trading for that high priced help? If you are a White Sox fan, do you think getting Ken Griffey Jr. was going to guarantee you a championship? If you're an Angel fan, now that you didn't get Mike Sweeney are your playoff hopes shot?

Is the fact that the Baltimore Orioles couldn't land A.J. Burnett back in June the reason they have just imploded?

Don't be too sure.

Baseball is a very complicated, yet very simple sport, all at the same time. 15 years ago when I was a part of a World Championship team, we didn't get a big name guy at the trade deadline, in July or August, and I can honestly say we didn't need one, either. It may have done more harm than good.

You see, there is a very delicate balance in a major-league clubhouse, and a lot of it has to do with the fact that you trust each other and love each other. That started back in the minor leagues for some of us, back in spring training for others, but sometimes bringing in that NEW guy may just send you in the wrong direction.

Just look at the moves the Red Sox made last year. Before the 2004 season they picked up Curt Schilling and Keith Foulke, then later that season picked up a couple small, but important pickups like Dave Roberts, Orlando Cabrera, and Doug Mientkiewicz. All of which are great guys.

Not one of those new guys hurt the team and what they meant to each other and what they were trying to do.

It's a simple plan, but every team has a different way of looking at it. You have your own jokes, your own teammates who keep things loose, make things fun. Sometimes when you change just the smallest thing, the team goes down the drain.

So don't be so sad, the White Sox are still good, so are the Angels, and so are the other teams still in the playoff hunt. Trust me, I know. 15 years ago, even though we had been in first place the entire season, everybody (except us) said it couldn't be done.

But we did it.