We have become so stat conscious that we forget the teams still have to play each other on the field.

Some of the things I have learned since playing in the playoffs and World Series is the importance of having a solid game plan and sticking to it. Let's just take the Tigers and A's in Game 1 of the ALCS.

What many people may not know is that both teams have been scouting each other for a month leading up to the series. Teams that think they may be going to the playoffs send out advance scouts a month before the end of the season in preparation for the postseason. Knowing that might help you understand why the Detroit batters knew exactly what to look for and how to attack Barry Zito and the A's at the plate.

It's the little things that may help you win a ballgame … what count Zito throws his curve the most, what count he throws his changeup, etc. Not that you want your players to overthink while they are in the middle of the game, but prior knowledge is huge when you're in a seven-game series. Much of this information isn't as easily obtained during the course of the year.

Yes, we've all heard about Kirk Gibson knowing when Dennis Eckersley was going to throw his backdoor slider. To get tiny but important details like that, as many as three scouts per team follow possible playoff teams for the last month of the season.

I spoke with Phil Garner yesterday about last year's NLCS and the Astros' approach to beating his opponent. As it turned out, it was very much like our team approach when the Reds faced the Pirates and A's back in 1990. It's not just formulating a game plan. It's making adjustments on the fly because every out, every pitch can have such a huge impact on one week in your baseball life.

Against Pittsburgh, we wanted to take Barry Bonds, Bobby Bonilla and Andy Van Slyke out of the equation. If we could stop them, we would take our chances with the rest of their lineup. Against Oakland it was Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco, Carney Lansford and Dave Henderson. We knew Ricky Henderson would do his thing, so we let him. We knew we had to get to Dave Stewart and Bob Welch early to take their bullpen out of play.

The numbers are great to know, but knowing how to pitch to someone, how to set up your defense and make sure you pitch to the other team that way are things that can win you a championship. I know, I was blessed to be a part of such a team.

Just so you know, Bonds, Bonilla and Van Slyke went 12-for-63 against us in the World Series. Canseco went 1-for-12 with a home run and McGwire was 3-for-14 with no homers or RBIs. Lansford went 4-for-15 and Dave Henderson went 3-for-13. Rickey Henderson went 5-for-15 with three stolen bases.

 I know Roger Clemens is back, and some of the older players are doing very well. But in a few years, The Big Unit will be gone, so will Barry Bonds, and Ken Griffey Jr.

Who will carry on? I'll give you just a few names that will be great for a long time:

Joe Mauer, Twins: He's the best hitting young catcher in the show. He's 23 years old and leading the A.L. in hitting right now, hitting .368 in 66 games played. Mauer may never be a great power threat, but he's already one of the toughest outs in the bigs. He has an OBP of .438, has only struck out 27 times in 247 at bats with 33 walks. That's awesome

Matt Holliday, Rockies: How about this 6-4, 26-year-old hammer? He's second in the NL in hitting at .353, has smacked 15 homers and driven in 54 runs. His batting average on the road is at .326 and he's got one less home run on the road than at Coors Field. So don't say it's just because of the thin air....

Ryan Howard, Phillies: The 2005 NL rookie of the year from 2005 is not having a sophomore slump, he's killing the ball. He's getting better and better every day. Hitting .291 with 25 jacks and 66 RBIs, when he gets a little more patient up there his .OBP and batting avg. will go way up. This kid is a Monster.

Alex Rios, Blue Jays: All this 25 year old has done so far is hit .323 with 15 homers and 51 RBI. He's on a pace to triple his output from 2005. The knock on him was potential. Not anymore, he's arrived.

Others to watch: Oakland's 25-year-old left fielder, Nick Swisher, looks everything like Jason Giambi when he was an Athletic: Great eye, great power, and one hell of a clutch bat. He's hitting .286 with 19 long balls and 49 RBIs, with an OBP of .402. Swisher is like Adam Dunn of the Reds, who has 63 strikeouts and 50 walks. When the K's go down, the average and OBP will jump up even farther. I saved the best for last right now: Mets third baseman David Wright. He is a star right now. He's hitting .336 with 18 HRs and 64 RBIs. His OBP is .402 and he's only made eight errors in 70 games. When you talk about big plays, his name always comes up. Wright should be the starting third baseman on the NL All-Star team for years to come.

The future is now and that's just a few names. I've got a lot more for you coming soon.

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 #### 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.

First posted on Wednesday, Sept. 14

It's great to have Barry back, it really is. I liken it to when Babe Ruth played, or Joe DiMaggio or Willie Mays. You don't want to miss a second. It's like the stories I hear about people who grew up watching Mickey Mantle play, oh man, he was unbelievable.

Well I'm here to tell you, Barry is the same guy. How else can you explain, how after almost a year, Barry steps to the plate two games ago and hits like he's been doing it all year? I can't either.

What I saw him do when I played against him made me respect him; what I've seen him do since I retired has simply blown me away. We look at other athletes like Walter Payton and Jerry Rice and say, they played well into their 30s because of the work ethic off the field. I can tell you Barry works just as hard off the field as on, and has done so since joining the San Francisco Giants back in 1993. Gary Sheffield said a couple of years ago that he couldn't keep up with Bonds and his off-season workouts, and I played with Gary in Florida and I know how hard he works to stay in shape.

Barry made himself into a hitting machine by what he has done off the field. You may want to cut him some slack, because if you don't know greatness when you see it and you want to keep saying he cheated or something stupid like that ... well then, I can't help you. But if you are like me, and you know players do work hard and can make themselves better, then just enjoy his greatness and don't question things that don't matter.

And the past two nights I've been glued to the TV, waiting for every at-bat, because I know I won't see another player like him in my lifetime, and I don't want to miss my chance to see him play. You may want to do the same. Because 20 years down the road, you'll be saying, I could've seen the best ever, but I was just too stupid to do it.