The All-Time homerun record: 756 and counting. It's been called the most hallowed record in sports and Barry Bonds has finally broken it. Bonds can now place this accomplishment alongside the single-season homerun mark he already held with 73 round-trippers in 2001.  Let's call that the most hallowed record in sports 1A. For some reason whenever a player approaches any significant homerun milestone, the atmosphere becomes more Halloween-like than hallowed. Why is that?

It all starts of course with Mr. George Herman Ruth. (714 career HRs, 60 HRs in 1927) The one and only Bambino. There began what can only be considered a sinister trail of long-ball woe. This is the true "Curse of the Bambino". If Babe could "keep" World Series conquests away from Boston for 86 years he surely was capable of making a plague out of all future homerun records. Unless you don't believe in curses of course. Then we just call it "an unexplainable and coincidental string of bad luck that feels like it will never end".

Most people admit that Babe Ruth was arguably the first ever superstar athlete. He was Hollywood while everybody was still watching silent films. He partied like a rock star before they existed.  He lived to excess when there was little excess to be found. People loved him for it and created a legend not always fabricated from truth.

Did you know that Little George Ruth was placed in the St. Mary's Industrial (i.e. reform) School for Boys at the age of 7 by his parents because he was "incorrigible and vicious" beyond their control?  He lived there for the next 12 years of his life. It's also where he learned to play baseball. If not for the Xaverian Brothers of the school, Ruth likely wouldn't have amounted to much.  Even so his wild spirit was never tamed.

 

During his playing days Babe was just as famous for his gluttonous activities off the field as for his exploits on it. He was a regular visitor to the illegal speakeasies of the day during the era of prohibition. He lavished himself with expensive automobiles that were frequently wrecked in high-speed escapades. He was most likely an alcoholic as well as a serial adulterer. He thumbed his nose at authority and openly defied direct instructions from the commissioner of baseball resulting in suspensions. He publicly feuded with the legendary Ty Cobb and they often had to be physically separated from one another. The Babe was no saint. In fact I'd say he'd fit right in with many of the athletes of our modern day. The press was far different in his time though.  Back then his antics were glossed over or ignored entirely.  In our era the media would probably have torn Mr. Ruth in half.   

 

 

Not surprisingly Ruth's fame and fortune couldn't buy happiness. According to his daughter Linda, The Babe "died with a saddened soul and took the grief to his death-bed". His only wish during the years after his retirement was to manage a team.  How could a man with no self-control lead a group of players? No club ever gave him the chance to find out. In essence he was forsaken by baseball. The very same game that he'd once played with the privilege of a crown prince. Seems even the Babe had to pay a price for the glory of homerun records. A price that would be passed to many others. Consider these:

1932: Jimmie Foxx hit 58 homeruns. Oddly enough he lost 2 additional homeruns that year when games were called due to rain before becoming official. Technically the Babe was the record holder. Truthfully he should have shared the honor. Foxx became just another old-time slugger most have forgotten.

1938: Hank Greenberg tied Jimmie Foxx with 58 homeruns.  The Jewish baseball star was stuck on this number during the final week of the season. He had long faced taunts and insults because of his heritage and this season was no different. The thought of a Jew passing Babe did not sit well with many. It's been widely speculated that some pitchers refused to give him any good pitches to hit. Greenberg was later quoted as saying, "When I was playing, I used to resent being singled out as a Jewish ballplayer. I wanted to be known as a great ballplayer, period. Lately though, I find myself wanting to be remembered not only as a great ballplayer, but as a great Jewish ballplayer."

 

 

1961: Roger Maris was the first player to initially surpass Ruth's single season homerun mark as he became famous for hitting 61 in '61. The abuse he withstood from fans who openly rooted for teammate Mickey Mantle was unmerciful.  He not only persevered and broke the record but also won his second MVP Award in a row. The permanent side effects were the loss of his hair, aging ten years in one season and a heart embittered for the rest of his life. 

 

 

1974: Hank Aaron passed Babe Ruth with homerun number 715. Along the journey he handled death threats, racial epithets and hate mail with dignity and class. It certainly ruined the experience for him and his family, as well as robbed them of much-deserved happiness. Like Roger Maris, and probably worse, Hank was no doubt affected for the rest of his life. So much in fact that he showed zero desire to participate in Barry Bonds' controversial chase of his own record. Even 30+ years after the fact, once was enough for Mr. Aaron. Can you blame him?

 

1998: Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa engaged in an epic homerun race and were credited with "saving baseball" after player strikes and owner lockouts had infuriated fans across America. Big Mac clubbed 70 and Slamming Sammy stroked 66, as baseball was reborn.  Along the way a reporter noticed a bottle of Androstenedione in McGwire's locker (then legal) and one could say the "steroid era" officially bared its ugly head. Still unresolved, Mark and Sammy may find themselves permanently black listed from the Hall of Fame.

Yesterday 8/7/07: Barry Bonds broke Hank Aaron's all-time homerun mark. No more needs to be said other than most fans will NEVER recognize his achievements even if he is NEVER convicted of anything. That's tragic. 

Not so distant future: The Alex Rodriguez watch has officially begun. How ironic this is indeed. How can possibly the most openly despised and reviled baseball star ever, assume the mantel of "peoples' choice" for homerun king?  Personally I call it "Hatred-Displacement-Theory".

 

 

Ahhhh...CURSES!!! Who knows why foul air has followed homerun chases throughout time? It's worse than trying to figure out that Madden Jinx. Maybe "Chicks digging the long ball" wasn't such a good thing after all. I remember a certain story about an apple in a garden somewhere that some chick really "digged" too.  Yeah...that's the ticket...let's just blame it on women. Although for the record that never works either (Shrugs shoulders...sighs... walks away... but never stops wondering why).

 

 

Jose Can-snako is speaking again. Apparently he's marketing a new book and seeking to boost sales by pointing a finger at New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez. In a recent interview Jose claimed to have "stuff" on A-rod, called him a "hypocrite" (of all things) and added that Alex "was not all he appeared to be".  This is certainly not the first time that Rodriguez has been accused of being a huge phony but what exactly does Jose mean? For obvious rea$on$ Can$eco wa$ not willing to di$clo$e any other information.

I personally think that Jose would have included any steroid related information involving Rodriguez when he published "Juiced" in 2005 if he truly had any. In some ways a sequel tarnishes the credibility of his first book, which many people have considered to be gospel. Sure Jose was looking to make money by bringing down others with him but that doesn't mean he wasn't telling the truth. Maybe he simply wanted to clear his guilty conscience.  Yeah right...and perhaps Lindsey Lohan really isn't a drunk, insecure, baggage-filled hoochie. A second book by Canseco puts serious doubts in my mind regarding anything he says. If he wanted to "drop dimes" on former players he should've gotten it all out in the open the first time. Oh...and by the way...just who is he to call anyone a hypocrite?  

Truthfully though... I DON'T CARE anymore and neither should you. I don't care that Bonds is only 1 home run away from tying Hank Aaron. I don't care about Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmeiro, Roger Clemens, Andy Pettite, Gary Sheffield, Luis Gonzalez, Brady Anderson or any other player that people want to speculate on. I don't care whether or not Jose Canseco is telling the truth about A-Rod. I REALLY don't care about Can-snako himself.  I'm sick and tired of the whole sordid steroid scandal along with the angry mob's cries for "justice". Especially since too few can even reach a consensus on what the word justice means in the first place.

Should all players who so much as even tried steroids once have their entire careers go up in smoke? How about if they did "roids" for two months? Three months? One season? Two seasons? Can I get four? How about five? SOLD to the overzealous fan in the third row currently foaming at the mouth! Ban all those cheatin' bums from the game and strike everything they've ever done from the logs of professional baseball! It's the only way to ensure justice and the integrity of the game!  Uhhh...not exactly. This is your friendly neighborhood sarcasm alert.

 

Please don't make me ill with further blind, puritanical, judgmental, close-minded rhetoric. It's more likely the only way to sentence the game of baseball to certain death. We might as well use a bat sawed in half by a Mariano Rivera cutter as a wooden stake and plunge it into the hearts of baseball's bloodsuckers. 

 

 

There are those who believe that life here began out there.  Oops...that was from the 1970s version of Battlestar Galactica. What I meant to say is there are those who believe that knowing the truth is not always a good thing. Whenever a person claims that they "would want to know the truth no matter what" I always wonder why. Sometimes the revelation of truth provides absolutely no benefit.

 

 

Let's say that a meteor was going to annihilate life on Earth in the year 2011 and people at NASA knew about it. Should they tell us just because you'd like them to? Never mind that chaos and anarchy would ensue along with murder and plunder because hey... we "deserved" to know. Wouldn't those be grand times during the end of days?

 

 

How about some of us married people? We hopefully have spouses who are good parents, our best friend and vital to our happiness. Heck, let's include anybody in a serious relationship. What if during much younger days, before we met our "special someone", they were very sexually "adventurous" for lack of a better term? Is that something you'd need to know? Would it change how you looked at them? It probably shouldn't since they're still the same faithful companion who chose you above all others.

 

Maybe I'm in the minority but baseball is very much like these scenarios to me. Right now everything is a hypothetical and I'd like it to stay that way. I don't need or want to know. The answers people are looking for would only serve to satisfy their curiously selfish desires and would do far more harm than good.

 

 

I'll tell you what we do know. Baseball players...and LOTS of them... have tried steroids. Some of the players used them a handful of times...some of the players flat-out abused them...some of the players fell somewhere in the middle... and yes some of them never touched the stuff. Good luck sorting it all out cause they ain't talking. Who's clean? Who's a big cheater? Who's telling white lies? THAT WE WILL NEVER KNOW. I got $20 on David Eckstein. He's one strong runt (sarcasm alert #2).

 

Baseball may choose to disgrace a few sacrificial lambs by making public examples of them. Maybe one will even be undercover agent 007-55 and counting himself. Bring us the one they call Bonds. That would satiate the hunger for justice of some of the more weak-minded. This has always proven to be an effective strategy throughout time. Throw the masses a bone to shut them up that is. However, it's not justice. Not how I define it anyway. I'd say it sounded more like scapegoatism if such a word existed.  I simply feel that if the vast majority of offenders get to "walk" then they all get to walk. Who chooses which names get "blacked-out" on official court documents anyway? Can I call them if I ever get arrested for something?

 

 

This will go down in history as the dirtiest era of baseball since the notorious "Black Sox" scandal of 1919.  At the very least there will be permanent asterisks floating around in the minds of people everywhere.  This in and of itself should be enough. It is for me. The "Steroid Age" will be forever tainted no matter what more we learn. Move forward from here and make sure this never happens again. Just stop attempting to initiate what amounts to selective purges... purges that will finish the job of unconditionally ruining the game forever.

 

 

Chill out America. We really don't need to know everything. We already have a pretty good idea.

 

What did the mouse say to the rat that was trying to steal his dinner? "Stop thief... that's nacho cheese!" Any good joke teller will tell you that it's all in the delivery. Unfortunately it's a skill I've never truly mastered. When making radical statements the difference between being applauded or criticized also depends on the delivery. Speak eloquently at just the right moment and you're an intellect. Communicate abrasively with laymen's terms at inopportune times and you're an idiot.

I wonder. Which category does Gary Sheffield fall into? I've had the opportunity to watch his interview on HBO firsthand. To be honest he didn't say anything offensive and was respectful throughout. Much of what he said was blown out of proportion, especially the highly publicized comment that Derek Jeter "ain't all the way black" (which is true, mom is white).  This was not said to insult. It was in response to a question from the interviewer and an attempt to substantiate his claim that Joe Torre treated blacks differently. Jeter is viewed through a different lens, both racially and historically.  He walks on water in New York and to compare him to the black men who have recently played for the team does everyone a great disservice. Sheffield knows that and so should we.

 

 

Other than himself the only recent Yankees players who were "all the way black" that come to mind are Kenny Lofton, Tony Womack and Tom Gordon. Lofton and Womack were position players who neither produced nor meshed with the team during their single seasons in New York. Both spent time in Torre's doghouse. Tom Gordon was a very valuable set-up man who disputed Sheffield's claims by stating he was treated fine.  Was it a "black thing" with Torre? I personally doubt it. More than likely he clashed with Lofton and Womack over playing time (Lofton only appeared in 83 games in 2004 and Womack was limited to 329 at-bats after being benched in favor of Robinson Cano during 2005). It's plausible that they openly complained and were made examples of. It's purely speculation but if that's how it went down I could understand why Sheffield said what he did. It's just his point of view and it's no secret that there were several differences of opinion between Torre and Sheffield. However, following his infamous comments about Latinos being more "controllable" than blacks, this instantly became another "Sheff's Special". 

 

To be honest we are facing unsettled times in American athletics. In theory our society has become less separated by race. In reality our professional sports don't substantiate this.

 

In the NBA African-Americans dominate the game and whites are becoming as rare as 4 leaf clovers. As we know most Caucasian "ballers" come from the international talent pool.

 

Racially speaking baseball is the exact opposite. Most homegrown talent is white. Players from Latin America typically fill out the remaining bulk of Major League rosters. The number of black players has been in decline for some time.

 

The vast majority of soccer and hockey players born in the states could use a tan.

 

The only game with a viable mix is the Golden Cow of American sports...our beloved NFL. Even there the game is polarized, as the majority of "skill" players are black with the exception of quarterback.  

 

Speaking of the NFL, what are the most common demands of the fans and the apparent mission statement of new commissioner Roger Goodell? CLEAN UP THE GAME...THE PLAYERS ARE OUT OF CONTROL!

 

From Pacman Jones...to Tank Johnson...to Michael Vick...to the Cincinnati Bengals...there appears to be a total disregard and an utter lack of respect for authority by far too many athletes. This also affects other professional leagues as we could mention players such as Ron Artest and Stephen Jackson of the NBA along with Milton Bradley and Elijah Dukes of MLB.  I would counter that the lawbreakers represent a significant minority of all players but perception is everything. Factor in that these headline makers tend to be minorities, specifically blacks, and all of a sudden the perception of many is that of a "thug culture".

 

Which brings me back to Gary Sheffield. How can a tremendous number of fans openly yell to the heavens that many black athletes are out of control and then condemn Sheffield when he makes the claim that "blacks are harder to control than Latinos"? Especially when most people doing the criticizing have never: A) visited a "ghetto" in America & B) never visited any poor community in Latin America. Trust me when I say this... Gary is probably right on the money. Most young players from south of the border are not going to risk anything for fear of getting sent back home. Especially when there are hundreds of others who would love to take their places along with dozens of family members counting on them to make it.

 

How can people not admit that there could be a great deal of credibility to Sheffield's belief that MLB tries harder to recruit Latin talent than it does black talent? Especially when they've long been placing major dollars into baseball academies in Latin America and only recently opened one in Compton, California.

 

How can people openly (or secretly) feel that many blacks have chips on their shoulders and then blast Sheffield for implying a lot of blacks aren't willing to take any "crap" from management? Terrell Owens anyone? Maybe Torre doesn't have a problem with "race" but it's possible that he didn't deal well with a couple of "mouthy brothers" a few years back. Who knows?

 

I'll tell you how. It's all in his delivery. Problem is this isn't a bad joke. There's a lot of truth involved and as we know many people can't handle the truth (unless it's stated just the way they want to hear it). That would be politically correctly, politely and with plenty of "thank-you", "please" and "yes sir". That's just not Gary. He "paints" with a very broad brush when he speaks. I'd say too broad and filled with generalizations. However... even though it's quite apparent where he's coming from... we still need to read between the lines to understand where he's going.

 

Funny how we don't "see" race but we still argue on blogs about O.J. Simpson many years after the fact.  Incredible that race no longer "matters" but most anyone who defended Rush Limbaugh's and Don Imus' freedom of speech was white. All known surveys agree that a huge racial divide exists between those who support Barry Bonds and those who do not.  Chances are if there's a line to be drawn you can hazard a fair guess at what side many, not all, people will stand on. It's a damn shame.

 

Gary Sheffield will never write a speech for the president of the United States. As a matter of fact I get a bit nervous imagining what he might say in Cooperstown if he's ever elected to the Hall of Fame. I doubt he'd hire someone to write his words for him. Then again I wouldn't want that because Gary's bound to have something interesting to say.

 

I just wish more people could get past those squinting eyes, his tightly clenched jaw thrust forward and that head of his held seemingly too high. You see...those with unpopular messages that hold truth are often viewed as malcontents. As for those angry sounding words that come from his mouth? There's a good deal of knowledge being delivered. Just listen carefully and try to filter out the excess static.

 

 

NASCAR loves mentioning all their new fans but part of the "old guard" became disenchanted and left. What if many "newbies" don't commit long term? It might be as important to win back lost fans, as it is to keep the recently acquired. Anytime you lose customers something's wrong. Gentlemen...restart your engines.

It seems that glitz and shtick trumped sensibility and substance. Attempting to appeal to trendier crowds, NASCAR altered their product in presentation and regulation. Some believe that not all has been in the sport's best interest. Immediate dividends don't always pay off over time.

 

 

Teams with abundant resources are the most capable of winning. The concept of "teams" is asinine. ONE driver gets to Victory Lane. Get rid of mega-teams. If owners want multiple cars have them run different makes.

There are too many ambiguous rules. This defies two beliefs. First is the principle that "less is more". Second is never have gray area with standards. Clarify everything by downsizing the rulebook. Eradicate suspicions that teams cheat and that NASCAR inconsistently regulates.

Television broadcasts are lacking. Due to poorly contrived attempts at humor and redundant terminology tutorials... changes MUST take place. Nothing against Darrell Waltrip and others from the half-dozen racing networks, but NASCAR deserves ONE distinguishing voice that preferably doesn't consider "Boogity" a verb.

 

In the name of progress NASCAR strayed from what made it great. The more history I've learned the better some of it sounds. Nostalgia sells. NASCAR should try it.

 

 

When will you people ever learn? Haven't you seen enough horror flicks to know that you never assume the evil monster is dead? Of course not. It's human nature to see what we want to see, hear what we want to hear and believe what we want to believe. Sure, sooner or later Jason Voorhees and other fiends were bound to really die, but along the way a lot of people had to pay the price. By the way...check your calendars. You do know what this Friday is, don't you? The 13th might symbolize the beginning of bad luck and a return to normalcy for the rest of baseball.

Although it has become chic in many circles to write off the Yankees, be careful when making predictions. Sure they under-performed during the first half of the season. If you take into account all the injuries to their starting pitchers, which resulted in 6 rookies making starts for the team, a 42-43 record just might be a bit deceptive. Considering they were once 21-29, one game under .500 really isn't all that bad.  Despite enduring a brutal 3-9 stretch at the end of June, they rebounded to beat the playoff contending Twins (3 out of 4) and the Angels (2 out of 3) to close out the break. Did I mention that they are only 7 games behind Cleveland in the loss column for the Wild Card with about half the year to go? Your "juvenile premature enunciations" of foretold Yankees woe may have to wait for at least another month.

 

Thanks to the baseball Gods, the Yankees had to endure one of the most difficult first half schedules in the game. The team also suffered through the decimation of their rotation, injuries to key players (Jason Giambi, Johnny Damon, Doug Mientkiewicz) and unexpected slumps by .300 hitters (Bobby Abreu, Robinson Cano, Hideki Matsui).  This toxic mixture of bad fortune and foul play made for panic in the Bronx and blissful pandemonium everywhere else. "Ding-Dong the Yanks is dead, the Yanks is dead, the Yanks is dead. Ding-dong the wicked Yanks is dead!" Not so fast flying monkeys. The team would rather not be in this situation, but the next month will tell the tale. We may actually need more time than that before we can officially get the headstone ready for the funeral.

 

The Yankees will resume activity this Thursday. From July 12th- August 10th they will play 28 games. In that span they will compete against only 5 teams. Those fortunate clubs and number of games are as follows: Tampa Bay (8), Toronto (7), Kansas City (7), Baltimore (3) and Chicago (3). As old farmers across America would say, "Gentlemen it's time to make hay while the sun shines". July is looking to be a beautiful month in the Bronx. With this schedule don't be surprised to see the Yankees claw their way back into the mix.

 

Still not buying? Let's check out their wild card competition during the same period of time:

 

Mariners: Big series with Detroit, Oakland, Anaheim and Boston.

 

Twins: Matchups with Oakland, Detroit, Anaheim and Cleveland.

 

A's: Clashes with Minnesota, Anaheim, Seattle and Detroit.

 

Indians: Tough games with Boston and Minnesota.

 

Blue Jays: Numerous battles with the Yankees, Boston, Seattle and Minnesota. 

 

Tigers: Confrontations with Seattle, Minnesota, Anaheim and Oakland.

 

As for the Red Sox? I'll lay off them for now. Let's just say that this side of the Yankees, Boston probably has the easiest next month or so. However, they do face the Indians, Mariners and Angels during that span. Besides, I can only concentrate on one thing at a time. As any good Yankees fan knows, division titles are over-rated to begin with. The team needs to get back in post-season contention before any aspirations of running down the Red Sox can truly commence. If they never catch Boston then good riddance. I rather enjoy the underdog role for a change.

 

If New York gets back into the race, don't say I didn't warn you. Oh, and try not to be overcome with nausea as heat from the dog days of summer overwhelms you in your disgust. If I'm wrong I promise to shut up long enough so you can start getting the nails ready for the coffin. I may see you then... "But not yet". It's just not time to quit. They're not as dead as you think.