IrishAlum1997
"Gru" the Dew
- Messages
- 2,466
- Reaction score
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I say this with sorrow in my heart, as I can remember as a young boy being able to listen to Ernie Harwell and Paul Carey announce Detroit Tiger games all day long. I remember feeling like I had found buried treasure when I could get a good signal and hear Harry Carey on the Cubs broadcast, or even a Cincinnati Reds affiliate a couple of times. I just loved the storytelling and the way the drama unfolded as I lay in the grass on a hot summer afternoon in the backyard.
I was manipulated by the power surge of the late 90's. Seeing Mark, Sammy, Barry and the gang chase history changed the game. It made you forget when guys like Cecil Fielder, Darrell Evans, Jim Rice, and Dave Kingman were winning HR titles and batting .220. Back when 40 home runs was a BIG deal, and 50 was legendary. I just saw that some guy named Carlos Quentin just hit his AL-leading 29th home run. In August. This should be an impressive accomplishment, but my first reaction was 'that's it?' It makes me forget amazing games like Jimmy Key vs. Frank Tanana on the last day of the 1987 season, with a Larry Herndon home run being the difference in a 1-0 classic (ok, a little youth-driven Tigers bias, but a great moment for Tigers fans).
Baseball has lost what once made it great. Stories like Tampa Bay's success and 100 years of futility in Chicago (while making a run at a division crown) should draw attention to the sport, but it does not, or at least not yet. I do believe the Cubs making a run and winning the whole thing this year would be a great burst of adrenaline for the sport. But then what? Individual stories such as A-Rod making a run at Bonds?
Performance enhancers and corruption have impacted this sport more than any other major sport. It has made a sport I once loved something that I do not typically watch until playoff time, if at all.
Come back, baseball.
I was manipulated by the power surge of the late 90's. Seeing Mark, Sammy, Barry and the gang chase history changed the game. It made you forget when guys like Cecil Fielder, Darrell Evans, Jim Rice, and Dave Kingman were winning HR titles and batting .220. Back when 40 home runs was a BIG deal, and 50 was legendary. I just saw that some guy named Carlos Quentin just hit his AL-leading 29th home run. In August. This should be an impressive accomplishment, but my first reaction was 'that's it?' It makes me forget amazing games like Jimmy Key vs. Frank Tanana on the last day of the 1987 season, with a Larry Herndon home run being the difference in a 1-0 classic (ok, a little youth-driven Tigers bias, but a great moment for Tigers fans).
Baseball has lost what once made it great. Stories like Tampa Bay's success and 100 years of futility in Chicago (while making a run at a division crown) should draw attention to the sport, but it does not, or at least not yet. I do believe the Cubs making a run and winning the whole thing this year would be a great burst of adrenaline for the sport. But then what? Individual stories such as A-Rod making a run at Bonds?
Performance enhancers and corruption have impacted this sport more than any other major sport. It has made a sport I once loved something that I do not typically watch until playoff time, if at all.
Come back, baseball.
