Thursday, May 31, 2007

Another reason to not like Barry Bonds.

A few days ago it came to my attention that Barry Bonds might not donate all, or any, of his pieces of baseball history. Even with the steroid accusations, any home run balls, bats, jerseys, or other Bonds related memorabilia should probably be at Cooperstown. I think that even if Bonds records don't stand up to the steroid investigations he should still be at the Hall of Fame. Notice I didn't say IN the hall of fame. Pete Rose is AT the Hall of Fame right now. He is part of a display that talks about his betting in baseball. So even if Bonds loses the all-time home run record because he did steroids, which hasn't been proven yet, he should still be there relating to that subject.

On that note, Bonds is still a jerk. The Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY, is a museum. Museums are important cultural institutions that allow people to learn and connect with not only the past, but larger ideas and concepts. This might be my bias as a museum studies minor coming out, but I don't see this as a "Bonds v. MLB" type of argument. There is a much more important party involved in this.

That more important group is the fans, or another way of putting it is the people. The people who really lose from this are the people who someday want to connect with baseball history or teach their kids/grandkids about the rich history of the sport. Some people might say that Bonds isn't doing anything wrong and that he has the right to hold on to his stuff and they would technically be right. I think that Bonds has an obligation to donate the homerun ball and other items, not because Major League Baseball wants it, but because there might be fans that want to see it. After all, what is a player without the fans? Bonds might be hated by a large number of fans, but a large group loves him as well.

Let's say that he does keep everything for himself. Do you think that he is really just going to put it up in a display case at his house? I really wouldn't put it past him to start selling off certain items once he retires. That is part of what is wrong with sports though. The highest bidders are the ones who can afford to see the stuff. No one would ever get to see the baseball that broke the most hallowed record in the sport, because either Bonds or some incredibly wealthy person has it stashed at their house.

Bonds said last week, " Doesn't everybody have the right to decide to do it or not do it?" and the answer is yes, everybody does have the right to decide. But he can't complain about lack of fan or media support when he gives so little regard to anyone but himself. Bonds also said, "I'm not worried about the Hall. I take care of me." but it's not about the hall! It's about Bonds caring (even in the slightest) about the people that keep him employed. Not MLB, not the Giants, but the fans.

Wednesday, May 9, 2007

"I've Got Three Beers In Two Hands"

Since the death of St. Louis pitcher Josh Hancock, some new information has surfaced. The police released statements and reports saying that Hancock was intoxicated at the time of the fatal automobile accident. Hancock was also involved in a potentially fatal accident only a few days before. Since the release of this information, multiple MLB teams have banned alcohol from their locker rooms.

What was especially shocking to me was that baseball teams even allow alcohol to be served or consumed in their locker rooms. I had no idea this was done, but apparently it is a tradition going back to the early days of the game. There was a time when the press was given alcohol in the locker rooms. As of this writing, the Cardinals, the Yankees, the Pirates, the Mets, the Astros, the Athletics and potentially the Devil Rays, the Blue Jays, and the Red Sox have banned alcohol from their clubhouses (many of the bans do not apply to the visiting team).
I find this to be absolutely ridiculous. I cannot think of many jobs that allow you to drink before or during working hours. Even if a player were sitting on the bench with no chance of being put in the game (he pitched the day before for example), I would still consider that working. Anytime a player is representing the team, the league, or they are in a baseball complex, they should not be allowed to drink (celebrations aside).

Some of the defense I've heard for keeping alcohol seems pretty weak. Ex-players and managers have argued that it can be good for team moral to sit around the clubhouse, drink a few beers, and talk baseball. Why does there have to be beer? Why can't guys sit around and just talk baseball? Another argument is that the majority of players are over 21 and alcohol is not illegal. No one is saying that players should not be allowed to drink though; the argument is that it should not be happening during "work". Most jobs do not allow their employees to drink on the job, why should baseball be any different?

I do not think that the solution can come from the team level. The best way to deal with this is for Bud Selig and the League to ban alcohol from the clubhouse. This will put all the teams on the same page and hopefully keep players safer. If players still want to drink, they should go out to a bar or a restaurant. They have as much of a right to drink as the fans that go to the games do. I just don't think there is any reason to keep it in the locker room.


Notes:
Barry Bonds: As of this writing, Mr. Bonds is 10 homeruns short of breaking the all time home run record set by Hank Aaron. I would like to say that I am not cheering for him and no, it is not because he is black. This has nothing to do with race, I'm just having a hard time believing that he didn't cheat.

Ted Lilly: Some people I know are pretty made at the Cubs because they don't seem to be giving Lilly the run support he needs. Lilly is 2-2 with a 2.78 ERA, 42 strikeouts, and he has only given up 2 homeruns. I think those numbers are just fine. It is still early in the year. He'll get more wins (which are the most overrated of all pitching stats, but that is for another time).

The Brewers: Can the Brew Crew really keep this up? They seem to have the talent and depth but I still have doubts. I do like the idea of having a bus in front of Miller Park where fans can go get prostate exams for free tickets. Sounds like a good way to start a game.

Wednesday, May 2, 2007

try and stay with me on this one...

Today was a soccer day. I listened to the ESPN Soccernet podcast this morning and watched the second half of the Manchester United-AC Milan match this afternoon. While getting my soccer fix, I had an interesting idea. Some of you may think this sounds crazy, but I'm going to throw it out there.

In all of the major soccer leagues in Europe, South America, Mexico, and just about every where else, there is this nifty little thing called relegation. Relegation is when the bottom three teams (or two, or one, the number varies) of a league are sent down to the next lowest league, while teams from the lower leauge are promoted to the higher league.

Example: West Ham, Charlton, and Watford are at the bottom of the Premier League in England. If the season ends and they are still on the bottom they will be sent down to the Championship League (there are four leagues in England). Birmingham and Sunderland the number one and two teams in the Champions League and they will be bumped up to the Premier League if they stay on top.

My idea is to institute the relegation system in Major League Baseball. I know it sounds crazy, especially coming from a Cubs fan, but I think it would make the game very entertaining. Think baseball could handle it because of all the teams it is structured similaryly to soccer leagues, with the Majors, AAA, AA, A leagues.

I think it would be really entertaining to see which teams would get bumped up with each new seaon. How cool would it be to see the New York Yankees take on the Kane County Cougars or the Minnesota Twins play the Tri-City Valley Cats? I think that relegation would also give more motivation for MLB teams to get out of their division cellars. Let's face it, some teams are historically bad and relegation could shake things enough to turn them around.

All in all, I like the idea of more competition. The little guys taking on Goliath. I know it will never, ever happen, but it sure is something to consider. If you excuse me, I want to catch the Everett Aquasox-Seattle Mariners game.