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Oshawa, Ontario, Canada

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Visiting fans

On a recent road trip to the Bunker, I was decked out in my barber pole jersey showing my allegiance to the visiting team from Ottawa when a lady stopped by to ask about an entrance. I guess she was meeting someone at the main entrance. Since I travel a fair bit to the Bunker I answered her question but she didn't seem to believe me. She continued asking similar questions throwing in street names that I had to think about for a bit. Thankfully someone, presumably from the area, interceded and saved me from the redundant questions. (By the look on his face after I think he was sorry he stepped in).

First off, if you are not going to believe someone when they answer you, don't waste your time asking that person your question. Second, if the person is wearing a visiting team jersey chances are they may not know the answer to any question regarding the building or area. Thirdly, if you are unsure of things before you leave the house, take some time and look up the building or area.

Perhaps she didn't realize I was cheering for the visiting team but given the fact that I was the only person around at the time wearing barber poles instead of white or puke green of the Battalion she should have figured it out. At least I got a bit of a chuckle out of the whole situation.

Coming clean

Another victim in baseball's steroid era came clean about his use of the illegal drug earlier this week. On Monday, Big Mac (Mark McGwire) confessed to using steroids throughout his baseball career including during the spectacular 1998 season when he out blasted Sammy Sosa and broke Roger Maris’ long standing single season home run record. What a season that was too. Hardly a whisper of steroid use was uttered by anyone while the pair of sluggers filled stadiums all across America rekindling interest in a sport that seriously needed a shot in the arm.

As the chase flared up, Bud Selig was puffing out his chest at the excitement his little sport was creating in the media from coast to coast and beyond. For years he turned a blind eye to the signs and suggestions that some of his players were using performance enhancing drugs. Why would he say anything when his sport was finally getting over the damage caused by the recent labour disruptions? Selig saw the excitement generated in Oakland with the Bash Brothers and knew he had something he could lure the fans back with, home runs. And who better to lead the charge than the 1987 rookie of the year that hit 49 long bombs in his first full season.

Finally all this caught up to Major League Baseball and Bud had to act. Unfortunately, he isn’t standing up saying he messed up by letting his players use any method possible to gain the power to hit more home runs but instead is letting his players, those that helped resuscitate MLB and create excitement for the league again, take the fall.

Back to McGwire: Now that he has confessed many seem to think he belongs enshrined in Cooperstown and the mighty Hall of Fame. I was a fan of his while he played and even when Oakland began their spiral to mediocrity or worse (i.e. after losing to Toronto in 92?), I still followed him (and back in the day before internet and dedicated sports channels, that was hard to do). In fact I can remember my high school football coach calling me McGwire during tryouts because I would be wearing my McGwire jersey shirt. Considering I lasted only 3 tryouts before an injury forced me to quit the team that is quite something. Anyhow, even though I almost idolized him I don’t now, nor ever did, believe he belongs in the Hall of Fame. Check his stats. Batting average of .263 with 1596 strikeouts are not career numbers that belong in the Hall of Fame. He had only three seasons where he hit over .300 and only one of those seasons he played in over half the games. One season, even though it was perhaps the most exciting in recent history, is not enough for a spot in the Hall.

Do I still think he was a good player? Definitely. Deserving of a spot beside baseball’s greatest, purest players (with a couple exceptions)? No, but because his stats don’t dictate he should. He just fell victim to the times in which he played. Perhaps now that he has cleared the air Mark can go about his coaching duties and find a way into the Hall via that route. The steroid era of baseball will forever be a black mark on the sport to those that lived through it but let’s hope we can get past it quickly so we can start hearing more positive stories about the game and it’s players. Perhaps outing Bud Selig would go a long way in the cleansing of baseball…