DrumNFeather |
08-08-2007 01:47 PM |
I think that baseball fans are kind of nostalgically blind when it comes to how they view the "heros" of baseball's past. In doing so, there is an application of "unwritten" rules and standards that is applied to Bonds. Fair or not, he is held to the standards of the "non steroid ere," and as such, will never measure up to many of the greats of the game.
However, if some of those players were held to the behavioral standards of today's professional athelete, they would be suspended frequently (Ruth & Mantle have been specifically documented as having problems in these areas).
Regardless of what measuring stick is used, it is important to understand, at least in my view that this alleged steriod problem is one that was created or at least fostered by Major league baseball. As such, it has no choice but to celebrate records broken by players from that era. This is a problem that baseball higher ups seemed to know about and did nothing about...to the point where Jose Canseco has become the most credible source to many on the steroid front.
For a game with such a storied past of both cheaters and non cheaters, baseball seems to be in a sad current state of affairs...one that it might not be able to pull itself out of. Attendance may be up in some ball parks, but overall, as this record manifests, the interest in major league baseball in America is waning and it'll take a Sosa/McGuire & Ripken like chase to bring it back.
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