Past or Present?

For years, there have been baseball purists, baseball writers, and baseball apologists trying to jam the “great” baseball statistics of the past down our throats. Whether it was to take our attention away from the mass infiltration of steroids into the game, or simply because baseball nerds have nothing better to do then spout off Joe DiMaggio’s lifetime batting average in the month of September, the fact is that baseball, more than any other sport, is a game whose history seemingly revolves around the statistics its players produce. This begs the question, do Americans care about the stats because they love the game, or do they care about the game because they love the stats? Might as well ask what came first, the chicken or the egg?

Speaking of steroids, lets touch on that for a moment shall we? Would fans even care about this steroid scandal if it were not for the fact that steroids are affecting the precious homerun record? Ironically, the reason that steroids came into the game of baseball is because the powers-that-be believed, and rightfully so, that fans sought after seeing more homeruns hit and more records broken, most notably Roger Maris and his single season homerun record of 61. To be honest, I think fans would much rather be in the dark on this one, and not know anything about any steroid use or any conspiracy that may have transpired within the game of baseball. Ignorance is bliss, as they say, and record-breaking performances are always enjoyed more if you truly believe that what you are watching was accomplished on the same level playing field of the original accomplishment.

But lets stray from homerun records for a second. There are literally thousands of records in the record book of major league baseball. That means that almost every night on television, you can hear about this player being the first to do this, or this guy approaching this record, and so on. But why is it then, that when a certain player, lets call him Jimmy Rollins, hits in his last 36 games of last year, and picks right up where he left off in his first 2 games of this season, members of the media insist on calling it a two game hit streak? What are they so afraid of? That a player in today’s game might come close to breaking a hallowed record held by a beloved Yankee? Not to mention that Rollins was barely two-thirds of the way there. God forbid that we just sit back and enjoy a record chasing performance for a change, instead of scrutinizing it. Instead people seem to find it necessary to come up with a reason why the accomplishment isn’t good enough and why it just isn’t that same as the record that was set in the first half of the century. Meanwhile, today’s player falls short of breaking the record, because once again the media fails to realize that the reason it has lasted this long is because its kind of difficult to hit in 56 straight games, whether its in one season or over the course of two.

Do you remember when Ichiro Suzuki broke George Sisler’s 84-year old record for most hits in a single season, surpassing 257 hits? I do, but I also remember the constant criticism I heard on the radio for weeks and weeks leading up to when he broke it. “He doesn’t walk enough,” and “He’s playing in 8 more games than Sisler did.” When you start complaining because a person gets on base by hitting the ball instead of walking, because it “doesn’t allow his teammates to see enough pitches in the first inning,” according to Rob Dibble, then I believe you are missing out on greatness for the sake of nitpicking. Are we to believe that George Sisler would collect all of those hits against today’s pitchers? Lets not forget that it’s not only the power hitters that are using steroids in this day and age. Ichiro, who most would agree is not a candidate for a steroid user, has faced pitchers from the steroid era as well. Not to mention the amount of knowledge and even technology that has been at the disposal of pitchers in today’s game. One would argue that this knowledge and technology is at the disposal of hitters too. Well, doesn’t that just prove my point all the more that players like Ichiro and Albert Pujols are clearly better than players 50 and 60 years ago who were not as fortunate as today’s athletes? Athletes are not like money, and you should not adjust them for inflation.

I believe we live in a society where baseball gives entirely too much credit to its players from the early years. Can someone please remind why any player from the 1920’s could possibly be considered the greatest player of all-time? Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure Babe Ruth didn’t face any African Americans, Latin Americans, or even a slider for that matter. Have you ever seen an old picture or video clip from when Babe Ruth played? Even the catchers are standing up. Talk about a different game! Yet baseball apologists far and wide will tell you how great he was, and how even today he would hit 50 home runs a year and slug .800. He couldn’t hold a candle to the Arod’s and Pujols’ of today, nor to great players of the 1950’s like Mantle, Mays, and Robinson. But for some reason baseball just can’t let go of the past. Maybe its because they are scared that if they let go of the past, they will have to deal with what’s going on in the present. Regardless of the reason, baseball will continue to suffer because of it. I for one will choose to enjoy what today’s game has to offer, and if a day comes when the best part of baseball is what happened 80 years ago, then ill have to find something else to do with my time during baseball season.

RAC’S RANT will appear twice each month on Sportslizard.com.

I’m Dick Richards, and I write a column for one of the great up and coming sports collectible sites on the web, Sportslizard.com. While I have written about more serious topics in the past, i.e. sports memorabilia and its authentication processes, I enjoy sharing my thoughts on lighter topics which center around the world of sports. Whether its ripping the commisioner or baseball, criticizing a member of the media, or adding levity to the steroid situation, I thoroughly enjoy expressing myself on the issues of sports. Im also very lucky to be associated with Sportslizard.com, which has a lot to offer to sports fans of all ages and interest levels, whether it be the autograph collector, sports figure enthusiast, and your average 20-something sports junkie. I look forward to writing more and more articles for sportslizard for many years to come.