Posted on 03/07/2006 11:28:47 AM PST by NormsRevenge
Check the "book". Rain outs and train travel==less games
I don't know, I mean, I like watching baseball, I'm trying to follow the WBC and everything, but when I hear people talking about how this is bad because they can't compare the players of yore to guys like A-Rod and Santana, I just kind of turn my ears off, because it's not really a sensible complaint.
There are a million reasons why such comparisons aren't worth a dime, in my opinion, and steroid use is one of the smaller ones. I mean, can I go around saying that Ruth's records shouldn't count because he had it easy not having to play against black players? That he played against an artificially thinned talent pool? Of course I can't. The game was different then. You can say that Ruth was the greatest player of his time, and that's about all you can say. I know that doesn't sell many volumes of the baseball encyclopedias, but that's just the way it is for me.
So given that steriods are being used anyways by most players, that they're not terribly dangerous to adult males, and they players seem, by and large, to be okay with using them, I don't really see a problem with allowing their use.
I'm with you. What's all the fuss about. People can do what they want to improve themselves. It's not my concern.
It just seems that most are inherently self-righteous.
hey, steroids are bad for minors, that's not disputed by anyone. so are cigarettes and alcohol. should adults be prohibited from using those, too?
Now, if you want to compare efficiency, Ruth hit a home run every 11.75 AB's while Bonds has hit 1 every 12.9 AB's. Aaron hit one every 16.4 AB's. That's a better way to compare instead of games per season IMHO.
I wondered how long it would take you to call me out on that one. lol
Good job!
This whole thread has been a good discussion. While we're throwing out stats, let's look at walks. Ruth was walked 0.82 times a game, Bonds 0.85, Aaron, 0.43. What Ruth and Bonds did as far as HR's is quite amazing. Aaron just lasted a hell of a long time as he had almost 4,000 more AB's than Ruth.
At that rate in 13 years one player would play 156 more games {more than a season}
Yeah, there are some years where teams played a few less than the 154 standard (probably the rain you mentioned).
If they played 40 less a year then after 13 years they would have played 3.2 extra seasons......;-) That's why looking at efficiency numbers is a better view IMHO.
Aaron in his prime was something to see! I never got to see him hit one out but I saw him blister some line drives!
So you don't care that one more of our traditions goes in the toilet? You don't care that we send the message to our kids that it's ok to cheat? I don't know about you, and mabey I'm hopelessly naive but I'm tired of having to watch our kids grow up long before they have too, I'm tired of watching everything that was once good go to crap because hell, if it feels good, do it. If it only hurts me, so what. The Libratarian/Liberal/Communist/Socialist/Progresive ideal does hurt people other than yourself. It corrupt society as a whole. I hope Bonds ends up in prison with a big fat white new boyfriend named Bubba!!!
Prison? What he did was stupid but not illegal. Heck, it wasn't even agains the rules of baseball until last season.
what tradition? the game of baseball has been constantly changing since it was invented. moving the mound up, moving it back down, changing how the balls are wound, changing rules about bats, re-centering the strike zone. and those are just the small changes.
as a whole, professional baseball has become a whole different entity, where contracts come before quality of play. this is not inherently wrong, this is how every major venue of entertainment is. albums are not rated on their quality but on their sales. movies not by their merits but by their grosses. ballplayers not by their skill but by their salary.
keeping steroids out of the professional league isn't going to change any of this and bring back an older form of the game and make people stop paying to see names instead of games.
They didn't need Steroids for that!!!
Secondly, the only valid comparison is the comparison of a player against his League competition, during his time. Crunch the numbers, and you'll find that there isn't even a close second. Ruth revolutionized the game by out-homering entire teams during much of his career. Oh, and he could pitch a little bit, too...
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