Baseballhead:
Settin' Up for a Sham

Michael Cox

Why, hey there, Baseballhead-ateers! Welcome once again to the one place you can turn to when all the others are calling Tim McCarver a "legend."

They love sequels to successful shows, and after months of waiting and hoping and praying, the mainstream media have gotten what they wanted all along: McGwire-Sosa II. Screw pennant races, Sammy hit Number 45 today! Quick, break away from that important game with wild card implications -- Mac's drawing an intentional walk!

Let me tell you, boy-ee, the only thing to be proved by a second consecutive 60+ HR season from either one of these two is how hollow last year's new single-season record truly is. But no one will care, because the excitement of The Season That Saved Baseball (Again) is back, just when we needed it!

Don't get me wrong, both Mac and Sammy are very, very good at hitting home runs. However, neither they nor anyone else in the game is that good. And the foregone conclusion of The Juiced Ball isn't the only reason. Bad pitching, crappy strike zones, rules that would give pitchers more of an edge going utterly unenforced, and chemical enhancement (Mac didn't go off the 'roids until he had bulked up for the season) all exist in the vortex that is the made-for-TV home run race and its 1999 sequel.

All that stands in the way of The Cardinals' Only Star hitting 71 this season are the same benevolent opposing managers of non-competitive teams that he faced last year, ordering their hapless pitchers to "go after him" (read: "fastballs in the 'zone, son, and don't talk back"). And that could still happen.

Despite my doubts as to the integrity of Mac's Magic Seventy, I was willing to accept it, but that may change as Return of Homer Barrage continues.

Item: As I write this, Alex Rodriguez has just had his five-game home run streak snapped, which is too bad. The record of eight straight games (last tied by his teammate, Ken Griffey Jr.) is a fairly innocuous one as baseball records go, largely due to a necessary element of luck rivaled only by that required for a perfect game. Also, it's short, sweet, and you can move on. You're not a conquering hero for it as you seem to be for just making a long career out of facing one or two batters per game (hi, Jesse Orosco).

You do it, carve the notch into your spear and move on, leaving a few days of "how 'bout that?" water-cooler conversation in your wake.

Item: Darryl Strawberry got a hit in AAA last Thursday. For some reason, most media outlets thought this was newsworthy.

Why?

Item: I would be remiss if I didn't make note of the passing of "Pee Wee" Reese, whose bold public gesture and clubhouse friendship sped the inevitable acceptance of Jackie Robinson by players and fans alike. Never mind that Reese disclaimed any altruistic motive behind his famous hand laid on Robinson's shoulder at Crosley Field -- he said he was just "tired" -- that was the way a guy responded to press inquiries about such things in his day.

And never mind that Robinson and those who came after would have been accepted all the same -- having a man like "Pee Wee" around can never, ever hurt. I got your hero right here.

We wrap up this week with a gentle reminder -- flash photography at a major league ballpark is not only useless to the photographer, it bugs the hell out of everyone else, including the players. If you don't know how to disable the flash on your camera, find someone who does.

Buh-bye now.

about the author

Michael Cox would also like to remind you that smoking is allowed only in marked areas, but he won't tell anyone if you have a puff in the can. Let him know just what kind of desperation would drive a person to that at mc@strikethree.com.