I don’t
know what the future holds but if blessed with good health chances are that
A-Rod will surpass everyone on the list by the time his contract runs out in
2017. But to me, no matter how many home runs he hits, there will always be
that bad taste in my mouth left by the steroid scandal. These new records will
seem tainted because we will always wonder how many were legitimate. For me, my
boyhood idols of Ruth, Aaron and Mays will never be toppled off of the pedestal
of baseball greatness. The achievements of a Harmon Killebrew who did things
with pure raw power will never be overshadowed by one who relied on the
assistance of some chemical enhancement. Paul Richards, Manager of the
Baltimore Orioles said that, “Killebrew can knock the ball out of any park,
including Yellowstone .”
I would
like to embrace the legitimacy of these new records but I just can’t. We will
never know how great these new ballplayers actually were. We will always
question if they achieved their feats with the help of a druggist and they have
no one to blame but themselves. I also think that if any of these ballplayers
from the steroid era are selected to enter the Hall of Fame I would like to
see them put in a different section. Maybe they could establish a wing denoting
that their feats were accomplished during this questionable time.
I guess
there are some records that appear to still be legit such as the feat accomplished
by White Sox pitcher, Philip Humber (who?). He pitched a perfect game (retired
all 27 batters he faced) marking only the 21st time that a perfecto
has been thrown in MLB history. The reason I said who after his name is that he
is not a well known pitcher. This was only his 30th big league start
which turned out to be also his first complete game and 12th win of
his career.
I wonder, is
it harder to throw a perfect game or get a hole in one in golf?
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