Let’s be honest…for the last year or so, it was hard being a baseball fan.
In December, the Mitchell Report confirmed what fans already knew – more than a handful of big name players had been cheating to gain an edge on the diamond.
In February, Roger Clemens proved what an egotistical ass he is by taking his former trainer Brian McNamee to trial despite mounting evidence that he had lied about using performance-enhancing drugs.
Who could get excited about an upcoming baseball season with how the game was being dragged through the mud by the very same people who used to be viewed as legends?
Granted, nothing has changed. Clemens is still a liar and an ass, and the names on the Mitchell Report are still in black ink.
But is it just me or does the 2008 baseball season have a different feel to it? Things seem quieter this year and more enjoyable. No more Barry Bonds dominating the headlines or talk of whether or not Clemens will take the mound again. New teams are winning and new stars are emerging; quite frankly, it’s refreshing.
Sure, there are still plenty of things that have put a damper on baseball again this year, including how the Mets handled the firing of Willie Randolph. But lets keep things positive, shall we?
Below are 15 reasons (ranked in no particular order) why fans should be entrenched in the 2008 MLB Season – at least thus far. There are certainly more than 15 reasons, so feel free to add to the list in our comments section.
1. No Barry Bonds
His name has come up in headlines for the multiple perjury charges he faces for lying to a grand jury, but unlike last year there haven’t been any records to be chased, ESPN in-game breaks or “Bonds on Bonds” featurettes. While he always gave the media something to write or comment about, it’s been nice not seeing Barroid’s name pop up countless times on every edition of “SportsCenter” this year.
2. No Roger Clemens
I think fans got their fill of the Rocket during the offseason – we don’t need the daily updates on whether or not he’s going to pitch again. Just like Bonds, it’s nice to hear fresh stories.
3. Chipper Jones’s batting average
Lance Berkman is hitting .358, which is incredibly impressive. Joe Mauer is hitting .325. Alex Rodriguez is hitting .324. Albert Pujols is hitting .347. All equally impressive, but Chipper Jones is hitting .395 and has 34 multi-hit games this year – at age 36. The word impressive doesn’t come anywhere close to describing what Jones is doing this season.
4. Edinson Volquez’s ERA
Seemingly every year a young pitcher emerges to become one of baseball’s biggest surprises. When the Angels won the World Series in 2002, rookie reliever (and future star closer) Francisco Rodriguez was absolutely un-hittable. Two years ago the 22-year-old Francisco Liriano won 12 games to make a dynamic 1-2 punch with Twins’ ace Johan Santana. Last year, the Tribe’s Fausto Carmona came one victory shy of a 20-win season. This year, the Reds’ Volquez is leading the majors in ERA with an astonishing 1.71 mark. What’s even more astonishing is that he’s 10-2 on a 35-43 Cincinnati club. It’s too early to tell if he’s a fluke or not, but by all accounts, Volquez looks like the real deal.
5. Lance Berkman’s underratedness
Underratedness isn’t a word, but if it were one, a picture of Berkman would be next to it in the dictionary. While other players like Alex Rodriguez, Chipper Jones and Albert Pujols get showered with praise (and rightfully so – each player is turning in a banner year), Berkman continues to get overlooked despite being among the NL leaders in batting average (2nd), home runs (3rd) and RBI (4th). Maybe it’s because he plays for the Astros or the fact that he doesn’t look like an exceptional athlete, but Berkman is one of baseball’s best and deserves more credit.
6. The Tampa Bay Rays
Think about this for a second: the Rays are the second best team in all of baseball. Outside of the Red Sox, is there a club playing better right now than Tampa? The Cubs have a better record, but the Rays recently swept them right out town. Tampa has decent pitching, a solid lineup and are chockfull of young talent. Let’s hope they don’t fade in the second half because this club is one of baseball’s best surprises.
7. The hint of parity
The Rays are arguably the second best team in the entire league. The Marlins are only two games back of Philadelphia in the NL East. The Cubs and White Sox are leading their respective divisions. The Rangers, Orioles and A’s are competitive despite a lack of overall talent. Are these flukes or is the competitive balance in MLB actually starting to shift to other clubs? It appears for the moment that parity is starting to work its way into MLB.
8. The Red Sox-Yankees talk has been limited
With the Bronx Bombers starting to play better recently, ESPN has already cued the annual Yankees-Red Sox highlights. And while this rivalry is certainly one of the best in any sport, it’s been nice hearing about other clubs (i.e. the Rays) for a change.
9. J.D. Drew’s play with the absence of Big Papi
As most writers will attest, he’s not the most lovable player in the league. But there’s no denying that Drew has been an absolute stud since David Ortiz went on the disabled list less than a month ago. For the month of June, Drew is leading the league in average (.435), home runs (nine), RBI (21) and on base percentage (1.598). Opposing pitchers could shoot beebees at Drew right now and it wouldn’t matter – he’d still hit them.
10. The Chicago Cubs believe they can win
It’s not that the Cubs have the best record in the NL or the second best record in the majors – it’s the way they’re winning. Even though injuries are starting to pile up (Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Zambrano), this team hasn’t lost confidence. The Cubs are 30-8 at home this year and continue to win despite constantly falling behind early in games. They believe they can win and have made believers out of everyone else, too.
11. The surprising St. Louis Cardinals
Fans in St. Louis are probably saying, “The surprising Cardinals? Yeah, maybe to you, asshole. We always believed.” But not many outsiders thought that this club would be in contention, let alone being just four games behind the Cubs, who have the best record in the NL. Adam Wainwright has been solid as the ace, Albert Pujols (before his injury) has been outstanding as usual, and players like Ryan Ludwick and Skip Schumaker have really stepped up. Hopefully Pujols recovers quickly because the league needs the Cubs-Cards rivalry to be intense all season long.
12. Josh Hamilton
This story might be overplayed by the end of the year, but it’s hard not to love how Hamilton has turned around his life. It’s amazing he’s even alive right now, not too mention leading the AL in home runs with 19, and all of baseball in RBI with 76. A former drug-addict who has admitted he attempted suicide on multiple occasions, Hamilton is the perfect example of why no person should give up on his or her dreams. (Note: I fully realize that sounds like it should be on the cover of a Disney DVD, but I don’t care)
13. Chase Utley
How could you not like Chase Utley? He’s not the biggest or strongest player in the league and he certainly not one of the flashiest, but he goes about his business, plays hard and puts up big numbers (i.e. 22 home runs, 63 RBI and a .289 batting average).
14. Dan Uggla has how many home runs?
In his first big league season, Uggla hit 27 home runs and followed up that solid rookie year by blasting 31 dingers in 2007. We haven’t even gotten to the All-Star Break this year and he’s already gone deep 23 times, which means he’s roughly on pace for 46 total. Chase Utley has been amazing again, but Uggla is on quite a tear and better yet, he’s starting to look like a complete hitter for the first time in his career. (He’s currently batting .290.)
15. Brian Wilson
I’m not talking about the lead singer of the Beach Boys. I’m referring to the other Brian Wilson, the NL save leader. He has a live 95-mph fastball, is energized like a teenager on the last question of a finals exam and is one of baseball’s best young pitchers. He has the perfect mentality for a closer and considering the Giants’ penchant for playing in close games, Wilson will have plenty of opportunities to rack up the saves. Do yourself a favor and keep an eye on him, because not only is he fun to watch, he also might be the game’s next big-name closer.
You can talk 11 Gold Gloves, second only to Smith. Or you can use a more modern, stat-based standard: the Zone Rating. It measures the percentage of balls hit in his area, and how many are caught.
