Why This Era of Baseball Is the Best Era of Baseball

Everybody talks about the glory years of baseball and how those past players are so much better than today's.

“Were those glory days the ’60s or ’30s?” is usually the conversation.

Well, I don’t think either decade is correct. The period from 1995 to 2005 is simply the most superior in history.

This is an era, in some ways, tainted by the PED users. But when you look at some of the on-field moments in recent years, there is little question.

We were all witness to what is possibly the greatest team of all-time, the 1998 New York Yankees. This group was the epitome of the word team. There was no superstar in the bunch.

Derek Jeter. Paul O’Neill. Tino Martinez. David Cone. David Wells. Hell, Jim Leyritz.

When you consider PED allegations, not one of them is a member of this team. They recorded 114 wins, swept the World Series from the San Diego Padres and won the first of three straight titles.

Not only did they not have any PED users, they constructed their team the right way. The Yankees built from the farm system and added key veterans along the way. Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada, and Andy Pettitte all were from their farm system.
O’Neill, Martinez, Cone, and Wells added much-needed leadership.

Nobody flashy but all true professionals. 

The Major League record holder for wins in a single season also played during this era.

Enter the 2001 Seattle Mariners. 

The Mariners recorded 116 wins and were led, not by a slugger, but quite possibly the best lead-off hitter in history not named Rickey Henderson, Ichiro Suzuki. 



In his so-called rookie season, Ichiro won the Rookie of the Year and MVP award. He was a throwback to baseball's old days when players did all the little things right.



The most astonishing thing about this team was its success without Randy Johnson, Alex Rodriguez, and Ken Griffey, Jr.

While we are talking about Johnson, let's also mention all the great pitchers during this era. Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, Johnson, Curt Schilling, Pedro Martinez, Mike Mussina.
I'm not even going to include Roger Clemens into this conversation.

It was an era of experimentation. The wild card, interleague play, and four expansion teams were introduced during this time. All of which brought plenty of excitement back to baseball.

Don't believe me? Since the introduction of the wild card, eight wild card teams have reached the World Series. They have also crowned four World Series champions.

Two of the four expansion teams have won a championship and one of them did it as the wild card, twice.

Florida Marlins have won it all twice as the wild card (1997, 2003). In both series, they Marlins gave us as much drama as a fall classic could have. Remember Craig Counsell crossing home plate in 1997 to end the Series?

Oh, by the way, he was part of that 2001 D-Backs team, too.

I'll take my punishment for this one, but I grew up watching the greatest player ever to lace up the cleats: Barry Bonds.

Records aside, there was no hitter ever as feared as Bonds. His walk total was proof of this. Even if I go before his steroid usage, there is evidence of this.

I can recall one night in 1999 against the Diamondbacks when the Giants had the bases loaded with Bonds up. With the Diamondbacks trailing in the game, manager Buck Showalter opted to intentionally walk Bonds.

Showalter did not last much longer as the team's manager.

Also in 1999, Bonds became the only player in Major League history to hit 400 home runs and steal 400 bases in a career (later to get to 500-500). Not to mention his eight Gold Gloves and three MVP awards prior to 1999.

I know it makes us all sick now, but we know we all loved the summer of 1998 in the moment.

It made us believe baseball dreams could come true again.

Despite all of Bud Selig's mistakes, this era has given us plenty of excitement and has given some cities renewed faith in their teams. Parity has happened.

If I had told you in 1999 that from 2001 to 2005 the World Series champions would be the Arizona Diamondbacks, Anaheim Angels, Florida Marlins, Boston Red Sox, and Chicago White Sox, you probably would have laughed in my face.

An expansion team? What have the Angels ever won? Marlins sold their team and cheap. Red Sox and White Sox are cursed. You're telling me they'll all win in consecutive years?
Crazy.

There are problems with every era and this one has some glaring ones. But that does not mean we should ignore what it did give us.

I grew up watching this era and I would not trade it for any other.