MLB: Have Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire Killed the Best Part of Baseball?

Earlier this week, I saw a list of the top 25 baseball quotes of all time. Not one of them has taken place since the Mark McGwire-Sammy Sosa home run battle of 1998.

It got me to thinking that as wonderful as that chase to Roger Maris' record was, it seems to have done more harm than good.

When I became a baseball fan, it was not because of the home runs, diving catches or plays at the plate. I saw grown men playing the game competitively, yet with the same enthusiasm and revelry as a 10-year-old at recess.

Today, the players are still acting like 10-year-olds. The difference is that now they’re acting like the 10-year-old who’s being very careful that he does not get grounded. It’s like all the fun has been sucked out of the game.

Where are the characters that used to make baseball special? As long as Manny Ramirez is taking bathroom breaks behind the Green Monster, they are not extinct—but they are an endangered species.

If Alex Rodriguez approaches the all-time home run record, you can bet his comments about Barry Bonds and Hank Aaron will be very respectful, very careful...and very boring. In other words, he’ll be the complete opposite of Rickey Henderson. After he broke Lou Brock’s career stolen base record, he stood right beside him and announced to the crowd that he was the greatest of all time.

If the St. Louis Cardinals make it to the World Series, Albert Pujols will very likely be a big part of the reason why. From what I know about Albert, he’s a humble, quality player and human being. If he’s asked about his role on the team, he will predictably deflect the credit from himself and onto his teammates.

Where is this generation’s Reggie Jackson—the colourful, confident superstar who is not afraid to stand up and state that he is the straw that stirs the drink?

Who or what is the reason for this? For starters, how about Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and Roger Clemens? As the steroid scandals in baseball have increased, the fun surrounding the game has decreased. Since the game has been tainted by these cheaters, players’ behaviours for the most part have gone from cordial to corporate. I don’t think that’s a coincidence.

Since the Sosa-McGwire home run chase that captured everyone’s attention, have you seen someone like Lenny Randle, on his hands and knees along the third base line, blowing a ball foul? Where is the next entertaining player doing backflips like Ozzie Smith used to do? Can you imagine someone today celebrating his 100th career home run like Jimmy Piersall did when he ran the bases backward?

I love the sport of baseball. Since I can still write those words after watching my Mariners last year, I truly believe I always will. But a part of it—perhaps its most endearing part—is being killed by the tainted legacies of the likes of Sosa and Rafael Palmeiro.   

In this age where baseball can be viewed on HDTV, HGH has made it duller than ever.