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Jon & JenniferInteresting segway, actually -- I'll add my two cents on this point, and then let everyone get back to the business at hand -- selection of baseball's fugliest player.
We've waxed poetic on this subject before many times (especially after watching one of those great nostalgic programs on the Yankee Channel).
We weren't around in the good old days, but both have said that the players, and the sport itself, appeal to us in a way that the modern era just doesn't. The values and priorities were altogether different. Even the game seemed to be better -- a team actually playing as a TEAM rather than just a handful of stars grappling for the spotlight and a better contract. Maybe it's just as simple as that -- the incentive to play today is more of a financial one, whereas in the earlier days it was for the love of the game. Yes? No?
Perhaps we're painting an overly romanticized image of the past -- and any of the oldtimers can tell us if that's the case. But it would be interesting to see what the percentage of today's players (in any sport) that have held down a "regular" job for any length of time before entering the majors. Picture someone like Alex Rodriguez (by way of example only, I don't want to insult any fans) finding himself out of a job, in desperate need of money, and fresh out of options -- is his first thought going to be to find a "regular Joe" job to support himself and his family -- like applying for a carrier job at the post office??? LMAO! The guys who played in the early days of baseball retired and just went back to leading normal, "regular Joe" lives for the most part. Today, these guys don't have a clue what to do with themselves when their careers are finally over -- and unless they find a niche in broadcasting or coaching, many of them wind up either wasting or making a complete mess out of the remainder of their lives.
I haven't even posted this yet, and already the Karl Malone comment has all but shattered my little theory, as well. #$*(#@$*$^ Oh well. I've already typed this out, so there it is. But I imagine he has to be the exception rather than the rule. Now, there's an interesting sub-topic: how many professional players have a "regular" job in the off-season?