Re: All about repsect for the game.
Larry,
While there may be some truth to free agency bringing about change
to baseball, I disagree that free agency was the evolution of the "me,
me, me" ballplayer.
I recently watched Ken Burns 10th Inning. In it, Burns brought up a
excellent point, one that I support. It was right after the 1994 strike
that Cal Ripken broke Lou Gehrig's consecutive games played streak.
The attention and praise Ripken got was unprescented. With the
creation of ESPN and the internet, Ripken's personal achievement
was the story. Fans embraced it. If you look back, that one event
was the turning point to baseball becoming what it is today. Look
at the way Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds and any pitcher who throws
a perfect game get glorified in the eyes of fans and the media. It's
a far cry from what Roger Maris got in 1961.
Today's players seem to thrive for the media attention and spotlight.
The more extravagent the look (tattoos, hairdo, beard, etc) it makes
them [B]stand out[B]. I don't like it. Not one bit. Someone mentioned
on an earlier post that baseball is no longer the great game it once
was, it's now liken to professional wrestling, just another form of
entertainment, using baseball as it's medium.
ErikV
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