The 5.5 Hole

With another season of interleague play in the books and the All-Star Game just around the corner (both of which have the commissioner's handiwork ingrained), I began thinking about Bud Selig's career and legacy.

I've always been a major critic of Selig's performance as commissioner, but decided to take a closer look at his resume. Was this villain and devious master-mind behind baseball's destruction really as bad as I had built him up to be? Has his post lead to the disintegration of the game I love?

The short answer to those questions is no. Bud Selig is far from perfect, but he has navigated the game through a strike and a steroids scandal without losing too many fans forever. More on the steroids issue in a bit.

Selig's biggest claim to fame is the introduction of interleague play. No matter what the skeptics say, no matter how many people cry foul due to the unbalanced schedule, fans love interleague games. Every year most ballparks see a spike in attendance during interleague series. Selig's brainchild has brought more fans to the game, led to increased revenue, and led to an overall increase in interest.

Selig is also responsible for the introduction of the Wild Card. This move was heavily criticized by baseball purists when it happened, but the result speaks for itself. Since its introduction in 1995, there have been nine Wild Card winners that have made the World Series, and four of them won the World Series.

Selig is also responsible for making the All-Star Game count for home-field advantage in the World Series. It was an interesting concept, but has led to a reduction in the spirit of the ASG. It used to be that fans would be virtually guaranteed to see their favorite player get some playing time in the game. Now, managers manage the lineups to win (rightly so). Players who would have seen some action previously, no longer do as each league jockeys for a chance at home field advantage.

A quick glance at Selig's resume would lead you to believe he's been a fantastic commissioner. The positives far outweigh the negatives, right? They do until you remember Selig essentially turned a blind eye to steroid use in baseball.

Lack of testing and repercussions until 2005 is a travesty. There had been plenty of players who were busted for steroids prior to that. There were plenty of suspicions. Players trying to play the game clean were faced with an un-level playing field. Many turned to steroids just to keep up. The famous home run race of 1998 was nothing more than a showcase of performance enhancement.

This all happened under Selig's watch. And for that, he cannot be forgiven. The good he has done for the game gets lost beneath the endless pile of steroids, HGH, and other performance enhancing drugs that Selig ignored. His legacy is now written in stone. Unfortunately, potential accolades for a career well-done have forever been replaced with criticism of his complacency and disregard.

Only after Selig steps down (supposedly after the 2012 season, we'll see) will baseball be able to fully heal. One day, we can sit back and enjoy the benefits of Selig's time as commissioner, but that day will not come with him still at his post.

Who is Kevin Correia? How about Alex Presley? Or Josh Harrison? And Joel Hanrahan? These are members of the best Prates team since 1992. They made not be household names like those on the '92 team (Barry Bonds anyone?), but they make up part of a team that is winning on heart, desire, will power, and faith in themselves.

Correia is currently tied for the Major League lead in wins with 11. This is his first year in Pittsburgh after coming over from the Padres. In his career leading up to this year, his record was 36-43. He's not exactly lighting up the stat boards this year either, but he's winning.

Alex Presley is an up-and-coming outfielder. He's played in 7 games this year and collected 9 hits, 5 RBI's, 4 walks, and two stolen bases. That's called making the most out of your time in the lineup, and is an example of the young talent pulsing through this Pirates organization.

Josh Harrison is the Pirates 23 year-old third baseman of the future. During yesterday's game, he tried to score from second on a single and plowed into the Astros catcher Carlos Corporan. He was thrown out, but he suffered a busted lip, bloody nose and eventually dizziness. However, he came out in the bottom of the inning and manned his position at third. Not only that, but he made a fantastic bared-handed play to get a runner at first during the inning. He exhibits some of the heart that's lead toward the Pirates first half run.

Joel Hanrahan is leading the league in saves and has converted 27 straight. He was also just recently named to his first All-Star Game. Wins that may have slipped away in the later innings are now safe. When Hanrahan gets the ball, it's about as close to a sure thing as there is in baseball.

These are just four of the players that make up the soul of this team that has brought baseball back to Pittsburgh. The city of Pittsburgh is a great baseball city, and their fans have stuck with this team through 18 losing seasons. Now, with the Pirates playing competitive baseball and actualy challenging for the division lead, we have been given a glimpse into how good baseball in the Steel City can be.

The fans are passionate. They love this team. With each game they lead going into the bottom of the ninth, the atmosphere seems like Game 7 of the World Series. These fans deserve this, and in turn they reward baseball with their energy and fire.

With the Allegheny River flowing behind center field, the skyline rising up in the distance, and the fans packing the stands, this historic team is on the verge of breaking a new historic trend. Losing.

The Pirates have been a baseball club since 1882 and have 5 World Championships. They celebrate players like Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargel, Bill Mazeroski, and Honus Wagner. They have nine retired numbers. They have 36 Hall of Famers. Winning baseball is good for the Bucs, it's good for the fans and it's good for baseball.

With 85 games under their belt and trailing the Brewers by a half-game and Cardinals by just one and a half games, the Pittsburgh Pirates are legitimate contenders. So tune in, read all about it, and celebrate with the city of Pittsburgh as these Bucs have a shot at a winning record and even a division crown.

When I think of the 4th of July, I think back to a time of neighborhood block parties, kids running down the street with sparklers, fireworks after burgers, and baseball.  These are all images made up from television or movies to me.  The concepts are generally foreign when you live in the desert.

I've always felt like the 4th of July in the southwest desert was a little more bland.  It's too hot to go out and barbeque.  It's too dry for there to be many fireworks shows.  And baseball in 110 degree heat?  Forget about it.

This is how I felt until I really thought about it.  We may not have block parties, but we do cook-out.  Our version of a barbeque is usually a quick run to the grill to flip the burgers then back into the house.  But we hang out with family and friends.  We celebrate the sacrifices others have made to make this country so great.  We remember that we are free because of this date in 1776.  And then there's baseball.

My memory gets altered as I get older, but when I really think back, I was out playing baseball in the heat all the time.  Especially on the 4th of July.  It wasn't always easy to get nine players together, and I didn't always have the equipment, but my friends and I managed to play.  I would grab and empty two liter soda bottle and have my friends throw rocks.  We would play our own backyard version of the Home Run Derby and watch those little rocks rocket off the plastic bat through the sun drenched sky.  When we didn't have a bat, we would play pickle (if you don't know the game, look it up.  It's great) until we were ready to throw up from heat exhaustion or dehydration.  We would imagine we were Derek Jeter or Omar Visquel throwing down a swipe tag on the runner in the middle.  And then there were the actual games.

All we needed were nine players.  Ghost runners would hold their positions on the base paths anytime there was a hit, and the batter would then replace someone out in the field.  There were no teams.  There was just fun.  Swinging the bat, running to first, throwing fastballs, and tracking lazy fly balls made up the essence of the game.  There were no steals, no singles stretched to doubles, no arguments over a play at second base.  If you got a hit, the ghost runner would advance one base.  If the hit found the gap, the ghost runner advanced two bases.  And a home run was, well, a home run.

I think back on those scorching summer days and even when I had no one to play with I'd find a way.  Give me a ball, a glove, and a wall and I could work on my infield game.  I could work on snaring line-drives.  Constantly throwing the baseball against a brick wall usually ruined it, but I didn't care.  It was summer and I was having fun.

On those 4th of July's long ago, when it was all said and done, when the night pushed away the heat and the stars began to wink, we would all go home to our burgers and hot dogs.  We would wash the food down with a cold soda and ice cream.  With a Major League game on the television, we would dream of summers on the diamond.  And when the first crack of fireworks peeled us away from the game, we would run outside and watch the show.

The 4th of July in the desert is not much different than anywhere else.  It's just a little hotter.

I'm an adult now and as the spirit and imagination I had as a kid fades, I look forward to the next generation.  To those new kids who will fill the streets with games of pickle, ghost runners, and home run derby, I say enjoy the ride.  And to the parents of this new generation, I say remember your childhood and Independence Days of the past.

No matter where you are, enjoy yourselves and Happy 4th!