The 5.5 Hole

Talks of realignment in Major League Baseball have spawned debates coast-to-coast. However, everyone seems to be overlooking something very promising. Something the other sports leagues have been unable boast recently.

While the NFL is in the middle of a lock-out and the NBA's collective bargaining agreement already expired less than a month after the finals ended, Major League Baseball has exhibited a strange phenomenon in this world of bickering and social media attacks. They've shown cooperation between the owners and the players.

The impending doom of a lock-out isn't baring down on baseball throughout the course of the season. The on-field achievements are not being overshadowed by threat of a strike. Instead, all signs point to amicable movement towards a new CBA for Major League Baseball.

Part of those discussions includes potential realignment. Moving one team from the National League to the American League makes total sense. Of course, there are plenty of logistical problems that arise. For example, should there be divisions or not? How will they deal with the odd number of teams in each league? An inter-league series every day?

There are questions, but answers will come with compromise. It feels like baseball is heading toward a golden age.While I'm sure financial discussions will rear their ugly head during the negotiations, so far those have been kept private.  Unlike demands to "open the books," and 8th Circuit Court rulings, baseball’s new collective bargaining agreement seems to be focused on advancing the game for the owners, players, and the fans.

Baseball has wallowed in its share of disasters (the Black Sox Scandal, strike after strike, Pete Rose, steroids, etc), but more than I can remember at any other time in my life, baseball is doing well.  Actually, baseball is doing very well.  In a down economy, attendance is up.  In a time of increased ticket prices, $9 beer, and parking that can cost as much as the game ticket, fans are still flowing through the turn styles.  Why?  Because the game is great and trying to get better.   

Realignment and additional play-off teams make better conversation than revenue splitting and salary caps. So the next time you enter into a debate with someone about how exactly an additional two/four/six play-off teams will work, remember baseball is moving in the right direction.  When discussing the merits of moving Houston to the AL verse moving Arizona, remember a lock-out is not on the horizon. 

Baseball will go on.  Better than ever. 

Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander has it figured out. At 28 he understands the key to success. He understands what makes people great. Drive, determination, and expectations higher than most people can comprehend push Verlander to greatness.

In a Yahoo! Sports article published yesterday, Justin Verlander says, "I've never shied away from the fact that my only real goal is to be a Hall of Famer when I'm done."

The true measure of success is not the ultimate goal, but how hard you tried to get there. Verlander is having a great career and he may very well be a Hall of Famer when it's all said and done. But even if he's not, he's made himself better by setting that goal.

The competition to be a Major League Baseball player is fierce. The first-year player draft sees approximately 1,500 players each year. With only 30 Major League teams carrying a 25 man roster and the vast majority of those positions already filled, the odds of breaking into the Majors are slim. So it's understandable for many players to simply be happy they made it when they do. Yet, being content with where you are does not lead to success. If the goal is just to make it, the failure rate will be high.

The same can be said for all our jobs. With unemployment hovering at about 9%, the competition in the job market today is intense. It would be easy for most people to just be happy they have a job. Yet that mentality does not lead to success.

Set the bar high, try to be the best and results will follow. As Verlander said, when you try to be the absolute best, "most other things, the individual things, those will take care of themselves." On the other hand, striving to just get by will surely lead to failure.

Take a step back and enjoy Justin Verlander's approach to work. With 11 wins already and a no-hitter in the books, he is proving that hard work and high expectations makes him a winner. Enjoy his competitive spirit. "As competitive as I am, you hear someone say no one will ever win 300 games again, that makes me want to go out and do it."

In six and a half big league seasons so far, Verlander has racked up 94 wins. He'll surpass 100 wins this season and still have an uphill battle to reach 300. But if he stays healthy and maintains the same commitment and desire he has now, he can reach that historic mark.

Most successful people will tell you it takes a certain amount of selfishness to be the best. It takes a little bit of an ego. Don't be afraid to want to be the best. Don't be afraid to set your goals high. If we apply Justin Verlander's attitude to our own lives, results will naturally follow.

Home runs are exciting. They can shift momentum or bring a crowd to its feet. They can set records, and they end games. Yet there has been something so dark about home runs up until recently.

The home run race between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa of 1998 brought fans back to baseball after so many had left following the 1994 strike. But those two also contributed to another black spot in baseball history. Steroids destroyed the competitive balance and eliminated all meaning behind home run figures.

Fortunately, baseball's much belated steps to eliminate steroids have worked This has ushered in a new era of competition. Pitching is king.

Let's take a look at home run figures in recent years.

2004 - 5,451
2005 - 5,017
2006 - 5,386
2007 - 4,957
2008 - 4,878
2009 - 5,042
2010 - 4,613
2011 - 2,106 (half way mark) 4,212 estimated total.

This leads me to one conclusion. Everyone was cheating. Now, obviously there are players who have always been clean, but one look at the numbers tells me a lot of players were using steroids.

Prior to 2005, there was no punishment for steroid use. Baseball finally implemented a testing and punishment system in the beginning of 2005, then made it more harsh at the end of 2005.

As you can see, the home run totals have been on a steady decline (except for an anomaly in 2006 and 2009) since the end of the '04 season. We are on pace for 1,000 fewer home runs in 2011 than 2004. 1,000!

Pitchers have benefited from the reduction in steroid use (I won't say elimination since players like Manny Ramirez prove arrogance can still trump penalty). The 2004 season saw an average of 716 earned runs per team. In 2010 that number was down to an average of 653 earned runs per team.

Pitchers do not have an advantage now, they are simply playing on a level playing field. And yes, I am aware plenty of pitchers were busted for steroids. But there is a big difference between a little extra juice behind a fast ball and a little extra juice off a batted ball.

We have entered into a golden era of baseball. The pitcher's era. Maybe I'm crazy, but I'll take six no-hitters in one year over a 70 home run season.