Good Wood, By: Patrick Mauro
Pujols, Mets, and Big Papi.
April 21, 2006
All this steroid talk (and even some action) really hasn't had a monumental effect on the national pastime. Sure, nobody's jacking 70 balls out of the yard anymore, but attendance is about the same, people are watching on TV, and home runs are still leaving the yard. In fact, more home runs are leaving the yard so far this season than in the last couple years. I guess it wasn't just the hitters who liked the juice. Since MLB got serious about the stuff, more scouts are pointing to a decreased velocity from pitchers, especially guys coming out of the pen. The point, the game is resilient. If it can survive, and then thrive, despite the 1919 Black Sox, WWE Hall of Famer Pete Rose, work stoppages, no World Series in 1994, then outliving steroids won't be a problem.
ASTERISK
Still, the steroid topic grows staler by the day. I mean, what is anybody really going to do about it? Maybe Barry has to do a little time in club fed for the perjury thing, but what else can baseball do? An overwhelming majority of fans think Bud Selig should introduce the asterisk (one of the most often mispronounced words I hear) in front of Barry's monster numbers. This is ridiculous and will never happen. What about Jose Canseco? The self-proclaimed steroid user (and author and reality TV star) won a World Series title (1989 earthquake series). No one is going to put an asterisk next to that. What about the late Ken Caminiti who detailed the shrinking of his manhood in that 2002 Sports Illustrated cover story revealing he won the 1996 MVP while roided. An asterisk there? No. How these incidents didn't prompt the commissioner to launch an investigation then has more to do with incompetence than any conspiracy, or even greed. An asterisk cannot be put in front of anything Bonds has done without inserting one in front of most of the era's sluggers. His best defense in baseball (but not in the criminal justice system) may be: what about everyone else? Maybe we should put an asterisk next to the commissioner's name.
THE BEST
With Bonds fighting the media, that knee, and his own demons, Albert Pujols has become the most feared hitter in the game, and simply the best player in baseball. And he happens to lack an illegal performance enhancing past. Sounds premature, but he could wind up being the best ever. I know those are strong words, but look at the numbers. His first five seasons average out to .332 with 40 bombs and 124 RBI. If you project those stats over 20 years, he's on pace for over 3900 hits with 800 home runs. Those first five years are better than anyone. Better than Bonds, Willie Mays, or Hank Aaron. Better than A-Rod or Griffey Jr. The guy that comes close is Frank Thomas who averaged .323 with 35 home runs and 119 RBI his first five full seasons (this excludes the strike shortened 1994 season in which he was hitting .353 with 38 HR's and 101 RBI in just 113 games). This illustrates how difficult it is to maintain those types of numbers for a couple decades. The "Big Hurt" should wind up with a plaque in Cooperstown, but hardly enters the conversation of "best ever". So far, Pujols has stayed 100% injury free (I really hope I didn't just jinx him). He walks more and strikes out less each successive year. He's yet to win a ring, but it's not his fault. He's hit .336 with 10 home runs in 37 post-season games. Realize you're witnessing greatness when you watch this guy.
HOF
Pujols' first season (2001), was Mark McGwire's last. The requisite five years nearly past, and Big Mac wondering if that St. Patrick's Day a year ago spent in front of the congressional reform hearing not wanting to "talk about the past" will cost him enshrinement. At least he won't face a perjury charge. If he gets in, it opens the door for everyone. Palmeiro, Sosa, the Balco guys, and anyone else in the steroid suspicion camp. It would validate the era. This year, reliever Bruce Sutter gains enshrinement, but why does he get in if Andre Dawson doesn't? I've got nothing against relievers in Cooperstown, but the Hawk was one of the dominant players of his era. His numbers are similar to those of Dave Winfield, Ernie Banks, and Billy Williams, and those guys all have plaques.
THE METS
Don't know if it has anything to do with their Yankee envy, but the other team in New York looks like the real deal. The Mets spend more on payroll (around $100 million) than any other National League team, but will need to spend even more if they want the ring. Pedro Martinez just won his 200th career game and is definitely headed to Cooperstown in a few years, but needs more help than Tom Glavine (another future HOFer), Steve Trachsel, and Brian Bannister can provide. Barry Zito (A's GM Billy Beane will make this type of trade even if his team is competing) or Dontrelle Willis (the centerpiece of the Marlins paltry $15 million payroll) could be available and would make the Mets real contenders for the whole thing versus just the National League Pennant. The Mets hit like an American League team. A middle of the lineup that features Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, and David Wright, with Jose Reyes and Paul LoDuca setting the table will continue to put enough runs on the board to win. We'll see these guys in October. Just how far they play into the month may depend as much on the front office, as it does the players.
David Ortiz was the cover guy in Pennant Chase Baseball last year. That game from Nintendo that was so good, it never actually came out. He made the wise jump to Sony and now graces the cover of MLB 06 The Show, but Big Papi is most dominant in Derek Jeter's game. If you bought MLB 2K6, you've likely had your game freeze at inopportune times (which really makes you want to throw your 360 out the window), but if you've played as or against the Red Sox, you've no doubt noticed Ortiz's crazy power. I've simmed two entire seasons using MLB 2K6 and the Red Sox slugger has averaged 58 HR's with 163 RBI. He's not quite Michael Vick Madden 2004 good, or Bo Jackson Super Tecmo Bowl good for you old timers, but he's the most dominant player in this year's limited crop of baseball video games.
