Two myths about 1998

I'd like to (once again) take a stand at what appears to be generally accepted wisdom about the height of the steroid era in baseball: 1998 to 2001 or so.

First, the oft-cited "fact" that steroids were not illegal in baseball at that time. They were not specifically banned, sure, but in 1971 a clause was inserted into the players' agreement which banned the use of any drug not prescribed for a valid medical purpose. Steroids, HGH, and so on did not need to be named individually. They were illegal. End of story.

Second, the even more oft-cited "fact" that baseball was saved by the home run chase in 1998. That only then did all the bitterness of the previous years melt away. That no one watched the epic 1997 World Series, that no Yankees fans celebrated wildly at their return to glory in 1996, that Don Mattingly and Ken Griffey, Jr. and the amazing Indians and Braves got no love in 1995's postseason. Oh, yeah, and then there was Cal Ripken, Jr. Remember him? Remember the streak? If you want the event that saved baseball, look at September 6, 1995. A 22 minute ovation for the mere fact of a game reaching the middle of the fifth. A home run shot that sent shivers down my spine, even as I followed along on ESPN's website from Australia. There was no strike bitterness that day. There was unbridled joy. Cal Ripken saved baseball, if anyone did.

Enough selective memory, people. Look at the whole story.

Playing catch up

Wow, we have been lazy. So, to summarize news that has caught the eye in the last couple of weeks:

• Roger Clemens, like Barry Bonds before him, might be thrown under the bus by an ex-mistress
• The Gotham Base Ball Club opened the season with a glorious win over the Excelsior Club, highlighted by a superb 2-3 double play with the bases loaded and one out
• Larry Brown has inexplicably been hired by another team so he can "teach the kids" despite his pathological hatred of rookies
• The Baltimore Orioles are in first place
• Barry Zito is in the bullpen
• An incredible replica of Ebbets Field has been constructed in Second Life
• The Gotham Girls Roller Derby travel team soundly thrashed their rivals from Philly in an ugly penalty fest, with Andrew and David (aka Hewlett Smackard and Linear Aggression) working stats
• Alex Rodriguez is on the DL, a severe blow to those of us who want to see him overtake a certain someone as career home run king
• The various league commissioners will today (again) trash the idea of any kind of playoff for the college football championship
• Missouri still holds the Silver Ball

Sports roundup

I'm on vacation out west, and more on that in a few days, but here are some thoughts on current events:

The 5-1 Orioles, without Eric Bedard but with a lights-out bullpen, own the best record in the American League. This cannot last, but I'm loving every second. The much ballyhooed Detroit lineup, meanwhile, is beginning to look like the epic 119 loss 2003 team all over again. Is there a Vegas line on which of these teams will finish with a better record?

Remember Memphis' narrow escape in the second round when they shot free throws like Shaquille O'Neal after wrist surgery? It's all come back to haunt them now. The strange thing is that no one will now remember a couple of awful Kansas moments in the final minute of regulation either - a layup blocked before it even started, and giving up an easy offensive rebound after yet another missed Memphis foul shot. Kudos to the Jayhawks though, on winning one of the best NCAA finals in memory.

Thanks to Steve Root for this: Williams and Amherst will be returning to Pittsfield, where it all began, to celebrate the birth of college baseball. Unfortunately they will not on this occasion be playing Massachusetts rules. If they do this again next year for the 150th anniversary, I will be there.

The more said about the current scandal in Formula One, the better. Wow.