Enough about Bonds, BALCO, and 'Roids, Let's Play Ball!

I can't believe it's been over two months. So much has changed. I left the city I love to return to my roots. Well, I almost made it back to my roots. I'm living in Omaha now, but I definitely feel weird living on this side of the Missouri River. I grew up in Iowa and definitely consider myself an Iowan. Just the word "Iowa" carries so much more meaning for me than "Omaha." Don't get me wrong, Omaha is a nice city and I spent lots of time here growing up. I even attended high school in Omaha. I've never been shy to say, "I grew up in the Omaha area." But I definitely identify myself more as an Iowan. Anyways, enough about me.

It's spring! It's beautiful outside and the smell of leather, popcorn, watered down beer (that's the nicest I get about the massed produced domestics) and grass fill the air. That magical sound of the wooden bat cracking against the ball overcomes even Joe Morgan's most ignorant ramblings. It is the best time of the year. Or at least it was.

A couple years ago, I looked forward to this time of year for one reason only: Major League Baseball's opening day. It was more important than anything esle going on. I'll always watch the Final Four, but it was just a blip on the radar. I love to watch the majesty of Augusta in April, but only up until the Cubs game started. The best part, I could go to games at Wrigley Field and not be surrounded by a bunch of drunks, tourists, or ignorami. The only people who go to Wrigley in April are the die hards. The kids are still in school and the cool breeze off of Lake Michigan only adds to the level of discomfort. Believe me, it gets very uncomfortable in Wrigley Field if the outside temp is 50 or lower.

It wasn't just the Cubs. I looked forward to the new Baseball Prospectus. I looked forward to fantasy baseball. I looked forward to new books about the National Pastime hitting the stores. Contributions from Rob Neyer and Peter Gammons would now become more frequent. I wanted to read as much as possible about the upcoming season. I wanted to study every team and how they managed the offseason and how they were prepared for the future. I would start counting down to pitchers and catchers reporting during the NFL playoffs. I just couldn't wait for the magic that occurs every year on the diamond.

Everything changed the last couple years. First, it was everyone piling on Barry Bonds and the whole steroid situation. One, I think steroids have a much stronger negative public stigma than they should. Two, it hasn't gotten to the point that you can't watch a game without hearing about them. Three, ESPN has put so much focus on Barry Bonds, that you would believe that he is the only one who has ever done steroids. I'm so sick of hearing about it all, that it has really taken the fun out of the game for me. I'm so sick of hearing about it all, that I don't even want to complain about it anymore. Unfortunately, it's not going away as long as idiot sportsfans, idiot talk show hosts, and the idiots at ESPN decide its time to just let it go.

The other fun sucker has been Dusty Baker. When the Cubs hired him, I was willing to give him a chance. I knew he didn't fit the Earl Weaver managerial role that I would prefer, but I figured if he was as good with players as they said, maybe good morale could overcome his limitations on the field. What a mess he has turned things into! He doesn't deserve all the blame. Andy MacPhail and Jim Hendry have done a wonderful job of turning the organization from a constant loser to an obnoxious crew of mediocrity. They have signed middling free agents. They have failed to develop any significant position players. They have wrecked the arms of most of the pitchers they decided to keep and watched a couple others succeed elsewhere. I'd rather be rooting for "Lovable Losers" than a group of severly limited players who expect to receive unfettered devotion.

I realize that MacPhail and Hendry have earned their shots at running a Major League team. They have shown that they cannot handle it. It enraged me to see that Hendry has received another two years. I vow that I will not wear another piece of Cubs paraphanalia until they are both gone along with Baker. I can't handle it anymore. At this time, my baseball team is the Oakland A's. At least if they lose, I know that they were making decisions I agreed with. It's so much harder to handle losing when you disagree with the way the team is run. It's even worse to have to swallow mediocrity when you know that the team is run poorly.