Sports Talk
I lived, breathed, ate & drank the game. I played as much as a northeast boy could, numbing my shoulder every feb & march throwing rubber-coated hardballs at the barn. I was a double-A batboy for a couple of years at age 12 & 13, Toby Harrah, Bill Madlock, Rick Waites, and of course, my favorite - John Wockenfuss. I listened to night games on my little transistor radio and hid it under my pillow when my mom came to check on me. I couldn't sleep if the Red Sox lost, and in those days it was always about half the time (except 67 and 75 
Played High School and Legion and got drafted (real low) by the Reds, and then I blew out my shoulder. Played a couple years of fast pitch softball and about 10 years of pretty high level slow pitch, but anybody will tell you it ain't the same game I can still name every single starting lineup and pitching rotation from the 70's.
Then the prices started going up and advertising took over radio and games started lasting 3 1/2 hours and players started making more money in one season than I will make in my whole life. They brought in the designated hitter and a harder baseball and started throwing pitchers out of the game if a pitch came an extra inch inside - because the dilletante fans with the money want to see offense. They expanded the leagues to ridiculous proportions so that half the pitching staffs in MLB are stocked with triple A pitchers. And players started using steroids because.... the fans want to see offense. And MLB didn't notice that all of a sudden players heads were getting bigger because... the fans want to see offense. The Yankees gave up all pretense years ago of being a competitive team and just started buying up all the talent (and the Red Sox, and a couple of other bigger market teams followed suit to some extent).
I haven't been to Fenway since 1986, and I haven't watched a game on TV from start to finish in I can't remember how long. I still follow, peripherally, play fantasy with a few friends. I'm still a huge fan of the history of the game, love baseball movies, and probably will coach again at some point. But I can't subscribe to the theory that baseball is anymore "the great american game".
Damn it's good to see ya here, Tash. Hopefully a certain someone won't chase you away again and we might get a few ladies back here with regularity.
As for Norwitzki 
, game 3 loss at home has got to hurt. Game four will show what the Mavs are made of. They need to make a statement, because the Heat felt that game 2 loss was their own fault and they proved it in game 3. I kind of feel sorry for Dirk, he is really having to mostly do it himself. I hope they can do something, though, because D-Wade's talent aside, I now have a second team to hate besides the Lakers. And I still can't explain their meltdown...
So...honestly...what's your prediction for the Boys next year (assuming there is a next year)?
And it's kind of sad where baseball has gone...hard to believe it used the be the national pastime.
I lived, breathed, ate & drank the game. I played as much as a northeast boy could, numbing my shoulder every feb & march throwing rubber-coated hardballs at the barn. I was a double-A batboy for a couple of years at age 12 & 13, Toby Harrah, Bill Madlock, Rick Waites, and of course, my favorite - John Wockenfuss. I listened to night games on my little transistor radio and hid it under my pillow when my mom came to check on me. I couldn't sleep if the Red Sox lost, and in those days it was always about half the time (except 67 and 75 Played High School and Legion and got drafted (real low) by the Reds, and then I blew out my shoulder. Played a couple years of fast pitch softball and about 10 years of pretty high level slow pitch, but anybody will tell you it ain't the same game I can still name every single starting lineup and pitching rotation from the 70's.
Then the prices started going up and advertising took over radio and games started lasting 3 1/2 hours and players started making more money in one season than I will make in my whole life. They brought in the designated hitter and a harder baseball and started throwing pitchers out of the game if a pitch came an extra inch inside - because the dilletante fans with the money want to see offense. They expanded the leagues to ridiculous proportions so that half the pitching staffs in MLB are stocked with triple A pitchers. And players started using steroids because.... the fans want to see offense. And MLB didn't notice that all of a sudden players heads were getting bigger because... the fans want to see offense. The Yankees gave up all pretense years ago of being a competitive team and just started buying up all the talent (and the Red Sox, and a couple of other bigger market teams followed suit to some extent).
I haven't been to Fenway since 1986, and I haven't watched a game on TV from start to finish in I can't remember how long. I still follow, peripherally, play fantasy with a few friends. I'm still a huge fan of the history of the game, love baseball movies, and probably will coach again at some point. But I can't subscribe to the theory that baseball is anymore "the great american game".