2010... A New Hope

Another decade has come and gone and I guess it’s only right that the poster child for Major League Baseball, the New York Yankees, open and close the decade as world champions. In a decade where steroids reigned supreme and then washed out... They have proven with this last championship that steroids don’t win you championships…lots and lots of money does (combined with tiny ballpark dimensions). Sure, there were teams like the Marlins and the Rays in the fall classic, but at the end of it all, money stands tall. Let’s take a look back at how the baseball history books were written this decade. Before steroids dominated the headlines there were corked bats. Baseball also gave us other unwanted figures such as Steve Bartman, the rally monkey, and the Nationals. Records were tainted. Idols fell from grace. Ticket prices soared. The cost of drinking at a game went up exponentially. So, where’s the good? The good is seen in the players that crawled out of the rubble untainted (so far). The good is seen in players like Michael Young, Derek Jeter, Chase Utley, and Ichiro. These are players who possess 5 tool talents that have played the same way throughout their careers. They're scrappy players with tons of talent that know how to play hard and play smart baseball. They are the few constants that baseball has left and they will leave behind the foundation for baseball to rebuild itself going forward into the future.


We're beginning to see less and less of the big burly men toting oak trees swinging for the fences. Sure, big time sluggers are still important to a team; but the five tool man, the line drive hitter is being revitalized with the ousting of steroids. There are plenty of examples out there: Curtis Granderson, Grady Sizemore, Jason Werth, Ian Kinsler, Jacoby Ellsbury, Matt Kemp, to name a few. These guys are becoming the upper echelon of major league baseball. More and more people will find that these guys are actually a lot more exciting to watch than the 40+ HR guys like Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire or Sammy Sosa. These “5 Toolers” know how to play the game and play it well. They keep opposing teams on their toes. Ultimately, these guys will speed up the game of baseball and make it more interesting to the casual fan. Hitting doubles down the line, sprinting for third on a triple, stealing third base with the game on the line or even stealing home is a remedy for boring baseball. As opposed to those teams just looking for the big homer. We are all looking forward to a fresh start. We've already been seeing it. Home runs will still conquer the game, but it will be more like a cherry on top rather than the whole sundae.


I'd like to conclude that you have to choose your heroes carefully these days. Make sure your children emulate the right players. Make sure they shadow them in their play and how they carry themselves on the field. The word “class” has faded in the past decade, but a few players still carry the title. I predict that more and more will follow in the near future. The recent past may have been dim for most baseball fans, but the near future looks bright.