Recently, this morning to be exact, I took it upon myself to look up just exactly what purity in baseball truly was, and how purists really look at the game. There are many forms of purity that people can be associated with. Such as many changes made in the 90's, starting with inter-league play, expansion teams, reconfiguration of divisions, or going back to the 70's with the designated hitter. Others hate relocation and the expansion from the 60's or even the lowering of the mound. Lastly, is the thought that the Dead Ball Era was baseball in it's most pristine fashion.
Now I consider myself a purist, and I will explain exactly what kind of baseball purist I am. In other threads I have made it clear that I am 100% against steroids. I don't believe that players that used steroids should be in the Hall of Fame. Players such as Mark McGuire, Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmeiro, Barry Bonds. Or if I should go to a lesser extent, if I were to let them in, their stats from a time frame would have to be wiped away. So if Alex Rodriguez were to make the Hall, in my opinion, his stats from Texas should be wiped clean, and then his numbers go from there. But that is just me.
I am not a purist that hates the DH or inter-league play. Hell, I love both. I love playing the National League, and seeing how they stack up with each other during the regular season, instead of exhibition games. I love the playoff system now, 8 teams make the playoffs, and the drama, if you watch postseason baseball, is amazing.
But, I am also a Dead Ball Era kind of guy. I am not saying that I want us to go back to days of playing with one ball all game, and not allowing any minorities play. I am not saying that. But I believe that the best form of baseball, is smart ball. The correct way to play baseball, is with pitching and defense, and with smart, timely hitting. Sure home runs are exciting, but they don't translate to wins. You could have the best home run hitting team in the game, and it doesn't mean jack shit.
The All Star Game last night is a great example of how to play the game correctly. No home runs were hit, and pitching and defense were the keys to the game. After Roy Halladay gave up 3 runs in the 2nd inning, he got the last out, and then AL pitchers went on a streak of 18 straight batters retired. In a game like this, with the best out on the field, that is astonishing. Timely hitting, Joe Mauer ties it in the 5th by going opposite field, scoring Jeter from 1st. In the 8th, Curtis Granderson hits a ball to left, that Justin Upton didn't know how to play as he isn't a left fielder, and gets a triple out of it. Adam Jones comes up after they intentionally walk Victor Martinez, and hits a sacrifice fly to score the winning run. Then the pitching continued with Joe Nathan and Mariano Rivera to shut the door. Last nights All Star Game was a clinic on how the game should be played, and how errors on defense will cost you.
Having said all of this, I want your opinion on the correct way to play baseball. What makes it exciting for you? Is it a slugfest with 5 home runs a game, or is it a low scoring pitchers duel, and why is it? Lastly, this ties in with home runs and slugfests. If you love home runs, what is it about home runs that makes it better than playing "team smart baseball"?
Now I consider myself a purist, and I will explain exactly what kind of baseball purist I am. In other threads I have made it clear that I am 100% against steroids. I don't believe that players that used steroids should be in the Hall of Fame. Players such as Mark McGuire, Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmeiro, Barry Bonds. Or if I should go to a lesser extent, if I were to let them in, their stats from a time frame would have to be wiped away. So if Alex Rodriguez were to make the Hall, in my opinion, his stats from Texas should be wiped clean, and then his numbers go from there. But that is just me.
I am not a purist that hates the DH or inter-league play. Hell, I love both. I love playing the National League, and seeing how they stack up with each other during the regular season, instead of exhibition games. I love the playoff system now, 8 teams make the playoffs, and the drama, if you watch postseason baseball, is amazing.
But, I am also a Dead Ball Era kind of guy. I am not saying that I want us to go back to days of playing with one ball all game, and not allowing any minorities play. I am not saying that. But I believe that the best form of baseball, is smart ball. The correct way to play baseball, is with pitching and defense, and with smart, timely hitting. Sure home runs are exciting, but they don't translate to wins. You could have the best home run hitting team in the game, and it doesn't mean jack shit.
The All Star Game last night is a great example of how to play the game correctly. No home runs were hit, and pitching and defense were the keys to the game. After Roy Halladay gave up 3 runs in the 2nd inning, he got the last out, and then AL pitchers went on a streak of 18 straight batters retired. In a game like this, with the best out on the field, that is astonishing. Timely hitting, Joe Mauer ties it in the 5th by going opposite field, scoring Jeter from 1st. In the 8th, Curtis Granderson hits a ball to left, that Justin Upton didn't know how to play as he isn't a left fielder, and gets a triple out of it. Adam Jones comes up after they intentionally walk Victor Martinez, and hits a sacrifice fly to score the winning run. Then the pitching continued with Joe Nathan and Mariano Rivera to shut the door. Last nights All Star Game was a clinic on how the game should be played, and how errors on defense will cost you.
Having said all of this, I want your opinion on the correct way to play baseball. What makes it exciting for you? Is it a slugfest with 5 home runs a game, or is it a low scoring pitchers duel, and why is it? Lastly, this ties in with home runs and slugfests. If you love home runs, what is it about home runs that makes it better than playing "team smart baseball"?
Pitchers duels rule in my opinion. Low scoring games that could go either way are the most exciting. Pitching truly is an art form to me, and in my speech class I did a speech on it. The way some people can throw a curve ball, or the way Mariano Rivera throws his cut fastball, Johan Santana or Trevor Hoffman with their changeups. I can't wait until tonight when the White Sox play, I just want to see some good pitching hopefully.