Fixing Baseball

Baseball is again down in the dumps, thanks to the "news" that Sammy Sosa roided it up. So here are a few ideas that could fix America's Pastime.

1. The league with the best interleague record gets home field advantage for the World Series.

Enough with the All-Star game being the deciding factor. It's an exhibition game, which is supposed to be fun, not matter. Who wants to see two players on sub-.500 teams square off when it doesn't even matter to them? Yes, the winning and losing pitchers last year were from the Rays and Phillies - the two World Series teams - but how often does that happen? The only reason this rule is in place is because Bud Selig made an awful decision by calling the game a tie in 2002.

If we pick the league with the best interleague record, that will give us a much fairer outcome. That way, home field advantage (which is huge) will go to the best league, rewarding the team who had the toughest road to the Series, and the All Star game can go back to being fun.

2. Age restrictions

The biggest problem with baseball, in my opinion, is that nobody knows where these guys come from. College baseball is virtually non-existent, and no way are we going to follow every high school kid, international player or A/AA/AAA prospect. So here's a thought: you have to be two years removed from high school to be drafted/signed by a MLB club. It's what the NFL does, and it works. This rule will force players to attend college for at least two years, which will expose prospects to the national stage, which in turn will gets fans interested in the college game, which then leads to interest in the minor leagues.

With all the young talent being relocated to the NCAA, it will expand the talent pool and make it, for once, watchable. We will be acclimated with the college environment, making the MLB draft on par with the NFL/NBA drafts. Also, getting Central American players out of societies where PEDs are served with breakfast won't hurt either.

3. Get tough on steroids - for real this time

First strike: one year suspension. Second strike: three year suspension. Third strike: you're out.

If that doesn't force players to think twice before dropping their drawers for a performance boost, I don't know what will. But in order to do this, baseball has to be prepared. First off, the MLB must make a list of all known substances which might come up positive under a PED test. Go to a GNC and mark down everything. Make it known, make it clear, and there will be no mistake about what is or is not acceptable.

4. The World Baseball Classic should be played directly after the World Series.

Here's why it's bad to play the WBC in March: it's March! What do you think we're watching? Most casual fans don't get into baseball until June/July, let alone during college basketball season. Play it right after the Series, and you'll get fans right when their taste for baseball is the most palatable. This also helps us to get familiar with international players. Hey, if we watch the World Cup because of the rabid nationalism, we sure as hell will watch the baseball equivalent.

Donte' Stallworth is not Michael Vick

Somehow, minorities getting in trouble hurts caucasians the most. It's because of what I all Angry White Man Complex. AWMC is when the collective hatred of the pigmently challenged rallies everyone else against them in the name of bigotry. It's what happened in the cases of O.J. Simpson and Michael Vick, and it's dangerously close to happen with the Donte' Stallworth mini-drama.

So, long story short, Stallworth, an NFL wide receiver, hit and killed a man with his car while driving under the influence. With that description, Stallworth should at least get the same penalty as Leonard Little, who did the same thing, and probably should get hit harder with Roger Goodell as Punisher in Chief. Except, the long story isn't short.

The facts seem to point to an accident. Not that Stallworth was a drunk whose impairment led to someone's death. Apparently, the story is that victim Mario Reyes darted out in front of Stallworth's car, and that the hit and run was unavoidable unless the star receiver made a miraculous car commercial-like move.

Oh, and it wasn't a hit and run. Stallworth stopped immediately, called the cops and volunteered to take a breathalyzer knowing he had been drinking. Seem like he premeditated a crime like torturing dogs?

The family settled financially, and the courts did so judicially. So why all the outrage? On today's broadcast of "Around The Horn" on ESPN, L.A. Times columnist Bill Plaschke said that the verdict "stinked", was "all about the money" and is "wrong". Well, Mr. Plaschke, if the family is satisfied, then why aren't you? Stop looking at the case by face value and look at the facts. If the NFL wants to punish Stallworth for driving drunk, then fine, so be it. But the fact that a professional athlete didn't serve what sports writing legal experts consider ample time doesn't mean that it's another case of a celebrity getting off light.

Seriously, learn the facts folks.

It's Time To Legalize Gambling

I am a gambler. I love the rush - the anticipation of every pitch, the excitement of a three-pointer and the hope of a missed field goal. Anyone who has ever placed a wager, whether it be a $5 bet on a Super Bowl coin flip or a $1000 roll on a craps table, will know from the very first time whether or not they are truly a gambler. I'm not proud of it, but I also am not ashamed. It's who I am and I deal with the harsh reality of having such a vice.

I don't need anybody to protect myself from it either. And that somebody is U.S. House Representative Spencer Bachus. He is the one leading the charge against internet gambling. On the other side is Rep. Barney Frank from Massachusetts, who is trying to pass a bill for legalization. Dueling columns written by the two men on usnews.com gives both sides of the argument, but since Frank's views are similar to mine, let me point out the voice of the opposition:

- Betting with a credit card undercuts a player's perception of the value of cash, which leads to addiction

- Underage kids can bypass age verification

- Underage kids fall prey due to computer access

- Gambling is 24/7 online

- Internet operations are vulnerable to criminal activity

- Regulation is hard and takes time

The first four points all have something in common, so I'll address those first. The idea that using credit cards somehow tricks people into betting more than they can afford has less to do with gambling and everything to do with, ahem, credit cards. This is the society we live in, folks. Millions of Americans use their magic pieces of plastic to buy things they can't afford. Personal responsibility, or the lack thereof, is a national problem that extends way farther than pokerstars.net.

That lack of control is also what the fear of 24/7 gambling is all about. Frank makes an excellent point that it is quite curious that conservatives, who are always complaining about a Democratic "nanny" government, seem very interesting and protecting ourselves from ourselves. So what if I spend 12 straight hours playing Seven-Card Stud High-Low Eight-Or-Better against a businessman from Singapore and a college dropout from Houston? Who am I hurting? Believe me, if anything I'm buying that businessman a new Porsche or getting that kid back into school. I suck at poker.

The other three points I will lightly touch on. First, if you're worried that college kids are using their laptops to play computer games, God bless you. You don't want to know what they're actually using it for. Just type in "two girls" into Google. See what your kids are really watching.

Age-verification and criminal activity can be solved by one thing: legalization. That will bring regulation, the arch-enemy of Republicans. Well, business regulation that is. As far as regulating your own behavior, they're all for it. As Bachus puts it, "new legislation would direct the Treasury Department to set up a new regulatory regime to oversee shadowy foreign gaming enterprises in a mere matter of months". That's how Bachus thinks, because that's how the media works. If things aren't running smoothly in a short time frame, it must be a bust. Truth is, the process will be long and tedious, and in the dawn of gambling's legalization there will be a lot of fake sites and "shadowy foreign gaming enterprises". But, as the saying goes, nothing worth doing is ever easy. We'll have to take the lumps. I'm okay with that.

While Frank is still anti-sports betting, I applaud him for his effort. He is still a politician and I am sure his stance against all other gambling is purely political. But I'm tired of people telling me what to do.

As Frank so eloquently put it himself: "the vast majority of human activities should be neither encouraged nor outlawed by the government but rather be left entirely to the choice of free individuals."

Blind Faith

Life is full of many tough decisions, but picking your favorite sports team isn't one of them. Most of us were indoctrinated at a very young age, much like the kids in Jesus Camp. And like those kids, we too have our little rituals, warped thinking, extreme loyalty and a deranged enthusiasm for our sports teams. But I live in Kansas City. I only have three. For me, it's all about the Royals, Chiefs and Kansas Jayhawks. We have no NBA or NHL team, and it is simply not enough for me. That's why I have decided that the time is now to choose sides. No longer will I watch professional basketball or hockey with an objective eye. And just to make sure I get my sports fill, I'm going to pick a NASCAR driver as well.

But how do I go about doing this? I can't simply just pick some teams. That would be too biased, plus I don't want to be that guy who becomes a Lakers/Penguins/Jimmie Johnson fan because they happen to be winning at the time. In other words, I don't want to be LeBron James.

The only true way is through complete randomization. For that, I turned to random.org's List Randomizer. And to bring myself a little bit of fortune, my teams and driver will be the eighth down the list; my lucky number.

The results: Detroit Pistons, Minnesota Wild and Greg Biffle.

I can live with the Pistons, who are a storied franchise, even if they seem to be headed for a quick free fall. They've always had that hard-nosed, blue-collar toughness, which I like. They hate Chicago, and I can back that up as a KC resident. Their last championship, in 2004, was under coach Larry Brown, who led my beloved Jayhawks to a national championship in 1988. I can work with this.

The other two are a bit tricky, since I have never really followed hockey or racing. But that was really the whole point; becoming a fan of one team/driver will help me in becoming a fan of those sports. I need a rooting interest.

So there it is, my new distractions. I now have a stake in all the major sports, and my loyalties will not waver. Well, until the Sprint Center finds some tenants, that is.

Raul Ibanez, Steroids and the Media

It is now time to comment on the infamous Raul Ibanez story. If you're not in the know, here's the short version: a blogger for Midwest Sports Fans wrote an article which happened to include a " what if?" about Ibanez's great start to 2009, and if it's possible that steroids could be the culprit. Well, after the post got some internet love, Philadelphia Inquirer journalist John Gonzales made the news national in his column, berated original poster "JRod" for insinuating that Ibanez is a cheater. Which, it should be stated, he did not.

If you don't automatically think of PEDs when someone comes out of nowhere and starts hitting the ball in a Bonds-ian manner, then you haven't been paying attention over the last decade. We thought Alex Rodriguez would be the Golden Boy who cleared Bonds' record. Uh-oh. Well, at least there are pure hitters like Manny Ramirez who don't need to cheat. Oops. OK, but we know that the pitchers these juicers are hitting are doing it the right way. Wrong again.

As in JRod's original story, I want to remind everybody that steroid allegations are not personal attacks on anybody, but the harsh reality of baseball. And while it was read for what is was worth through the tubes, when Gonzales "legitimatized" the story by reporting it in the Inquirer, he conveniently cherry picked a few quotes to make it look like JRod was accusing Ibanez of cheating.

This is what the media does. Mass media hounds bloggers like myself for wanting to be the story instead of reporting it, and condemning us for not researching the facts or not having the "inside information" unlike scholars like themselves. It's tired. Truth is, the hoopla didn't start until Gonzales made it front page news and - gasp! - made himself a part of the story instead of - gulp! - not giving us the real facts. Oh, mainstream journalism at its finest.

Please, read the original article. Don't let media heads like The Inquirer spin stories to get you riled up. I won't ever get a gig at a major newspaper because I don't have the credentials, mainly because I dropped out of journalism school. And why? Because after the first day I could tell that the plan was to mold me into the type of writer like Gonzalez, and I rather work my forty hours and do this in my off time than become that type of scum. The Inquirer's profile of Gonzalez claims that the writer was a wannabe politician who got creamed in a bid for Congress. Wow, I wonder where he learned his spin...

Again, if you don't think of steroids when a 37 year old is hitting out of his mind, then you are blind or lying to yourself. It's your duty to be skeptical. Giving the benefit of the doubt is what allowed the Steroids Era to happen, and until big hitters stop testing positive, we shouldn't let up. Get used to it.

By the way, for the real reason of Ibanez's success, Joe Posnanski has the answer.