It's finally here. Tonight the 2006 Major League Baseball Season begins with the World-Champion Chicago White Sox face the Cleveland Indians. It's on TV at 8pm EST, and I'll be watching.

I'm a BIG baseball fan. I grew up in the 70s and 80s in upstate New York -- and I became a lifetime baseball fan watching the likes of Willie Randolph, the incredible Greg Nettles and Bucky Dent on the left side; Lou Pinella and Mr. October, Reggie Jackson; Luis Tiant, Ron Guidry, Tommy John, and the unbelievable Goose Gossage.

I remember Thurman Munson, and when he died. I saw Catfish Hunter pitch in Yankee stadium. I remember Don Mattingly's rookie year and followed him throughout his entire career -- all 14 years with the Yankees.

MLB is a different game today. It used to be that when a team won a World Series, all the players would want to join that team and be part of a winning team. Nowadays, when a team wins the series, all the players want to leave that team for higher salaries. It used to be more about playing the game and winning than about taking steriods to break records.

It's a different game -- but I can watch it and pretend. I can ignore all the players who have nearly obviously taken steroids. I can pretend I don't see the insane salaries being paid when the players bat. For me, baseball is an escape -- and escape back to another time. A time when kids would step outside and throw the plastic whiffleball pretending to be Goose Gossage or Catfish Hunter, while the opposing kid would be Reggie Jackson.

So, MLB, do investigate. No, the steriods investigation will make no difference to me -- when the chief investigator has a primary role in the management of a team. Pay all the money you want to the players. Exploit and bribe the politicians who I refuse to support to give you tax money for your stadiums. Continue raising ticket prices so that I cannot afford to attend.

I'm going to ignore you, as I always do. I'm going to enjoy the game for what it is -- a great GAME where a pitcher faces a batter and tries to throw that ball past him; while the batter does everything he can to hit that little round ball with a round bat.

Tonight you'll find me watching the game with the sound turned way down. I don't care about all the other issues. I just want to see the game.

Play Ball!

Posted by: Ogre at 09:04 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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