Sunday, November 8, 2009

Yankees the best team in baseball

After 162 games of hard fought baseball, the New York Yankees are the World Series champions. This team is the best team money can buy. It's the team's 27th World Series championship won. This is more then any other team. Is it really fair to have all these good players? Over the years the Yankees have improved dramatically, fighting through every season played. They won the series 4-2 against the Philles, which the year before that the World Series was won by the Philles. So in the begining the Yankess knew this wasn't going to be easy. Hideki Matsui was the first japanese MVP in the World Series and he came off reckless. The team had an unstoppable force of many players who are some of the greats.

It is crazy how the Yankees have won so many championships. It seems like over and over again they win. The Chicago Cubs just need to win 1 World Series before i die it will make life so much easier! Okay a little off topic, but they really do need to win. Some of the worlds greatest have played for the yanks, and it seems like everyone wants to play for them.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Wood or Aluminum?

What's better to use wood bats or aluminum? Many people seem to think that if young people use wood bats they will be prepared for the next level, but is this true? Wood bats force you to stay inside of the ball and drive the ball to all parts of the field. If you get to inside of the ball the bat will shatter. This costs lots of money to buy another wood bat. If all leagues switched to wood bats scouts wouldn't be able to see the outfielders run because a lot of baseballs aren't hit to the outfield. If aluminum is used it gives outfielders a better chance to run after a ball, and show speed. That is what most scouts look for in an outfielder. Aluminum makes competition harder, because the ball flys off the bat.

In my opinion i believe that younger kids should use aluminum and major or minor leaguers should use wood. Reason being is because people who are in the minors or majors have already showed off their skills to scouts. Little leaguers and high school athletes haven't had that opportunity yet. Wood can make you better, but for younger people it should be used inside. Older people use wood because if aluminum is used then fields will have to be bigger because the amount of homeruns will increase, and money becomes an issue.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Curses

What is a curse? One team in major league baseball has been cursed for a long period of time. This means that something evil has has come upon this team for many years. This team is the Chicago Cubs, and they haven't been too a world series since 1908. A man named William "Billy Goat" Sianis tryed to bring a goat to game 4 of the 1945 world series, that brought along the curse of the goat. Even though damage had already been done they ended up leaving the stadium because apparently the goat smelled, and the cubs ended up losing the series. So is it really a curse? Die hard Cubs fans seem to believe so since they haven't been to a world series in over 100 years. A plague like this needs to stop. The Cubs, since the 1945 world series, have been in the playoffs many times, but seem to come up short every time. In 2003 the Cubs had the opportunity to prove every team wrong of the curse. They had in depth pitching, and an unstoppable offence that produced runs like crazy. Cubs seemed to be doing well in the series, but a 26 year old man by the name of Steve Bartmen got in the way of a foul ball. Moises Alou left fielder at the time was going up to catch a flyball and the fan snatched it out of his glove. They ended up losing the game and the series. So the curse of the goat and the 2003 playoffs has effected them up till this point. Personally i don't think the curse is true because there should be no excuse to not winning a world series in over 100 years. They have had the pitching and defense they just so happen to be unlucky and fall short every time.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

One of a Kind

Does the game of baseball have a racial barrier? Many people seem to think so as long ago that is how it used to be. Jackie Robinson was one the greatest baseball players that ever lived, but he so happened to be black. During the time he played, the game of baseball was segregated. This ment that blacks were not allowed to play in a game with whites. Robinson was a great athlete who played four sports: baseball, football, basketball, and track. This man would be later known as one of the games greats. He was the youngest of 5 children and was raised in poverty, but that didn't stop him from pursuing a dream. From 1942 to 1944 Robinson had served in the military. He was later arrested because he wouldn't move to the back of a segregated bus during his training. Robinson was courageous and was against segregation. He was ready to take a huge leap forward. After being removed from the army, Robinson seeked to play baseball professionally.

Robinson played in a negro league seperate from the whites. One day he was chosen by a man named Branch Rickey, who was vice president of the Brooklyn Dodgers to play in an all white farm team called the Montreal Royals. Robinson was tested everyday, as many of the fans yelled racial comments to him, he stood up and had courage. He put up amazing stats for the farm league team and later made his debut for the Dodgers on April 15, 1947. The day was huge as he became the first black to become a major league baseball player. This day was memorable and Jackie Robinson so happens to be a Hall of Famer. He is the only person to have his number retired in all of baseball by all the teams. Number 42 will always be remembered.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Living the wrong kind of dream

Drugs can harm your body in many ways. So what is the point to do them? One man had a dream to become one of the greatest, but these so called "drugs" were holding him back. Josh Hamiliton had a huge problem. He was a number 1 draft pick and had huge potential. Nothing was holding him back, except for one thing he had a huge drug addiction. in 2004 he was banished from baseball because he was snorting cocaine a very deadly drug that makes you do stupid things. An addiciton like this isnt easy to overcome. Hamiliton was burning threw a $4 million dollar check to becoming a major leaguer. He was letting his whole family down and also his teammates. People were starting to think of him differently his hometown thought he was losing it. He had been threw rehab and out of baseball for three years and he found a way to train and keep his composure.



Hamiliton made his debute in 2007 and ever since then he has been an unstoppable force. Each year he has been a part of the majors hes been a triple crown candidate meaning he is leading the league in three categories. Even though Hamiliton has deathly dreams about his past hes learning to put it past himself and become a better man. His potential is great and it is a story that will be greatly remembered

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Gambling an Addiction

What is the point to gamble? To win more money to feel better about yourself? One certain man who was a Major Leaguer had a huge gambling issue. Pete Rose who was known as the "hit king" was one of the greatest who ever lived and he had the stats to prove it. Lifetime he had a 303. batting average, and he leads all the majors in games played with 3562, plate apperances with 15,861, at bats with 14,053, and most importantly of all most career hits with 4,256. Rose was unstoppable and was always on the base paths, but one thing he had a huge problem with was gambling. February 1989 baseball has found out that one of the greatest had bet on baseball. In 1985, 86,and 87 Rose bet on his own team the Cincinatti Reds at $10,000 minumum a day. Rose had many problems and was to seek conseling for his addicition. This man was a future Hall of Famer, but this was one thing the baseball world was holding him too. If he would have come clean in the court decision he would have been inducted in the fame years ago.



Rose had denied it for 14 years of his gambling issue, he has been featured in many issues of sports illustrated and is one of baseball most viewed stories. Behind it all Rose hasn't made it to the Hall of Fame yet and awaits the day it comes. In my opinion i believe what Rose did was wrong but that was many years ago, he should be given credit for the success he had as a big leaguer. Baseball so happens to be a hard game and a man who leads the majors in hits and no one is even close to that mark should be in the Hall of Fame. To learn more about Pete Rose and his gambling story you can go to this website, www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/2004-01-05-rose_x.htm

Sunday, September 6, 2009

The game of baseball and steroids.

What is the point to steroids? It seems like each and every year athlete after athlete is using this anabolic drug. Some people think its cheating but is it? There are some side effects to this drug as there are with other drugs. It can cause bad breath, severe acne, kidney disease, testicular shrinkage and so much more. It makes any man or women the ability to become stronger and become better at any sport. In the game of baseball steroids is a huge issue. Over the past years a couple of big time players have tested positive for steroids. Manny Ramirez one the greatest baseball players in the game tested positive. He has played for the Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, and now the Los Angeles Dodgers. He is known as one of the greatest hitters in his time and is a potention hall of famer. There have been 104 players who have tested positive for this drug including Alex Rodriguez in 2003 who plays for the New York Yankees, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGuire, and many others.

Barry Bonds another baseball player has used this anabolic drug. Bonds was a homerun hitter many pitchers were scared to face him. In 2001 he broke the single season homerun record with 73 dingers which was previously held by Mark McGuire in 1998 with 70. He also broke the record of homeruns hit in a career with 762 which was held by a hall of famer Hank Aaron who had 755. With all these records Bonds has single handed become one of the greatest baseball players who ever lived. But should he be given any credit to what he's done? Should he be put in the hall of fame? He has lied about the use of the drug when he tested positive for having 3 drugs in his body at the time. All those other hall of famers who broke the records did it the hard way and trained each and every day until they got better. Many people thought he has "cheated" and should never be given any credit for what he has done. So it is left at that steroids is a very harmful drug that can strengthen the body but at the same time can do some harm and consequences will be suffered.