AMERICA'S PAST TIME
					Give me a break!!!
	Major League Baseball has yet again hit rock bottom for the second time in this very young fetus of the 2004 season.  There is not a more accurate statement to describe baseball as that of "America's past time", and it is just that.  The game of America's past.  It's over!  It's done, and it's way "past time" for America to get off the freakin' MLB bus. In a dire effort to better explain to you, the reader, of just how ridiculous the game of baseball is today let me expound: In the 50s, 60s, and 70s, there were rules set by all athletic organizations specifing the requirements a person must meet before he/she could be considered to play under that particular organization.  One of the major aspects of this code was that a "player" must be an american citizen to take part in the major leagues.  This principle as a whole has be totally done away with.  Over the past 10 years, there has been such an influx of international players into this "American game" it's not even funny.  Which is a shame because there are thousands of men coming up through college that are good enough to play in the majors, as well as, men that sit their whole carreers in the minors getting paid close to nothing because some general managing millionaire decided to take Juan from the Dominican Republic.  IT'S FREAKIN' RIDICULOUS! Announcers talk about how pitching has "vastly improved" in the past 10 years.  HOW?  If you watch any MLB game nowadays, pitching is a joke.  In the 70s and 80s and prior, pitchers went the full 9 innings most of the time with little relief or help of a different pitcher coming in.  These days, MLB has a guy on every team referred to as the "pitching coach", and this guys does absolutely nothing, but tell the manager exactly how many throws each pitcher has in him.  This guys is gonna tell the manager when the star is finished throwing, when he has nothing left.  What ever happened to the manager walking out to the mound and asking the pitcher, "how you feel?"  Most of the time, the "starter" is pulled by the end of the 5th, and then the party of bullpen wannabees comes in as the manager sees fit.  Relying too much on the "pitching coaches", the managers procede to dazzle the crowds with their ongoing chessmatch; changing pitchers for a single batter sometimes.  Some of the longer bullpen warriors.will last for HALF AN INNING!!!  Wow, you're making 2.3 Million dollars, go ahead into the locker room you've really earned your jack tonight with the 12 pitches you just threw.  It's utterly pathetic, diarrheaing through eight relief pitchers in a single matchup. "Steroid" enough said.  I don't even want to talk about the roids.. There is no reason to get into the huge scandal found in MLB with roids.  I'm not going to do it.  It will not be done.  There is too many other things to say about this fleeting game than to talk about MLBs history on thier pathetic efforts at a substance abuse policy.  It's not enough that Darrell Strawberry was busted for the possession of cocaine five times.  And then was let back into the league against the code of the MLB each and every time. So why talk about juiced athletes shattering home-run records. Why talk about super-human feats being accomplished why drugged up "athletes", and documented as if these guys actually did them.  There is no reason to talk about ROIDS, and I will not do it.
	Yet another reason of why I think MLB is so utterly pathetic is their modern way of keeping statistics. They don't just keep stats, they keep STATS.  They have stats for everything, and these guys actually talk about them as if they have some aspect to do with the game.  These analysts and owners have stats for everything up unto how many times the 2nd baseman scratches himself between the 1st and 2nd outs of the 4th inning.  It's unbelievable.  But hey if that's what you like, then baseball is where to be because where else would you find out the batting record for Russ Ortiz against Roger Clemons on mondays during a day game with the wind blowing out of the east at 10-15 mph, and with the sun in Ortiz's left eye and runners at the corners?  Hmmmm, you just couldn't get accurate information like that anywhere else, could you? Speaking of irrelavant statistics, it makes me over-joyed beyond belief to see the New York Yankees having more problems on and off the field than an old man trying to return soup at a deli.  I'm happy to see the newest prospect, the former Texas Ranger, "GAY-ROD" is in a slump batting 0-17 in the past 6 games, way to earn your 252 million.  This is no made up number people, 252 million dollars this guy is getting paid to hit a ball.  Also I'm glad to see the always over-talked about Derek Jeter finally hit the ball after 37 attempts at the plate.  Another huge mistake MLB has made is their failure to get with the program and put a salary cap on teams like this.  Consequently, we now have a team that presently possess the ability to overpay every allstar in all of MLB and group them together in an area we now refer to as New York for the simple reason that their market is bigger.  This should make for some beautiful games, eh?  The men from New York do battle against the always popular and ever loving boy scouts from Kansas, this should be exciting huh, and who would of taught it, the Yankees are up two touchdowns by the bottom of the second inning. Now this next bit can all be lumped together into one huge spew of information.  Bob Costas, a very good sports analyst/writer, said it best, "Baseball sells history, and then turns around and sells out history".  The latest endevoer MLB is peering into is painting the emblem of the upcoming movie for Spiderman II on the tops of every base in every stadium.  Of course they're going to charge for it.  I guess MLB/FOX sports net aren't making enough jack selling superimposed ads on the backstop behind the catcher eh?  Bad idea MLB.  Are the commericals not enough anymore, we have to be subjected to running ads during the game too?  I can't wait until Moises Alou misses a game-ending flyball because he was distracted by the neon paint in the middle of the outfield.  Or maybe Alfonso Soriano trying to turn a double play, will trip over one of the props they have so carefully located in the infield for Clorox Bleach
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