Baseball

I just finished watching Ken Burns' part one of the "Tenth Inning" the continuation of his famous 9 Inning "Baseball" documentary that was originally broadcast during the strike in 1994.

The original series is fabulous.  Ken Burns considers it a continuation of American History after his "Civil War" documentary.  It is true that you can follow American history from the mid 1800s on through baseball.  It was interesting for me to watch this episode though because I was alive during the period it covers.  I was not a big baseball fan as a child.  Football (and the Packers) were the focus in the fall.  I also loved basketball for the fall/winter.  I shot hoops in the driveway by myself and with friends year round.  Golf took over as the sport I really liked to play in the spring and summer.  Baseball was just not my thing, but like most people I specifically remember watching 2 things in the mid nineties.  Cal Ripken's 2131st straight game and Mark McGwire's 62nd home run.

I have always heard that the strike almost "killed" baseball.  But to see everything that went into its development, and the aftermath when the 1995 season opened was something new for me.  I never realized that attendance was down 20%, and fans were booing their stars, especially the ones that were MLBPA reps (i.e. Tom Glavine).  The Yankees weren't even good yet.  The Expos were.  Bonds was skinny.  And Ripken was the new iron man.  And sports fans, as usual have a short memory.  Viking fans embrace Brett Favre 1 year after despising him.  Everyone hates Tiger now.  You're either the greatest, or the worst. Cal Ripken was the greatest, and we loved it.  Then Big Mac & Sammy Sosa came along in 98 and blew us all away.  As a kid you are not thinking about steroids, and all of that.  Especially for me as a big football fan seeing big bodied athletes is not unusual.  Steroids were not banned at the time; a lot of times they were even sold over the counter as "supplements."

We all know what happened in the next 5 years.  Bonds went on to hit 73, and for some reason that (not the 70 McGwire hit or guys like Clemens pitching well into their 40s) made us really think something was going on.

Unfortunately I'm a spaz and forgot to record the "Bottom of the Tenth" but I see that PBS is replaying it on November 15th.  Until then I will not know what happened in baseball from 1998-2010.