Letters to the Editor
The Brad
Published Letters: 145 Editor's Choice: 16
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The Era That Ruth Built
[Read the article: King Kaufman's Sports Daily]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Yes, Ruth slugged in an era of segregation. And Bonds is the undisputed champion of the Undetectable Substance Era. I won't try to compare the two as hitters right here, but I will mention one small difference: whatever drugs Bonds might've taken, he put them there. The Bambino didn't impose a whites-and-fair-skinned-Latins-only rule. He did the best he could with what he had (beer, hot dogs, raw talent) in the era in which he was born. Bonds, if the leaked grand jury testimony is to be believed, decided he was sick of his era leaving him behind, so he began a regimen of training that included steroids.
At least Ruth barnstormed against black teams. At this late stage, I don't know if Old Man Barry could bat clean even if he wanted to. And yes, Brady Anderson's 50-homer season is a more egregious violation of common sense than Barry's 73 in '01. A whole host of today's players have played hands they weren't dealt. But only one of them has carved up the record books in any meaningful way. I don't look at Barry as some churlish pariah, more like a churlish metaphor. Splitting hairs, yeah, but it works for me.
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Hopper
[Read the article: King Kaufman's Sports Daily]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]May I add that his act was pretty flagrant. I must also add that it amused me to no end. Like an old-timey version of the Reggie Evans sackgrab. Giving a putout to an unconscious man? I felt like we needed Bill Frist to give the ruling on the field.
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Fiddy!
[Read the article: Like rats from a sinking ship]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I'd like to see the Clipse try to pull that stunt. Curtis Jackson is the Matt White of pop-rap!
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DV, King
[Read the article: King Kaufman's Sports Daily]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]DV-
You are right... no, I can't prove Ruth wasn't on benzedrine, goofballs, or Montgomery Burns' Nerve Tonic. But I don't believe I've ever come across any articles that claimed he was. With the amount of recontextualizing the Babe's undergone, I'd think those sort of accusations - if they had any merit - would've gained traction with the SABR crowd. Charges against Bonds, however, are bolstered by leaked grand jury testimony, as well as a bookful of evidence - circumstantial and otherwise. Gosh, I suppose Josh Gibson might've corked his bat, come to think of it. Or he didn't. Sucks for him!
King-
The brouhaha about Bonds reminds me of your long-ago call to legalize steroids, HGH, and the like. It's a fool's errand, but it'd make sports (and the fact that comparing eras is dangerous) a lot more transparent. In the herd-like world of professional athletics, I can sort of grant you that Bonds was caught up into gaining an illegal chemical edge. But if Game of Shadows is to be believed, he made it through the injectilicious 80s and 90s a completely (or at least relatively) clean superstar. No matter how strong the pull from the fraternity of ballplayers, Bonds made his choice: first one, then in 2001, the other.
To appropriate your Ruiz reference, if 80 runners jumped out of the bushes on the 20th mile, but Rosie finished a quarter-mile ahead of everyone else, likely we'd condemn the lot but save a bit more disgust for the fraudulent winner, if only because she messed with our concept of her sport's apex.
It's not like injection was Bonds' only choice. Assuming Griffey stayed off the juice (but who knows - maybe his recent rash of injuries is a product of his era, eh DV?), he made one choice, which seems to've worked out OK. Or Bonds could've gone for high dudgery and blown the whistle on half of baseball. None of these are easy choices - I'm glad I never had to make 'em - but I just can't fully subscribe to the "caught up in forces" theory.
Good on you for mentioning cycling, which as a competitive sport is a complete joke - seemingly everyone taking the same crap to gain a phantom edge. Honestly, your let-them-eat-HGH strategy looks better every month. Athletes want to exchange 10 years for a ring, fine. We'll call you guys when this stuff is finally safe.
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The real innovation in pop music:
[Read the article: Like rats from a sinking ship]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The producers aren't the only businessmen anymore. I guess the music is 50's loss leader now. Welcome to the big leagues, Curtis! Pull up a chair with Jigga and Diddy.
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So one Dixie gasbag = a debate?
[Read the article: Jordin sparks "fat" debate]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The woman who beamed that "Eddie Van Halen made me promise I'd never get fat"? Really? MeMe... the name is too well-built for the internet, but I guess if she were a hoax and not a deluded amateur dietician, she'd have "Dr." somewhere near her name. Then she'd have the barest semblance of credibility. Hey kids: if MeMe Roth's not looking at your check-up results, you don't have to listen to her.
Oh, and I love that David Lee Roth (no relation, Lord willing?) gets her thumbs-up for being as skinny as he was thirty years ago. Because drugs and Jack are fine if your BMI is within range.
I'm with a previous poster - maybe there'd be something to say if Jordin were overweight. Even then, you'd have to prove to me she was unhealthy. She looks fuckin' fabulous, by the way. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to try on my wedding dress.
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cafetorium
[Read the article: A prom to remember]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I remember two things about my senior prom: ending the damn thing dancing with Sara to Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" bleeding through the sub-hXc quality sound system (still a fond memory), and getting gang-humped by three jock dudes during the Beastie Boys' "Brass Monkey". Actually, I remember three things, if it really was I who smuggled out a plateful of chocolate-covered strawberries via my tux coat. Old Milwaukee: the best friend never to sign your yearbook.