THE NEW AMERICAN PAST-TIME

With the NFL lockout coming to a close and Conference Media Days is full bloom, it marks the end to a season for most sports fan. That is the end of baseball season……which was formerly known as America’s Past-time. We as Americans (outside of Boston and New York) have written off the MLB as nothing more than a stop-gap between the NFL draft and the start of fall practice. Just as we watch hideous, train-wrecks of reality TV until the new season of Modern Family is aired, we watch the MLB longing for something more to entertain us.

The question is “Why has the MLB become a mere footnote in most sports fans’ minds?”

I am sure the answers are varying and plentiful, but for me it is very simple………EXCITEMENT, or lack thereof.

Baseball has turned into this mind-numbing drama that rarely provides us with a fulfilling and exciting conclusion, instead we are exposed to managers strolling out to the field to make a pitching change every third batter in the later innings because their lollipop curveball throwing lefty can’t get a right-handed batter out. It has gone from a game a strategy to that of a torturous act similar to having to watch a Kathy Griffin show with your wife (which no man should be subjected to).

I say legalize steroids (or at minimum HGH), at least then we can start to enjoy pleasures of watching players launch 400’ rockets off pitchers that probably should still be in Double A ball, anyway. It would bring back the element that has been void of the game for the last several years…..EXCITEMENT.

I remember back in 1998 watching the race to 62 pitting Big Mac verse Sammy. It was an event that captivated the Country and kept us on the edge of our seats. Now we get nothing more than bloop hits or the ever exciting sacrifice fly to end games with.

I don’t care if it supposedly gives the hitter an unfair advantage (and it’s not like the pitchers weren’t on them either, Mr. Clemens), it would bring back interest to a game that has falling faster in popularity than the 2008 housing market. Let’s face it, “Everyone digs the longball” and we all know that if Heather Locklear likes it, can't be wrong.

So until then, I will continue to count the days until I can see the coaches take the podium to talk about their teams, which haven’t even begun to practice, and NFL players report to training camp because we all know that football is the NEW American Past-time.

- Tom Selleck's Mustache