Quote:
Originally posted by PornoDoggy@Feb 17 2005, 01:36 AM
In the pre-Ruth era there was a guy called Frank "Home Run" Baker, and no, it wasn't used sarcasticly. He led the majors a couple of years with homerun totals that never exceed an even dozen.
More recently, after the 68 season (in addition to the blasphemy of the designated hitter), after an era when pitchers like Gibosn, Kofax, Drysdale, blew most hitters away, they dropped the mound 6". May not seem like much (and there were rumours that they played with the density of the ball then, too) but it increased hitting. BTW - the drug scandal of that era was amphetimines - if a 90-year-old-man was as stoked as Pete "Charley Hustle" Rose was in those days, he'd have run to first base after a walk too.
Cheating has ALWAYS been an integral part of sports. Hockey is, to the average fan, all about fights. Players become legends because they get away with cheating (Conrad Dobler and Lyle Alzado in football, any number of spitballers in baseball).
I'm old enough (barely) to remember listening to my grandfather predicting the destruction of the game becase Stan Muscial managed to get the Buschbirds to make him the 2nd player to make $100,000.
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Yup, Home Run Baker's highest total was 13, I believe
baseball has always done things to improve the hitting game because it packs more butts in seats than pitching (which is sad...one of the best games I ever saw was Greg Maddux pitching a 98-pitch, 102 minute gem in Wrigley field against the Cubs, but a game like that draws boos from the average crowd)