Word: all-stars
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Never mind Roger Clemens vs. Mike Piazza - if the Rocket was trying to hit the Mets' Big Bad Blonde with that broken bat, Piazza would have spent the off-season in surgery. And never mind National League v. American League, senior circuit vs. junior circuit - any real All-Star rivalry between the leagues (and it was always tenuous at best) has long since evaporated in a haze of free agency and interleague play...
...Bonds is either notoriously arrogant or shy bordering on prickly, and his flaws, of which there are a few, are not the sweet, character-building ones that move Billy Crystal to filmmaking. Make no mistake, though, with 39 dingers at press time--the most in baseball history before the All-Star break--Bonds doesn't just have a chance to break Mark McGwire's 1998 record of 70; he's looking like a lock...
...Davis, witness to Bonds' going deep seven times against the Padres. "If anyone knows how to pitch to him, let me know." Over the course of his 14-year career, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, he has averaged 1 home run per 16 at-bats before the All-Star break and 1 home run per 14.2 at-bats after. So far this season, he has averaged 1 home run per 5.6 at-bats...
...couldn't wait to share his vulnerability, or Slammin' Sammy, the Dominican kid who overcame all the odds. But Brooding Barry? The closest Bonds gets to pathos is admitting that he has felt intimidated by the expectations of his storied baseball lineage. His father Bobby was a three-time All-Star; his godfather Willie Mays is a baseball god. Not exactly a relatable problem for most bleacher bums. Bonds can alienate fans with his aloofness and annoy teammates by refusing to share his obviously sharp insights into the game. One teammate in Pittsburgh, where Bonds played his first seven years...
...baseball, it's worth remembering when Cal Ripken was. Ripken was named Rookie of the Year in 1982 and led the O's to their last World Series title in 1983, his first of two MVP seasons (1991 the other). He's made 18 straight appearances in the All-Star Game, smashed his 400th home run in September 1999 and collected his 3,000th hit in April 2000. Pundits have questioned for some time whether Ripken should have already hung up the spikes, but really, how could one leave with a more perfect baseball career...