Baseball Sadness

The New York Mets have dropped four in a row. I was just starting to get excited for them again, but it has been hard since last year's massive tumble.

I still think baseball is the greatest sport, but my one time undying love is now waning. I tried to get tickets to see the Yankees or the Mets during September, and was blown away by the ticket prices. Both teams are getting new stadiums this year. Because of that, many people are making the voyage to see them one more time in their original stadium.

Baseball used to be a sport where you could go at a moment's notice and still get tickets. Furthermore, you could get nosebleed seats for a couple of bucks and really good seats for $15. It used to be the only sport you could to which you could afford to take your family, and now that's even unrealistic more than a few times a year at best.

I still love baseball, but I'm leaning more toward the minor leagues. Minor league baseball is still a personal game. When I was a kid I always looked forward to the day when I would take my son to games. Thank goodness for farm teams, or it wouldn't be a realistic expectation today. The value you get for the price of a MLB ticket, food, parking and gas isn't there any longer.

Dad and I used to go to Pittsburgh and watch the Pirates play in Three Rivers Stadium. We didn't make a big event out of it. It was usually last-minute, even though Pittsburgh was a 2-hour drive. We never bought food, because hot dogs were only a dollar. Dad would get a beer, and I'd have a sip. We would sit for almost 3 hours in relative silence, but yet feel bonded. Sometimes we would wait around outside the stadium after the game and I would try to get autographs of the visiting team. The Pirates always took their personal cars home, but the visiting team came out together and got on a bus.

Over the years I got to meet Daryl Strawberry, Pete Rose and dozens of other players who had much less time in the spotlight. I collected baseball cards and knew most of the players by sight.

It's different now. Everything is more expensive, and the game is less personal. You even hear it in the announcer's voice. Players used to play for one team for their entire careers, and you were as much a fan of individuals as you were of your team.

I'm sad because even if I get to share a little baseball with my son, it will never be the same experience that I once had.

New York Mets Fan Beats His Mother to Death

Reuters reported a tragic story today out of New York.

A New York man has been charged with beating his mother to death with a barbell after losing his temper while watching a baseball game on television.

Michael Anthony, 25, was watching the New York Mets lose a game on Saturday from his home in the borough of Queens when he began furiously banging on the walls, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said in a statement on Monday.

His father Fred Fischman shouted at him to stop, but Anthony punched him in the face and threw him to the ground, according to the criminal charges.

When Anthony's mother, Maria Fischman, 61, tried to intervene, prosecutors said he stabbed her once in the head with a knife before chasing her into a bedroom where he struck her several times with the 20 pound (9 kilogram) barbell.

My opinion: The only reason this made the news is because he was a Mets fan. Had he been a Yankees fan, it may have been forgiven. Had he been a Yankees fan, and she'd been wearing a Red Sox cap, it would've been a justifiable homicide.

Seriously, undiagnosed mental health issues are reaching crisis proportions. It sounds like Michael Anthony probably had more than a few problems that started before the game.

The Atari 2600 Generation Has (never) Grown up

I am 36 years old now. I'm part of the Atari generation. A friend of mine came over this weekend and we spent the entire Martin Luther King holiday weekend playing World of Warcraft.

It occurred to me that this is not a terribly unusual situation for people my age. Our parents find it unfathomable that adults play video games. I'm struggling with the fact that there are enough console games for four-year-olds.

I think the Atari generation is the group of people between the ages of 28 and 38. This is a unique generation in that virtually every single one of us had an Atari, or spent many hours with our "best friend" who was the other kid on the block with an Atari.

Very few of us played video games with our parents, but almost all of us play video games with our children today.

Our parents tried to convince us that Atari would rot our brains, and we should go outside and play baseball. They played catch and hit the ball all day long. They threw footballs and played basketball, and spent most of the day outdoors. They were convinced their children should do the same. But I ask you this, among those who dedicate their lives to sports and among those who dedicated their lives to sitting in front of a computer screen, which group has been more successful in generating positive results for society? Geeks have given us the Internet, a truly shrinking world, entertainment and information at our fingertips. Sports stars have given us multimillion dollar contracts, skyrocketing ticket prices, intense merchandising, and of course steroids.

Our parents thought Atari was a phase. In a sense they are right, Atari has gone by the wayside more than two decades ago, but it was the beginning, the origin of a new form of entertainment and in my opinion, family togetherness.

I feel like I was a witness to something great.

Tell me your thoughts...

Is There Playoff Hope for the New York Mets?

And why I'm not paying attention...

The New York Mets beat the Cubs tonight, 2-0. They are 56-54, two games over .500 and only 7½ games behind the Braves. Normally, if this was the case, I'd start paying attention to the sports pages daily, and catching as many games as possible on the telly.

But, this season is different. While they seemingly are still alive, they are actually in last place in the National League East. All five teams have a winning record. All five are ahead of the Padres, the leaders out West. Four of the five have actually led the division at some point this season. (Only the Mets have failed to ever be in first.)

With 54 games left the Houston Astros are the wildcard leader with four National League East teams within 3 games. Eight teams are legitimate contenders for the wild card spot.

It's shaping up to be one of the best runs to the pennant in recent National League history. The American League isn't quite as deep, but whenever the Yankees and Red Sox are only three games apart in first place, there is excitement there too.

If this were any other season, I'd be devouring baseball. But, not this year.

Why? One word. Steroids.

I'm completely burnt out of stories about steroids. Congress is calling special committees. (Aren't we at war? Shouldn't they be fighting terrorism? Heck, my property taxes are too high, and education is still under funded. Shouldn't they be focusing attention elsewhere?) Every sports writer in the nation has written the word steroids or lockout more often in the past eighteen months than they have in the balance of their entire careers.

The Red Sox won the World Series. The White Sox are dominating their division, and clearly have the best team in baseball right now. The National League has more parity than ever before. We should be celebrating baseball for the first time since Mark and Sammy were chasing the record.

Instead, we can't open the sports page, log in to our sports site, and definitely can't watch ESPN without hearing steroids. We, not only, can't celebrate this year, but we are even calling into question past celebration. Was Mark juiced? Was Sammy corked? Is Johnny Damon really Jesus?

I'm sick of it. I'm turning of the television. And just clicking the standings page to get my updates sans steroids.

And please no more stories about when Barry will or won't come back.

Patriots topple the Eagles

Well, New England and Dion Branch knocked off the Eagles, but Philadelphia definitely made it interesting.

The whining has already started where I live. They couldn't exactly complain about Donovan McNabb considering he threw over 300 yards. Terrell Owens was clearly healthy and contributed. Brian Westbrook gained almost 100 yards and scored. And the defense held the Patriots to 24 points, which is no small feat.

All I'm hearing from the neighbors is how poor the clock management was. They had to march the entire length of the field in the last minute, and score. Had they hurried, and turned the ball over, fans would have been complaining that the Eagles should have been patient.

Congratulations to the Philadelphia Eagles for being closer to NFL champions than any other Eagles team since the Super Bowl Era began. Going to four consecutive NFC championship games is a major accomplishment, especially into today's league. They were simply slightly out-played by a slightly better team. SunFyre applauds you.

And congratulations to Bob Kraft and his New England Patriots for building the first dynasty of the 21st century.

Philadelphia Eagles on Super Bowl Eve

Philadelphia Eagles Fans Get Ready for the Super Bowl

'Twas the night before the Big Game and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a green and white mouse.

Three years ago was the first time Philadelphia and it's suburbs caught Super Bowl fever. In 2001 it was impossible to find any Eagles merchandise on the shelves. Six of every 10 cars had football helmet window clings or those clip-on flags with the Philadelphia Eagles emblem.

Now it's been four NFC championship games in row, and after the first win, the attitude is "about time" rather then Super Bowl exuberance. The only Eagles flag in my neighborhood is the guy, Jeff, across the street. His flag has been up every day except Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and July 4th, when he breaks out the Star Spangled Banner. A couple guys in my neighborhood were drinking beer, huddled around a propane grill, last night wearing Eagles sweatshirts, but those guys get drunk together at a 3-year-olds birthday party. Nothing would indicate that decades of Eagles fans have waited for this opportunity.

I was really hoping for an all-Pennsylvania bowl, and I think that certainly would have excited Eagles fans. But now they seem already pre-defeated by the closest thing to a dynasty the NFL has seen in a decade, the New England Patriots.

Perhaps I'm just too far from ground zero. South Street may be hopping tonight. Perhaps south Philadelphia neighbors are partying already. The frats at Temple University may already be rolling out extra kegs for an after party. I just don't see it.

If the Eagles are going to win tomorrow, it will be without their 12th man, and I don't mean Terrell Owens. I think every Eagles fan certainly wants them to win, but few are anticipating it.

After watching the city of Boston win the World Series and the destiny they felt after defeating the Yankees, you clearly see how the fans carried that team closer to victory.

I hope the Eagles win, but frankly, this city, this region of the state, doesn't deserve a Lombardi trophy. They've outright crushed talented teams with criticism, caused talented coaches to retire prematurely, and run extraordinary players out of town, not only in football, but baseball, hockey, and basketball too.

If they lose, I'd like to say that they'd welcome home the Eagles like the fans from Buffalo welcomed home the Bills on four occasions in a row, but I can't. I fully expect the Eagles to be welcomed back like the '93 Phillies, complete with death threats and vandalism. They destroyed that team, and they never recovered. They literally drove Mitch Williams out of town after he put up a season of better relief pitching statistics than every other Phillies pitcher combined.

If the unlikely happens, and they win, will it set the stage for the future of sports in Philadelphia? Will we see Allen Iverson bring a roundball championship? Assuming the NHL doesn't go belly up, will we see the Flyers hoist the Stanley Cup? Will the Phillies have a resurgence and become a contender again?

Somehow, I doubt it. There's lots to love in Philadelphia, but sports fans aren't among them.

In fairness, I'm a Dallas Cowboys fan who grew up in the '70s in Pittsburgh Steeler country.

Super Bowl Predictions

My Monday morning pick to win Super Bowl XXXIX is the Philadelphia Eagles. They looked amazing against an over-rated Minnesota Vikings team. I don't think the Atlanta Falcons will be able to keep up in the NFC Title Game.

I think the Pittsburgh Steelers will go on to win the AFC Championship Game, and, as we were hoping for several years ago, we will see an all-Pennsylvania Super Bowl.

Going into Sunday, I was still predicting that the Indianapolis Colts could reverse their New England Patriots trend, and advance to the AFC Title Game. I think the only team that could beat Pittsburgh is Indianapolis. Unfortunately, Peyton Manning and his Colts won't get the opportunity.