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Great Debate Standings
| Writers Name | Win | Lose | GB |
| Anthony Catanzaro | 9 | 3 | |
| Boris From DownUnder | 8 | 4 | 1 |
| Greg Marta | 5 | 5 | 3 |
| Eric Gehman | 4 | 7 | 6 |
| Richard Carter | 2 | 10 | 7 |
Joey has dropped out of the competition. We'd like to wish him nothing but the best of luck.
18 May 2009 |
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| Robert takes a look at the The Top 10 Best Of Times And Worst Of Times It is inevitable that a true baseball fan will eventually experience the full spectrum of the human psyche. The emotional vicissitudes one encounters requires nerves of steel, a good sense of humor, a willingness to let go, and/or all three. Those who don’t cope well are best advised not to watch, and to ascertain results in tomorrow’s box scores. The courageous, on the other hand, will witness the highs and the lows, the extraordinary superhuman feats and the inexplicable blunders, the everlasting gratification of a world championship and the demoralizing agony of an important loss. They will observe human acts of magnanimity and scandal, valor and cowardice, hilarity and melancholy. In other words, the baseball fan will experience a Dickensian best of times and worst of times. And so in no particular order, the following events will bear this out: 1. October 14, 1908- In Game 5 of the World Series, Detroit catcher Boss Schmidt hits a weak grounder in front of the plate. Cubs’ catcher Johnny Kling fields the ball and fires to first baseman Frank Chance for the last out of the Series. The Cubs have yet to win another world championship since.
2. 1969 Chicago Cubs-Ferguson Jenkins, Ron Santo, Billy Williams, Ernie Banks, et al. This team is still being commemorated as the best Cubs team ever. Yet, in the first year ever of divisional play, they don’t even win the NL Eastern crown, squandering a 9.5 game lead in August to the New York Mets. 3. 1969 New York Mets- With the “help” of the famed ( or infamous to Chicago fans) black cat passing by Ron Santo in the on-deck circle and roaming near the Cubs dugout, the Amazing Mets sweep the Cubs in an all important series at Shea Stadium. The Mets go on to win the division, the NL pennant, and the World Series. 4. October 16, 1969- Oh, those Miracle Mets. Incredible catches by Ron Swaboda and Tommie Agee, the shoe polish incident with Cleon Jones, great pitching by Jerry Koosman, Gary Gentry, and Tom Seaver, and clutch hitting by Don Clendenon vault the perennial doormat Metropolitans to a world championship over the highly touted Baltimore Orioles. 5. July 4, 1939-The Iron Horse, Lou Gehrig, addresses the packed crowd in Yankee Stadium. He declares himself to be “the luckiest man on the face of the earth.” On June 2, 1941, sixteen years to the day after replacing Wally Pipp at first base, he succumbs to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, now eponymously named Lou Gehrig’s disease. He becomes the youngest player at the time to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. 6. October 8, 1956- The New York Yankees’ Don Larsen pitches a perfect, no-hit game in Game 5 of the World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers. It remains the only no-hit game of any kind in postseason play. 7. August 22, 1965- At Candlestick Park, San Francisco’s Juan Marichal feels Dodger catcher Johnny Roseboro’s return throws back to pitcher Sandy Koufax are too close to his face. Words are exchanged and tempers flare. Using his bat as a cudgel, Marichal clubs Roseboro over the head. A ten minute melee ensues before order can be restored. Willie Mays escorts Roseboro back to the club house, his head bleeding profusely with a two inch gash. Marichal is suspended for nine games and fined. Years later, Marichal and Roseboro become close friends. 8. March 17, 2005-In Washington D.C., Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, and Rafael Palmeiro testify before a House committee investigating steroids. McGwire repeatedly deflects questions and Sosa claims ignorance of the English language. In Clintonian fashion, Palmeiro wags his finger before the committee and claims, “I have never used steroids, period.” McGwire never plays again, Sosa has a couple of mediocre stints with Baltimore and Texas, and Palmeiro, shortly after his testimony, tests positive for steroids. 9. December 31, 1972- Roberto Clemente, incessantly involved in charity work, accompanies a group on a chartered airplane to deliver aid packages to Managua, Nicaragua following a devastating earthquake. The plane crashes in the ocean near Puerto Rico. Clemente’s body is never found. 10. October 3, 1951- The New York Giants win the NL pennant when Bobby Thompson hits a Ralph Branca fastball over the left field wall in the Polo Grounds for a three-run homer. Russ Hodges’ call of the blast immortalizes the play that will forever be known as “the shot heard ‘round the world.” Every fan will undoubtedly have his or her own best memories of baseball history. Events that happened years ago frequently seem like they occurred only yesterday. Billy Buckner’s miscue off the bat of Mookie Wilson in the 1986 World Series, and Steve Bartman’s attempt to catch Luis Castillo’s foul ball in 2003 are just a couple of examples. The above list is by no means exhaustive. There are the tragic deaths of Nick Adenhart, Thurman Munson, Donnie Moore, and Lyman Bostock. There are the great announcers, past and present, which made baseball as real as life, and helped shape the fans’ perception of the game. Mel Allen, Harry Kalas, Harry Carey, and Skip Caray are voices that will be remembered well into the future. But to reflect back on these people and events causes fans to realize how palpably baseball has touched and impacted their lives. What a game!!
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Comments (3)
  written by Tony Cincotta, May 22, 2009
Nice job, call me sometimes I have some suggestions.You have to write for your audience, I just looked up 7 words. The baseball stuff is awesome.
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Tags: Fantasy Baseball Top 10 New York Mets Chicago Cubs Ferguson Jenkins Ron Santo Billy Williams Ernie Banks erry Koosman Gary Gentry Tom Seaver Lou Gehrig New York Yankess Mark McGwire Sammy Sosa Rafael Palmeiro Roberto Clemente New York Giants
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