Baseball

This generation of baseball players will fondly be remembered as the ones who played during the "Steroids Era".

And why shouldn't they be?

A host of heralded stars throughout the 80's, 90's and 2000's have either been accused of, or virtually found guilty of using performance enhancing drugs, or PEDs.

Included are Home Run King Barry Bonds, "The Rocket" Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire, and Rafael Palmeiro, among others.

Over the years in major league baseball there have been many big time closers who take their jobs to the next level. One of the hardest things to do in baseball is get the last three outs of a game.

What many baseball fans do not understand is that while we call this era in baseball the "Steroids Era" it could also be known as "The Era of the Closers".

Today is the 45th anniversary of Jim Bunning's perfect game with the Philadelphia Phillies. It was the second no-hitter of his career.

He is one of five pitchers to throw a no-hitter in both leagues; he threw his first with the Detroit Tigers in 1958.

His perfect game was the the first no-hitter in the National League in 84 years, and was the seventh perfect game in baseball history and the third in National League history. (Seventeen pitchers have thrown a perfect game.)

Both of his no-hitters came in the first game of a double header.

Week 12 Rundown

With interleague play coming to an end, there are many good interstate matchups this week.  This weekend, the Mets will try to even out the season series with the Yankees, with their first series at Citi Field.  Other matchups include the Cubs vs. the White Sox, the Orioles vs. the Nationals and the Indians vs. the Reds.

I heard some crazy news last week. Sammy Sosa, the man that represents what integrity is all about in the sport of baseball, is officially a scumbag.

The corked bat was an accident? I guess not. Those stories about how he was a terrible teammate? I guess they're true. I mean it's amazing. How long did it take us to realize that Sammy Sosa was a liar, fraud, and in some cases, a cheat. Really?

The Dad.

In a conventional role, he is the provider of the household, the teacher of his children, and the molder of his son's character.

I am proud to say that my dad has been successful in all of the above, but I feel that he has gone beyond that when it comes to sports.

No, he's never been a really big "sports guy," but he has always recognized that I am one and was always one to further stoke my passion.

Those darn Rays.

If it wasn't for the 12-4 loss that the Rockies endured against the team from Tampa, the team from Colorado would be on a 16-game winning streak right now.

But that's a tough thing to complain about; even with the loss, the Rockies have won 15 of their last 16, and no other team can boast such a run this year.

Reporters are still reeling from the chaos that ensued in the visiting manager's office at Wrigley Field Saturday.

Indians skipper Eric Wedge was attempting to field questions about Kerry Wood's second blown save in as many days against his former team when he was overwhelmed by the Guns N' Roses song "Welcome to the Jungle," also Wood's entrance music at Progressive Field.