Baseball Morsels

The boys of summer are back at spring training camp. I have a few teams that I root for. Living in Pittsburgh I cheer for the Pirates even through I know they'll finish the season at .500. They have a revolving door for owners, coaches, and decent baseball players. I am amazed that they still have fans. But their stadium, PNC Park is one of the nicest baseball stadiums around the league.

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I am still a Cleveland Indians fan. Even though I respect Native Americans, Chief Wahoo, the 'red faced' Indian's mascot doesn't offend me. But saying that, the Mob or the television series, The Sopranos, doesn't offend me because I am Italian.

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Having been born in New York, I secretly love the Yankees. My father and brother were loyal fans, as were the rest of my New York relatives, so that rubbed off on me. I wasn't alive when Lou Gehrig played for the Yankees, but he will always be my favorite player. His nickname, The Iron Horse, suited him. He was strong and steady and a gentleman. He played with class and when he retired from the game with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS, or now known as Lou Gehrig's disease), he did that with grace and class.

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I used to watch Barry Bonds and cheered for him, when he played for the Pittsburgh Pirates. I cheered even though his bat shut down in the playoffs. He was no Mr. October. Later on when he was with the San Francisco Giants, it was hard to believe he was the same person. I wondered with bulking up and having your head expand three cap sizes, well, he just didn't look like the Old Barry Bonds who used to play for the Pirates. He is now on trial for perjury and obstruction of justice in connection with steroid usage. Will a shadow hang over his head? For me, there will always be a question of his record setting hits. Like all players who have been charged or found guilty of steroid use - I hope Bonds has to wait a very long time to get into the Baseball Hall of Fame. If he does get into it, much like some of the other players who are in the Hall of Fame, and have been known to use illegal substances, a big black asterisk should appear by all of their names.