Quick Hit Thoughts
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by Bberg11
From my blog, The Lazy Athlete
Barry Bonds - He is baseball's all-time homerun leader. Period. Until it is proven he cheated or someone passes him.
Alex Rodriguez - A-Rod hit his 500th home run this past weekend at the ripe old age of 32 years and 8 days - the youngest player ever to accomplish the milestone. Considering he is still in the prime of his career, many feel he will eventually overtake Bonds as the real/true home run king. Two problems with that thinking: First, he will need at least 258 home runs from this point on. And while, it is easy to assume he will get that based on what he has done thus far in his career, anything can happen. He will probably need to play another 10 years to reach the milestone. And it is a stretch to assume anybody will remain healthy during that time. Second, and maybe more importantly, people assume A-Rod is doing it all cleanly. Personally, I agree, but is it safe to assume anybody in today's game is doing it the right way? No. So let's not crown A-Rod the home run king already.
Chase Utley - How many modern day players are taking ground ball practice with their hand in a cast? This guy was made for playing in Philadelphia, if anyone ever was.
Brett Meyers - Anyone see him close out game two of the Marlins series on Wednesday night? If you did, you never would have thought this guy was a top of the rotation starter to start this season. Instead, he looked like one of the game's best closers. Struck out the side on 14 pitches; 13 of those were strikes. I have been that excited in the ninth inning since Billy Wagner was a Phil.
Tom Glavine - Glavine recorded the 300th win of his underrated career with Atlanta and New York. What I find interesting is how happy I am for him. Being a Philadelphia fan, I'm not exactly inclined to be happy for anyone who played for either of those teams; let alone both. But being juxtaposed to the Barry Bonds debacle, Glavine's accomplishment was a breath of fresh air.
New York Yankees - Is it just me, or does it seem like the Yankees have been scoring 16 runs every other game for the past month.
Eagles Training Camp - I have to admit I'm getting a little football overexposure right now. I'm excited for football season like everyone else, but I don't need to here about every pass, catch, and hit from drills and scrimmages. People are reporting on these things like they are happening on a Sunday in the fall. And all of the sudden, the Eagles are getting pretty nicked up. The list of players not participating in practices, for one reason or another, is growing day after day. I'm assuming, and hoping, this is Andy Reid erring on the side of caution. Although, LJ Smith did re-aggravate the sports hernia he had surgery for this past offseason. Let's get to the start of the season already before any more people go down.
Larry Johnson - Get to camp buddy. You don't deserve L.T. money, so stop asking for it.
NFL Rookies - These rookie contracts are getting out of hand, and the rookies know it. That is why the number of first year hold outs grows year after year. Number three pick, Joe Thomas, received 23 Million in guaranteed money from the Browns, while an All-Pro like Dwight Freeney just signed a contract with 30 Million guaranteed. Now that doesn't seem like a proportionate distribution of wealth. The game is unbelievably wealthy right now, so it shouldn't be much of a problem in the short term. But, down the road, ridiculously rising rookie contracts could become a problem for the game.
Boston - Can it feel any better to be a sports fan in Boston right now? The Red Sox are arguably the best team in the majors, and they just added Eric Gagne to their already strong closing tandem. The Patriots are considered by many to be a favorite to win their 4th Super Bowl of the decade after adding Adalius Thomas on defense, and Donte Stallworth, Wes Welker, and Randy Moss on offense. And the Celtics, have gone from cellar dweller to favorite in the Eastern Conference since the draft and adding Kevin Garnett. Oh, it must be good to be a Boston fan. Just ignore the hockey team.
