When I was growing up, I was known in my elementary school as the "baseball kid." Any baseball-related question or argument was always thrown in my direction for resolution. Even though I was a foolishly faithful Orioles fan (Peter Angelos destroyed my childhood), my favorite player was the Cuban-born member of the Bash Brothers, Jose Canseco.
During the summer of 1993, my parents took me to an Orioles-Rangers game at Camden Yards and I saw my mythical hero play for the first time in person. I was as excited as Michael Moore in a Dunkin Donuts. Canseco embodied, in my young and naive mind, everything that I wanted to be as a ballplayer and as a person. An autographed picture of Canseco was one of my most prized possessions.
I know now, however, that Canseco's career was all a sham. He is a profit-seeking low-life no more worthy of respect than Ashlee Simpson or a greasy used-car salesman. In his recently published book "Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits and How Baseball Got Big," Canseco details his own extensive personal steroid use and outs numerous ex-teammates and colleagues as users of performance-enhancing drugs.
While I do not believe every detail of the book (the only drugs that Baltimore Oriole and Viagra spokesman Rafael Palmeiro takes are for his "performance" in a different sphere of life), Canseco definitely paints an outline of the steroid culture that infested professional baseball throughout the past decade or so. The homerun surge of the late '90s brought fans back to baseball after the 1994 strike, but this surge was based on a locker-room culture without morality or ethics.
I will always love and follow professional baseball, but sometimes I need a break. That is why my duties as one of the beat writers for this year's Virginia baseball team are so refreshing. At the college level, the game is still about the fundamentals. Players sacrifice runners over into scoring position to benefit the team, rather than swinging away in hopes of padding their own stats for the next winter's contract negotiations. When you see Ryan Zimmerman spraying the ball to all fields or Mike Ballard mowing down opposing hitters, the sheer beauty of the game in its purest form is apparent. Head coach Brian O'Connor has emphasized the pride that his team takes in its defense and pitching. This passion for the fundamentals makes the game a richer experience.
In today's fast-paced, individualistic culture, a well-played game of fundamental baseball is striking in its contrast to the outside world. The homerun may be exciting, but life cannot just be about bells, whistles and flashing lights. Come out to Davenport Field to see a batter hit the ball to the right side of the infield to move a runner into scoring position. Come to see sacrifice bunts, a dying art in the Major Leagues.
Baseball is a game rooted in America's agrarian past -- when time moved slower and people cared more for the smaller details of life. Despite the actions of players like Canseco, Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi, the beauty of baseball remains untainted when played by those who excel because of their passion for the game, rather than those who ingest lab-created juice in the pursuit of long balls and exorbitant paychecks. If you want to see what I mean, take two hours out of your afternoon and spend them in the stands at Davenport Field.
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