Two Talents Not Enough

Spring 1963 saw a six-foot-one, 190 pound athlete don a Washington Senators uniform. He was a 22 year-old walk-on talent playing for a team that would have finished last during any era of baseball. Yet, when Tom Brown took the field for the first time, he was on his way to setting a trend that few would achieve. Brown's only year playing big league baseball did not result in stellar statistics. In 61 games, Brown had 128 plate appearances, 17 hits, 1 home run, 4 RBI, and a .147 batting average. Fortunately for Brown, his career as a Green Bay Packer was much better.

Many consider Tom Brown as the first player in modern athletics to play in two different professional sports. Yes, it is true that athletes such as Jim Thorpe preceded Brown in playing both football and baseball, but not at a time when sports where considered careers. The precedent set by Brown on the 56-106 Senators did not provide great evidence that athletes could be successful at two different professional sports. Maybe that is the reason why this topic would not be revisited in force until the late 1980s and early 1990s.

In 1987, Bo Jackson played in the outfield for the Kansas City Royals and as full back for the LA Raiders. In 1989, Jackson rushed for 950 yards and was the MLB All-Star Game MVP. While his talent amazed many, Jackson was often prone to injury. He had to leave the NFL after the 1990 season. His luck in baseball wasn't much better. From 1991 to 1994, Jackson only played 183 games and had to quietly exit the league at age 31. As Jackson was fading away, another player was gaining more attention.

Deion Sanders played in 9 baseball seasons between 1989 and 2001. Never did Sanders play more than 100 baseball games in a season, but he did lead the NL in triples in 1992 and was second in stolen bases in 1994 and 1997. In 641 regular season games, Sanders batted .263 with 39 home runs and 168 RBI. To this day, he is the only player to have competed in the World Series and the Super Bowl. He is by far the best two talent athlete in the modern era. However, was his talent that good?

Nearly 70 athletes have competed in baseball and football simultaneously. All of those players were better than Michael Jordan. Yet, if Deion Sanders is considered the best of those players, the impact of two talent athletes has been minimal. Never was Sanders considered a major threat. Most of his statistics were generated on a talented and well managed Atlanta Braves team. He limited his playing time to avoid injuries (a lesson Jackson should have learned) and his usefulness was minimal from August to October. While many may complain about some of the talent within MLB today, it is at least better than the time and effort that Sanders, Jackson and Brown could offer.

The Steroids Era: How It Improved Baseball

Every year when baseball writers vote for Hall of Fame players, we as fans are reminded of steroids. Baseball writers often publicize their debates over voting or not voting for players that used or are suspected to have used. Fans are further reminded about the Steroid Era when former players such as Mark McGwire go public. However, just when it seems that baseball has tarnished its Aaron-Maris reputation, one can't forget how "the roids" improved the sport.

In general, I agree with Goose Gossage. Those who illegally used should be banned from the Hall. Yet, it was each player's illegal use that transformed baseball back into being relevant. In 1994, the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) went on strike midway through the baseball season. This prevented the playoffs and World Series from ever being played. In fact, Major League Baseball wouldn't have a game again until 25 April 1995. The debate then was similar to what it is now. The owners (mostly from small and mid-market clubs) wanted revenue sharing (mainly over broadcasting profits) and a salary cap for players. When baseball resumed in 1995, many fans did not return to the game. That is, until Big Mac, Slammin' Sammy and Double B started to woo the baseball world.

The long ball has always had its place in baseball lore. Despite Babe Ruth batting .342 in his career, he is best known for his 714 homers. Therefore, it should be no surprise when Bonds, McGwire and Sosa combined for over 1260 home runs from 1995 to 2004 (keep in mind, McGwire stopped playing in 2001), fans migrated back to baseball. 1998 is seen as the year when fans forgot about the strike and refocused on the game. That was the year when McGwire and Sosa were competing against each other for Roger Maris' single season home run record. For the first time since the strike, fans were excited about baseball. The sluggers of the late 1990s and early 2000s forced increased television viewership of baseball, increased ticket sales at the ballparks, and increased profits for MLB. While McGwire, Sosa, and Bonds don't ever belong to be in the same sentence as Ruth, Aaron or Maris; their use/suspected use of steroids is what made professional baseball relevant once again. Unfortunately, this is a fact we as fans must live with.

-B.W. Mumford

How to Make MLB More Interesting

Ever since the 1990s, Major League Baseball has been confronted with a question that it has yet to answer: "How does the league make baseball more interesting?" Often critics of baseball exclaim that the sport is too slow and the games are too long. Yet, this isn't baseball's problem at all. The structure of games is what separates baseball from other sports. There is no clock, no time outs, and all teams are guaranteed at least 27 plate appearances in a game (less but still equal in the case of weather shortened games). So, if games are not to blame, then what is? The answer is simple: the size of the league and the length of the season.

Currently there are 30 MLB teams, 14 in the American League and 16 in the National League. Yet, very few of them have the buying power of the Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, Dodgers, Cubs, Phillies, and Angels. As a result, the league ends up with teams like Kansas City: a place where young prospects get developed, start to succeed, and then pursue larger paychecks in larger markets. This system has made some MLB clubs the equivalent of a AAA team. However, the reason that this happens in not because of the buying power of teams such as "the evil Yankees." It is the result of a league that is too large with not enough big league talent.

One way to ensure that more teams have more talent is not through a salary cap approach. Instead, the league must eliminate six teams (one from each division) and move an NL Central team into the AL West (this would achieve a balance among leagues). Through contraction, more talent would be available to middle and small market baseball teams. Even if these teams don't have the Yankee buying power, the talent pool of prospects would be at such a higher level that these teams could still compete. At the same time, fans would have a higher level of motivation to watch baseball if they know that players such as Kyle Hochevar (7-13, 6.55 ERA in 2009) are not pitching. With this being said, one still can't ignore the fact that teams will have bad seasons.

Baseball's largest flaw is the length of its season. If my favorite NFL team is poor, I only have to endure that fact for 16 games. If my favorite baseball team is dreadful, I have to try and ignore it for 162 games. Six months of .400 or worse baseball may increase antidepressant sales, but it sure doesn't increase ticket sales. This is why baseball needs to decrease their schedule from 162 to 140 games. Not only will this prevent 22 more meaningless games from being played, but it should also prevent the World Series from being played in November. The league can't remain viable if their fall classic continues to inch closer to Christmas. The longer the season goes, the less interested fans become.

-B.W. Mumford

Welcome to Dusty Stirrups

Dusty Stirrups has been created in response to the lack of attention given to mid and small market MLB teams by the national media. All of the writers for this web log are intelligent baseball fans that come from a variety of perspectives. Dusty Stirrups will take an analytical approach to baseball and will refrain from bandwagon writing. While most of the contributors for this web log currently reside in the Upper Midwest, we will work hard to expand the locations of our writers.

Thanks for your interest in our web log and please be patient as we develop our blogging structure.

-B.W. Mumford