Write On Sports

Remember this name: Clay Buchholz. And if you can pronounce it, maybe you can remember it. But this 23-year old Boston Red Sox pitcher did what only TWO other pitchers have done in the last 107 years — throw a no-hitter in his 1st or 2nd major league start. It was his 2nd major league start, having been called up just hours before the game. He had pitched previously for the Sox about two weeks ago, and was sent back to the minors. He was recalled to the Red Sox on Saturday, then came in and pitched a no-hitter. Phenomenal.

The Boston Red Sox defeated the Baltimore Orioles 10-0 with brilliant no-hitter. This same Baltimore Orioles team found themselves on the losing end of a 30-3 loss just 11 days ago, so they are finding themselves at the top of the baseball news bulletins for all the wrong reasons.

Congratulations to Clay Buchholz, who is also only the 21st rookie to pitch a no-hitter in the last 107 years. We hope we will see more great pitching from this Boston Red Sox rookie.

M. Dean
Write On Sports/Muhammad Ali Life

The fan from New York who caught Barry Bonds’ 756th homerun ball is planning to auction it online, which could net him somewhere in the area of $500,000. Despite IRS standing there with their dirty hands out, 21-year-old Matt Murphy should end up being a very rich man!

In an amazing display of offensive baseball power, the Texas Rangers, a last-place American League team, scored 30 runs in one game against the Baltimore Orioles, the first time that so many runs have been scored in one game in 110 years!

In a Minor League baseball game, ex-Major Leaguer Jose Offerman hit a homerun for the Long Island Ducks on the first pitch of the game. When he came up to bat in the second inning, the opposing pitcher plunked him on the calf with a pitch, and Offerman went nuts. I say that because sometimes when players are hit by a pitch, especially when they think it’s intentional (and it probably was), they get angry, they threaten the pitcher, and sometimes they even charge the mound and a fist fight erupts. But I say Offerman went “nuts” because he charged the mound WITH HIS BAT and started swinging.

Now that is a whole different matter from charging the mound to fight. There’s a very thin line between charging the mound to FIGHT with a bat in your hand and charging the mound to KILL. What Jose Offerman did was not “wrong”…. it was INSANE.

As a result, the pitcher sustained a broken finger, and the opposing catcher, who tried to protect his pitcher, wound up getting hit in the head and had a concussion which will probably keep him from playing for the rest of the season.

Appropriately, Jose Offerman was not only thrown out of the game, but was ARRESTED. He is to be charged with second-degree assault, and the league has suspended him indefinitely.

Now I understand that athletes get angry sometimes in games, but his reaction could easily have been deadly. As it was, he clocked a player on the head with the bat, so it is most fortunate that there weren’t worse injuries, or even a fatality.

Jose Offerman is 38 years old, played 15 seasons in the majors with the LA Dodgers, Boston Red Sox and the New York Mets.

Even when athletes get angry, they must learn to control the anger that they feel, especially when you have such a lethal weapon as a baseball bat in your hands. I feel sorry for Offerman, but whatever happens to his career from here is his own fault.

What’s your opinion? We’d like to know.

M. Dean
Muhammad Ali Life

The quest for the new homerun record is now over. Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants holds the record for the most homeruns in Major League history at 756. He hit the homerun in front of a friendly home crowd in San Francisco on Tuesday night, August 7th. He has now surpassed Hank Aaron, who held the record for the last 33 years. Everyone should be celebrating.

But they are not. Not everyone. And we all know why and don’t want to belabor the point here. But it was, indeed, a monumental feat and Barry Bonds does deserve congratulations. I’m sure that many players could begin using steroids openly on national TV, with rub-by-rub commentary, and still not hit 756 homeruns in a career nor 73 homeruns in one year. It’s not that easy to hit major league pitchers throwing 90 mph fastballs at you with various spins on the ball. You have to be good — very good — to hit homeruns like Barry Bonds. And people forget that before all the talk about steroids, and before he blew up in size, Bonds was considered the best player in baseball for many years. Let us not forget the talent that the man has. And he’s still hitting considerably well.

He was, and still is, a great baseball player. He did something foolish, whether knowingly or unknowingly (as he claims). You don’t just rub cream on your body without having any idea what it is. I don’t necessarily buy it. But I’ve played the game of baseball. I still use a batting cage occassionally. It’s not easy. So while I don’t like the possible steroid use and all the controversy surrounding it, in the final analysis I must tip my hat to Barry Bonds because hitting homeruns off of major league pitchers is a very, very difficult thing to do. And he’s done it at least 756 times. So, like it or not…….Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants is the new homerun king of Major League Baseball. He now wears the crown.

Hank Aaron sent a pre-recorded message to Bonds which played on the video board at the San Francisco stadium after the homer. I think it was a very gracious act of a great player who, in my opinion, may have been the 2nd greatest player in baseball history. I still say that Willie Mays was the best ever. Look at Aaron’s stats, and it’s hard to argue the point. And the good thing is that Aaron’s record of 755 came without any controversy. So hat’s off to Hank Aaron, also, for acknowledging Bonds’ feat and congratulating him.

Maybe Bonds can relax now and play out the rest of his career as the new king of the homerun.

What’s your take on Barry Bonds?
Give us your opinion. We’d like to know.

M. Dean
Muhammad Ali Life

Well, Bonds finally did it. He has tied Hank Aaron for the all-time homerun lead at 755 homeruns. He hit the historic homer in the 2nd inning in San Diego and, as expected, there was a mixed reaction of cheers and boos because this monumental feat has been tainted. It is most unfortunate for Bonds and for baseball that steroids ever reared its ugly head into the picture.

I still think that Barry Bonds would have been way up on the homerun list if he had not used performance-enhancing steroids, so we still may owe him a nod or two of admiration for his talent. Steroids DO NOT help you hit a pitched ball more accurately. That takes a special skill as anyone who has ever played the game of baseball well knows. I am sure that it helps you hit the ball harder and further, but the talent must already have been there. Otherwise, he would not STILL be hitting homers at this age. We must assume that he is not presently using steroids, yet he is still hitting the ball out of the ballpark at the golden age of 42. His 755th career homer was also his 21st of the season, with a month-and-a-half left. And keep in mind that Bonds receives many intentional walks.

So, next up for Bonds is the coveted 756th homerun, which will put him on top of all the other players in Major League history. But having some fans - as Bonds rounded the bases with his historic 755th homer - hold up signs with an asterisk on them, serves as a reminder that the new homerun record will always be tainted…until the next player approaches the new mark. Hopefully, he would have learned and will keep himself far, far away from steroids.  A.R. perhaps???? Time will tell.

M. Dean
Muhammad Ali Life

Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees became the youngest player in baseball history to reach the 500 homerun milestone, connecting in the first inning of a game against the Kansas City Royals. His historic homerun came at the age of 32 years and 8 days, surpassing Jimmie Foxx, who reached 500 homers at 32 years 338 days.

At this pace, he could conceivably reach 600 homeruns at the age of 35 or even at 34. If he stays healthy, we might see some great numbers come from him. Bonds may have to look over his shoulder sooner than he thinks.

Let’s see what happens in the years to come.

Our congratulations to Alex Rodriguez for a very fast 500 homeruns.

M. Dean
Muhammad Ali Life

Author: M. Dean
Write On Sports

On Friday night in San Francisco, before a home crowd, Barry Bonds stepped up to bat in the first inning and, after a count of 2-1, sent the next pitch into the stadium crowd for homerun no. 754, leaving him just one homer short of the coveted 755, now belonging only to Hank Aaron.

The Giants were playing the Florida Marlins and they eventually won the game 12-10. Bonds, however, walked on each of his next four plate appearances, all of which are now historical at-bats. Each time Bonds comes to bat, there is the chance that he will join Aaron by hitting homerun no. 755. Once that is done, then each subsequent at-bat will be even more historical, with the chance to become baseball’s all-time leading homerun hitter with 756.

Let’s see what happens tomorrow…History is in the making.

M. Dean
Muhammad Ali Life

Author: M. Dean
Write On Sports

The time has come for me to jump on the Barry Bonds News bandwagon. As of this writing (July 27, 2007) Barry Bonds has 753 homeruns, just two shy of the all-time homerun record of 755 held by Hank Aaron. This is a great accomplishment for Barry Bonds, and a great accomplishment for any athlete to break the all-time record in a sport.

I like Barry Bonds. I really do. I think that what he has achieved and, even more, is about to achieve, is a mark of greatness. However, I just can’t bring myself to blow up any balloons. Even though I have such a tremendous regard for Hank Aaron, that’s not the reason why Bonds’ numbers bother me to some degree. It is simply the allegations of steroid use, which seem to be fairly accurate, that bothers me. It just leaves a bad taste in my mouth, like a tall glass of castor oil. It might be good for you, but it still leaves a bad taste.

The breaking of Hank Aaron’s homerun record is good for baseball, with all the attention that Bonds and the Giants and the sport of baseball will get in the coming days of Barry Bonds watching. Every time Bonds comes to bat, a section of the sports world will focus in, and this is good for baseball. The celebrations and the accolades that will be showered on him when he ties and then breaks the record, with homerun number 756, will be seen over and over worldwide, and this is good for Bonds and baseball. But I feel it will also be tainted. And so, even though it is too late to change what was done, and whatever was used was used, it is not too late to at least learn from it.

I hope that all athletes will take a look at how this great accomplishment will have some tarnish on it, reducing its shine, and see that it is better to use your God-given talents to strive for greatness than to use steroid-given muscle to cheat yourself out of the real glory. Let us learn from this. Yes, Bonds probably used it and, maybe with its help, will break the homerun record of the great Hank Aaron. One can use it and end up like Bonds. But one can also use it and end up like Lyle Alzado, or even worse, Chris Benoit. Like I said, let us learn from all of this and let us wisen up.

Give us your comments on Barry Bonds. How do you feel about his breaking the homerun record?

What’s your opinion? We’d like to know.

M. Dean
Muhammad Ali Life

On Tuesday night we witnessed Major League Baseball’s annual All-Star Game, which the American League won for the 10th time in 11 years, by the score of 5-4. The year that the American League didn’t win out of the last 11 years was a 7-7 tie in the 2002 All- Star Classic. The last time that the National League won was a 6-0 victory way back in 1996.

The Most Valuable Player for this year’s All-Star Game, which was played in San Francisco, was Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners, who hit the first inside-the-park home run in All-Star history and also had two other hits in the game. But a good part of the evening also belonged to San Francisco’s most famous player, #24 - Willie Mays. Mays was honored before the game with a ceremony marking his greatness in baseball history. He rode atop a pink 1958 Cadillac and made a lap in it around the field, during which he threw baseballs into the stands for a number of very fortunate fans to keep as souvenirs.

Willie Mays is now 76 years old - - hard to believe, for it seemed like only yesterday that he was hitting homers night after night, and rounding bases at great speed and throwing out runners on the base path - - yet he is still loved and admired by players and fans alike.

Sometimes I still feel that Willie Mays is underestimated by many. I often hear people say that he was ONE of the greatest players in baseball. I sometimes hear people mention others, like Ted Williams or Mickey Mantle or Joe DiMaggio or even Babe Ruth, and say that they were greater than Mays. Well, people are entitled to their opinions. But I challenge anyone to say that Williams or Mantle or DiMaggio or Ruth could HIT, HIT FOR POWER, RUN, FIELD and THROW better than Mays — for Mays did them all SUPERBLY. And unless any one player could do ALL of those better than Mays, while Mays could probably match, if not surpass, all of them in ANY of those categories, then it seems fitting that one should conclude - as I do - that Mays was the GREATEST PLAYER of them all. No one in the history of baseball could do all of those things with great proficiency as well as Willie Mays. He was, in my opinion, the best of them all. And in my book, he is still baseball’s premier ALL-STAR.

M. Dean
Muhammad Ali Life