WHAT REALLY MATTERS:

Purists go home: it's a new era for baseball (May 14, 2004, Jewish World Review)

I'm past the purist stage, longing for an era that will never again exist. In fact, in 30 years it's inevitable that my own sons will tell their children about the simple pleasures of baseball in 2004.

Once you're done grousing about the marketing of baseball and all the other abominations it's easy to concentrate on what really matters. Which, in my case, is rooting for the Red Sox, year after year, to win a championship in my lifetime. And the pleasure of seeing Derek Jeter, the most overrated shortstop in the game, hitting below .200 as of May 10, is a salve that keeps on giving. And was there a funnier story than the revelation that the Cub's Moises Alou pisses on his hands to keep them in shape rather than wearing batting gloves?

And a number like this: Edgar Martinez just became the sixth player with 300 homers, 500 doubles, 1,000 walks, a .300 batting average and .400 on-base percentage. Who does he join? Stan Musial, Rogers Hornsby, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Ted Williams--that's select company.

Posted by Orrin Judd at May 14, 2004 6:44 PM