Mark Ecko is a man of his word

…and so comes to an end the ‘Steroid Era’. Twenty years from now there will be a little kid visiting the Hall of Fame looking at bats used by Babe Ruth, jerseys worn by Willie Mays, and gloves worn by Cal Ripken Jr. and to the side there will be a baseball hit by a man named Barry Bonds.

I cannot wait to see the father’s face when the boy asks his father why there is a star on the ball.

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. - The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum has taken possession of the baseball hit by Barry Bonds for his 756th career home run tonight, after the owner of the baseball, Marc Ecko, had the artifact delivered by private vehicle tonight at approximately 7:45 p.m.

A letter from Mr. Ecko stating his intention to unconditionally donate the baseball to the Museum accompanied the baseball, which was hit by Barry Bonds for his 756th career home run on Aug. 7, 2007, at AT&T Park in San Francisco.

“As we previously stated today, we are very happy to receive the baseball as a donation, and not as a loan, as previously declared by Mr. Ecko. We look forward to adding this ball to our permanent collections here in Cooperstown,” said Brad Horn, senior director for communications and education.

The baseball will be displayed in Cooperstown following the Museum’s documentation process.

The Dontrelle Conspiracy?

There are 1,001 jokes you can make about Dontrelle Willis. He’s not a perfect human being and most certainly not a perfect baseball player but one thing we can all agree on is that the man loved what he did for a living. How could he not, right? Well, ask that question to Barry Bonds, Manny Ramirez, and/or Albert Belle and see how they respond. To those men and many others this was more about a job and a way to pad their bank accounts then about playing the greatest sport ever created.

Dontrelle’s recent struggles on the mound made way for his move to the Single-A Lakeland Tigers, as reported by everyone from ESPN to the Blogger with one or two daily readers. As a Marlins and Willis fan I was anxiously looking forward to July 12th because it meant that I would get to see Dontrelle in action when he pitches against the Palm Beach Cardinals at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Florida. It’s almost a two-hour trip but for two baseball fans, it’s nothing.

So I guess you can say I was somewhat surprised when my beloved Marlins TV announcers Tommy Hutton and Rich Waltz said last night during the Marlins broadcast that Dontrelle had “never pitched in Lakeland”, was now “in Triple-A”, and that he only went to Lakeland to “work out some issues but never pitched”. HUH?

What’s the deal? It clearly shows that Dontrelle not only pitched this past Sunday, he has been in three games already. Don’t believe me? Check for yourself. So why would the Marlins flat out lie about Dontrelle’s situation when it’s so easy to contradict their words? Do they not want Marlins and/or Dontrelle fans to know he’s going to be in the area in two weeks?

I just don’t get it.

Madonna up to her OLD tricks

Well, it appears that on the eve of Jose Canseco’s 44th birthday (July 2nd), that old, trampy, disease-ridden media whore Madonna has gone after yet another Latin baseball player and once again she’s aimed for the top of the mountain. According to many reports, she is having an extra-marital affair with none other than Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees. Many news links here.

Ain’t it funny that a man who was sniffing for Jose Canseco’s ex-wife Jessica is now sleeping with another one of Jose’s former women, AKA “sloppy seconds”? I haven’t even brought up the fact that Madonna is pushing down 50’s door while A-Rod is 32.

One last note, look at what Madonna looked like during the time Jose was perusing her hotel room after games. This is what A-Rod has to work with every night. Jose Canseco 1, Alex Rodriguez 0.

Topps is going to save the hobby!

Were you one of the two, maybe three people complaining about gimmick cards?

Are you the lone set-collector who was upset about short-prints in Topps Heritage?

Do you go to your blog on the World Wide Web to bitch and moan about Redemption replacements?

Never fear because Topps Company, you know…the guys who brought you Mickey Mantle’s rookie card and Ben Henry’s favorite baseball card featuring a squirrel have single-handedly saved the hobby of trading cards by putting out Topps Finest Rip GIrls lipstick/autographs numbered 1 of 1!

Thank you, Topps. Thanks.

Make sure to bid, bid, bid!

Did all 80’s role models suck?

Man, I remember one of the first things I discovered when I came to America in the mid-80’s was wrestling. I watched every episode, collected the toys, and even bought the trading cards. For me, no one was cooler than the Ultimate Warrior. Of course, this was a year or two before discovering baseball.

I remember being seven or eight and running around the house without a shirt, strings tied around my little arms, going up and down the halls screaming at the top of my lungs. To me, I was the Ultimate Warrior, or perhaps a slightly smaller version that is.

It wasn’t until my teens that I found out about Steroids, bad behavior, and even worse, his terrible work ethic. It’s been at least twenty years since the Ultimate Warrior was a star but still he somehow manages to make news by piggy backing off actor Heath Ledger’s death. You can read all about that incident HERE.

In the other corner we have Hulk Hogan, who preached weekly about “taking your vitamins” while he was taking those “special” vitamins that guys like Jose Canseco and Roger Clemens loved. Meanwhile, his idiot and very spoiled but balding son almost kills his friend not to mention himself drag racing and instead of helping matters, it’s clear just how much of a dirt bag Hogan really is. Not only does he laugh about the situation on the phone with his son, but he even went as far as to start a charity for the victim’s family. The only problem? Hulk hasn’t given them a dime of it.

Who knew two of my childhood favorites were such disgusting human beings?

Zack Hample’s collection is worthless

Sure, he may have close to 4,000 Major League baseballs, a small army of brainless zombies paying him ridiculous fees to “hang” with him, and he may have even caught a ball from one of Barry’s many tainted home runs but he doesn’t have this ball and he never will.

I’d trade a whole collection of foul balls from Edgardo Alfonso and Sid Bream for a shot at that historic baseball. Besides, when all is said and done it’s clear Zack is a scary, aging, 30-something who makes it his job to steal balls from little kids. That’s one hell of a legacy, buddy. Oh, and he works for mommy. I guess that’s where all the baseball games spending money comes from.

(link courtesy of Cincy Reds Cards)

Larry Walker and the Thin Air Bandits

You know, back in the mid to late 90’s I absolutely loved the Colorado Rockies. I mean, they had like 4-5 guys with the ability to hit 45+ home runs each season and were led by the great Larry Walker. Unfortunately, as one Rockie after another was shipped out of Colorado’s thin air, it was pretty evident these guys were being helped out by the high altitude and weren’t exactly Home Run machines after all.

For example, Vinny Castilla never hit more than 9 home runs in his four-year career but came to Colorado and put up 32, 40, 40, 46, 33, and 35 after a return to Colorado. In between that time Vinny’s season-high was 22 with Atlanta.

Ellis Burks’ career-high in home runs in nine seasons was 21. The very first season with Colorado he hit 40 and drove in 128 RBI while almost winning the M.V.P award. After he left Colorado he played quite a few more years with some above average numbers but nothing like his 1996 campaign.

Dante Bichette was a below-average home run hitter who never cranked more than 15 in five years in the “Bigs” but hit 40 of them in his third year with Colorado and came in second in the M.V.P voting. After leaving the Rockies he played two more seasons with a high of 23 home runs. Are you starting to pick up a trend?

Of course, not everyone who played there had his numbers cut in half after leaving. Andres Galarraga never hit more than 31 home runs in eleven seasons but went on to have two 40+ home run years with Colorado. The following season he was traded to Atlanta and hit 44. He still holds the record for the longest home run ever hit at Dolphin Stadium so maybe he was a different type of beast.

Larry Walker on the other hand had already broken through. While he lacked the power that made him legendary in Colorado, he had already hit .300 twice and smashed 20+ home runs two times in five seasons. Of course, when he joined Colorado he went on to blast 36, 49, 37, and 38 home runs, something he probably would have never done in Montreal unless he was on the “Juice”.

What sticks out from his numbers is something completely different: his speed. In 1997 Larry hit a phenomenal 49 home runs, while driving in 130 runners, and batting .366 but along with those amazing numbers his stolen bases get overshadowed. He also managed to steal 33 bags, which pretty much makes his an all-around threat and easily the best player that season. If you don’t believe so, check with M.L.B since they awarded him with the M.V.P.

The thing is Larry was always a threat on the base paths despite never having the build of a Jose Canseco/Rickey Henderson type. Actually, anytime I saw him play he looked a little flabby but according to his 1990 Fleer ‘Rising Stars’ he was destined to be a Stolen Base King someday had he not suffered an injury in the Minors. So while he finished his career with 230 steals, who knows how many more he would have had he not suffered through that injury as a prospect.

Oh, in case you are wondering. In Larry’s only season with another team after Colorado, he hit 15 home runs.