Okay, so let's get some 'hootin nannie' out of the way before I begin the main argument of this article.  I consider myself a pretty big baseball fan.  I grew up with a love for the Baltimore Orioles with the Pittsburgh Pirates pulling up secondary thanks to the influence of my father.  I remember the days of Barry Bonds, Andy Van Slyke, and Bobby Bonilla. I enjoyed watching Nolan Ryan pitch for the Texas Rangers. Cal Ripken Jr. was my favorite player way before the talks of him breaking Lou Gehrig's streak and becoming the official, undisputed Iron Man of baseball.  I remember these days of baseball and cherish them.

Those were the days.  These days, a dark cloud has fallen over the sport of baseball.  A cloud so dark that many fans have turned away from this American pastime and begun to watch that joke of a sport- what do they call it?  Oh yeah, basketball, with some guy named after a tool shack and that guy from the crappy Sprite commercials.  Anyways, this cloud over the sport of baseball has caused some disturbing showers in the forms of labor disputes, money problems, the fear of strike, and steroid use. When I heard that nearly 50% of major league players are juicing I nearly crapped my pants and started crying.  It is wrong.  All of these issues are wrong. And who suffers the most?  The fans.  But there is one more issue that is destroying baseball. It is in front of our eyes when we read about baseball, see it on ESPN, and many hail it as the "savior" of the sport when in reality it is nothing more than the Anti-Christ to finally put baseball out of it's misery.  This virus is called "The Longball."

Now I know many of you will be commenting to me and spitting wrath and hellfire at me for saying that this whole deal with McGuire, Bonds, Sosa, and others is a load of crap.  Guess what?  It is a load of crap.  This whole "chasing the record," and "hitting as many homeruns in a single season" is completely destroying baseball.  Most of these heavy hitters are juiced anyway, so that puts a big tarnish on these supposed records and baseball players themselves. It is a joke.

Mostly, hitting as many homeruns damages the magic of baseball. I remember the excitement and magic I felt when I was younger and a player hit a homerun at an Orioles games in Memorial Stadium and Camden Yards. Back before all this steroid juice and homerun record babble a homerun was a rare and special thing.  It was exciting even if it wasn't a game winner.  Now, instead of talking about a spectacular play after a game, you hear people complaining if a ball is not hit over the fence.  Instead of cherishing the event we are coming to expect it and feel cheated or that our time was wasted if it doesn't happen.  We are becoming desensitized in a sense.  The longball is exciting but when it is expected and the game of baseball starts to depend on it, the magic of baseball diminishes.

I know players will not stop hitting homers.  There are many players who go out there and give it 110% each game without the use of supplements and without the pressures of having to hit the ball over that fence over the diamond battlefield.  To those players, I salute you.  Baseball players are athletes, not entertainers.  This isn't the World Wrestling Federation with storylines and big breasted women. Baseball is athletes competing for the ultimate prize. Baseball is a traditional, magical game.  I pray that a strike does not happen again.  I pray that the players and owners just shut the hell up about money matters and play the game they love.  I pray that this steroid mess is cleaned up.  And I pray that the fans continue to support the game of baseball even though a ball isn't hit over the fence every time.