756

So apparently, yesterday, Barry Bonds passed Hank Aaron's all-time record. Bud Selig and Hank Aaron weren't there. I guess people expected another slump like the one before number 755. I wonder how Mike Bacsik, the Nationals' pitcher who sent that poor fastball across the plate, is feeling right now. I don't think I would be feeling too badly if I was a major league pitcher, but I also would have walked Bonds on principle when he came up to the plate.

Beyond the actual breaking of the record, it makes you wonder what it really represents for the sport as a whole. The Onion, oddly enough, summed up my thoughts pretty well with its headline this morning: "Destruction Of National Pastime Given Two-Minute Standing Ovation." I don't appreciate what Barry Bonds represents to the sport of baseball. He is enhanced mechanically with his elbow pad which can perform a sort of physics magic trick to help him hit home runs, and he more than likely has been enhanced biologically with horse steroids which is evident when you track his stats and physique throughout the years.

You can call me a conservative loony and say that physical enhancements through technology is the future of humanity (Dr. Garner), but in the realm of sports, I believe technology should be highly regulated to ensure fairness and actual skill remain key factors in the competition. Beyond this, the sport becomes a three-ring circus where anyone with the money and the gumption can participate.

I honestly wish it could have been Griffey breaking the record right now. I've liked him nearly all of my life.

There is a silver lining though. A-Rod is on his way in a drug-free manner (for right now). As much as I despise rooting for the Yankees, I will gladly celebrate when Bonds is usurped by raw talent and incredible skill.

Dickey-Stephens Park

Good ole Dickey-Stephens. You have so many promotions and give away so much free stuff. That's really what minor league baseball is all about: rowdy fans getting to cheer and boo players and officials, and lots of silly promotional games between innings where free crap you never needed is given away. These two forces are what bring people to games and keep their butts in their seats long enough to buy overpriced food. I always have my fill before I go because I can't stand to drink a $3 coke.

The Springfield Cardinals rallied five runs in the first two innings to none put up by the Travelers. It was pretty disheartening because there was one dropped fly ball and one foul ball called fair that let in a few of those runs. The fans got rowdy and started booing players and officials. It seemed like the first of our two forces was going to dominate the game. True story: I was once at a Travs game where it was going so badly that they decided to sing the Seventh Inning Stretch in the middle of the fifth. But then, in the bottom of the second, the second of our two forces came into play. It was announced that this was the Shorty Smalls home run inning and that if a Travelers player hit a home run, we would all get coupons for free appetizers from Shorty Smalls. Right after the announcement was made, the first pitch was thrown, and Travs Shortstop, Sean Rodriguez, cranked it over the left field wall. Fans got on their feet and cheered and applauded his efforts in winning them free stuff, and abruptly the momentum took a swing for the Travelers. They wound up blowing the Springfield Cardinals out, 13-8.

As if not content with handing us multiple free appetizer coupons at the gate, we were also given complimentary loaves of bread. Even after sleeping on it, I still have no clue why.

Prey is getting harder and harder to put down. I can't wait to finish this book!

Ask-A-Ninja

Not feeling sufficient to just get caught up on my Onion podcast today, I also finished up my archival viewing of the brilliant podcast, Ask-A-Ninja. Ask-A-Ninja continues to be my favorite podcast of the video variety because of its lightning-quick sense of humor that mixes a healthy amount of pop (and not so pop) culture references with a light amount of the absurd. It's unique in that the only visible feature of our protagonist, the ninja, is his eyes, but he manages to convey lots of emotion through the combination of his speaking pattern and his wild hand gestures.

The comedic duo behind it have a very sweet setup, and their sharp wits and subtle-yet-effective editing skills make the ninja an internet force with which to be reckoned. He is a front-runner in defining ninja culture on the internet and a big talking point in the ongoing ninjas vs. pirates vs. robot dinosaurs with flamethrowers on their heads debate.

My big secret about Ask-A-Ninja? They make me want to become a professional movie editor. I like editing.

You can tell I stay quite busy at work. Prey is still very good. Going to the Travs game tonight.