Who is Chris, and Why Should I care?
Chris Davis has 37 homeruns. Who cares? In fact,
who-the-hell is Chris Davis? Well, the second question might be easier to
answer than the first. Chris Davis is the Baltimore Oriole's first baseman.
Traded to the Birds after he lost his job with the Texas Rangers, Chris hit 33
homers last year. That's damn good, but that's also an entire season.
This year he has 37 and the season still has 60 or so games
remaining. At his current rate ESPN predicts he will hit 59, only two short of
Roger Maris's record of 61. "Wait a minute," you say, "I thought
Barry Bonds held that record, and the number was 73."
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| Roger Maris lights a cigar for teammate Mickey Mantle. |
Maybe, but Bonds set his record
in the height of baseball juiced or steroid years. Although Bonds was never
convicted, court documents show that he tested positive for steroids on three
occasions. Neither is he the Lone Steroid Ranger. Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa
were Bond's homerun hitting peers. McGwire admitted to using steroids, and Sosa
has been linked to the juice more often than eggs to bacon. In fact, Jose
Canseco, a one-time teammate of McGwire's, claims that 80% of baseball players
were juiced during the steroid era.
Let's face it. We all cheat. Maybe you drive in the HOV
lane with nothing but your radio for
company, perhaps you play the best kids on your equal-play soccer team just a
bit more than the chubby boy who can't make it down the field without a break.
But steroid use isn't like dodging Johnny Law on an underused HOV lane, or
rewarding the kids who condition their bodies with five minutes more play time.
Steroids fundamentally alter the human physique, and hence fundamentally
change the game the body is playing. For
that reason a record set on steroids is no record at all.
And that brings me back to the first question. Who cares if Davis
As Chris Davis said, "In my opinion, 61 is the record, and I think most fans agree with me
on that." See you tomorrow.
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