When the Chicago Cubs are taking batting practice, have you ever heard kids shouting 'Hey, number 21, can you sign my baseball?' Well, I'm probably guessing you haven't. You see, this might have been the case for Sammy Sosa before he launched his 66 home runs and became immortalized.
But for many players, opposing fans don't even have the slightest clue whose autograph they're getting or what a player's name is when they see him up close for the very first time.
During the regular season, baseball has become a game of numbers. Even though many fans might be die-hard season ticket holders who attend games in the blistering sun, or in the Rockies' case, the snow, many of these fans are nothing more than just fans of statistics rather than fans of baseball.
Mark McGwire's '70' will come up more times in conversations and referred to more in sports editorials than his actual name. Long after he leaves the game, people will forget this charismatic slugger's ability to concentrate, to focus, and to get in 'the zone' when it counted the most.
Unlike most sluggers who see their home runs more as a bid for dollar signs in their new contract, McGwire has an appreciation for the game and an understanding of its history.
In no other sport do box scores sum up an entire game so concisely. It's easy to flip to the back page of a sports section and check up on scores and statistics in a matter of minutes. It's exciting to see numbers filling up a player's line under the AB-R-H-RBI column and then check lower in the box scores to see if your player went yard, but there has to be something more to baseball then just numbers.
For example, every year the Baseball Writers of America vote for players that put up big numbers in the RBI column. However, they often overlook a player's leadership and fielding ability because those intangibles can't be computed into statistics.
Of course, during this year's MVP race Manny Ramirez's 165 RBI will be factored in largely for his MVP bid. Ramirez had a great year, but in the Cleveland Indians' powerhouse lineup even those type of numbers are not uncommon.
Randy Johnson should win the National League Cy Young Award. He clearly was the most dominate and feared pitcher hands down. Still, Johnson's 17-9 record doesn't match up with Mike Hampton's 22-4 record.
I must admit that I, too, have gotten carried away with statistics. A box score junkie myself, I don't really care if a player lost the game with a fielding error if he went 3 for 5 with two homeruns. If a box-score is filled with lots of 5's 4's 3's and 2's, I'll definitely want to know what exactly went on during the game.
Popular fantasy baseball games have done a brilliant job of taking advantage of the statistic phenomenon. Players, whom the average sports fan has never seen, become integral parts in a strategic move to finish first out of 10 (for those who have ever played.)
Categories such as holds and ESPN's OWS percentage have almost nothing to even do with baseball.
They are about as random as sticking in an owner's stock quotes at the end of each box score. Holds were created solely for the purpose of giving the middle relief pitcher something to show for at the end of the season.
The number 3,000 is also somewhat of a sham. The difficulty in reaching 3,000 hits is by no means an easy accomplishment.
But the fact that 3,000 hits has become a milestone worthy of Cooperstown does make the point that no longer do we consider the character and talent of a player in the induction process.
Harold Baines will undoubtedly reach 3,000 hits. But Baines will always be known as a designated hitter. Furthermore, people worthy of the Hall of Fame should make the All-Star team every year -- Baines doesn't even come close.
Numbers aren't everything, but they are a huge part of the game. The game has been somewhat slighted by 3,000, 755, 4,256 and certainly 61.
Hopefully, people will remember people like Sosa and McGwire more for their memorable chase and the way they handled themselves down the stretch of last year's season than merely for the numbers they each achieved.
