Golden Age of Baseball?

One of the more interesting and greatly debatable topics I like to bring up in conversations about baseball these days is the question of whether we now are in a golden age of baseball. Old timers have their arguments agaisnt this because of course nobody can live up to their heroes of the days of yore - Joltin' Joe, Pudge, the Babe, Lou Brock, the Say-hey Kid, et alii. Other modern fans point to the steroids problem of the last decade, which many believe extends to this day with newer undetectable steroids entering the game through player's bodies. Still another group of modern day baseball haters look at rhe financial monster that the sport has become - rising salaries with consequent lack of team loyalty due to free agency, owners trying to turn profits, more expensive seats and luxury box-filled stadiums, and the growing desparity beteen baseball's rich [Yankees 192 million dollar payroll] and poor [Marlins 17 million dollar payroll].

But lets look at some other facts that might sway the baseball fan more to the appreciation of what is going on in the game.

Record Attendance
We, for the past two years and likely this year again, have had record attendance throughout baseball. More fans are showing up to the parks and seeing the games. Kids are getting to go to parks with their gloves on hoping for foul balls to reach them, adults are able to see the emerald field and recall their youth, and everyone gets to have a fun time for just a few hours. As expensive as this might be one can still buy tickets in Yankee stadium for 10 dollars, and even less on certain promotional days. Other stadia all have similarly affordable seats as well, and twenty dollars for a father and son to spend a few quality hours today isn't so bad. You spend that much going to the movies these days, and thats not nearly as entertaining. The food and drinks can be expensive but most stadia also allow you to bring your own as long as it is in a clear plastic bag.

Great Players
Moreso than at any time in my lifetime, and perhaps more than any time in baseball's history we have a huge number of really all-time great players in the game today. Not only are these players putting up better numbers, but they are doing it against better competition from more locations due to baseball's growing worldwide popularity. Also these players are far more fit than many of their predecessors and thus contribute to a more exciting game. A quick look around the league shows us an example of the great that are around the league: Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez, Pedro Martinez, Roger Clemens, Mariano Rivera, Greg Maddux, and Barry Bonds [who with or without steroids would be an all time great]. There are perhaps more than these, but it is too early to tell for some players and the steroid cloud hangs over others, but these guys are all no-doubters.

More Information
Not only do we baseball fans go to more games now and get to see a better product when we go, but we actually get to experience and follow the game in myriad more ways than at any other time in baseball's history. If we just look at following a single particular game we can see some of what I am talking about. We can follow any game we want on television, local radio for our home team, internet radio broadcasting, internet televised broadcasting, satellite radio, and gamecasters and real time box scores from a bevvy of sites. This is just following the game and keeping track of what is going on. It does not even begin to bring up the level of statistical analysis, baseball coverage and discussion, chat rooms, call-in shows, and yes -baseball blogs that are at the average fan's disposal too. Every baseball fan can because of all this information become just as informed as any coach or broadcaster involved in the sport. It is a great time to be a fan because we can literally be part of the sport.

Fantasy Baseball
Thanks must go out to those guys who were playing this game in the early eighties at La Rotisserie. If not for them the whole country would not be swept by the fantasy craze making it that much more interesting to follow sports and to feel like a GM. Before when your home team wasn't playing or wasn't in the hunt during the season anymore there was little point to pay any attention to baseball anymore except for the sheer enjoyment of it. Now with the fantasy revolution we have a vested interest in other games in the eague allowing us to not only appreciate the game more, but to be better informed about the league. Not only this but playing fantasy baseball is just plain fun. And it could not be played if baseball wasnt as great as it is.

So as I see it baseball really is in a golden age now. Sure there are some bad things, but there always have been. Owners have always looked for only profit. There have always been scandals and black eyes on baseball: the Black Sox scandal of 1919, the lack of integration until 1947, the cheating and greenies and red juice being used throughout the history of baseball, and the gambling of Pete Rose.We can't let these things take away from what is really good about the game though, and there is a lot of good to go around these days.