Bobby Cox, the Grumpy Old Man

Let's play a little game of pick 'em:

Which of Bobby Cox's feats should we really be celebrating and glorifying?

His establishing the all-time ejection record after being told to hit the showers for the 132nd time on Tuesday night

OR

His guiding the Braves to an unprecedented 14 consecutive NL East titles

Well, let's see here, I think I'll select the latter. It's most definitely the greater accomplishment and provides a better indication of his managerial skills. However, on the "World Wide Leader in Sports" and several top-notch publications, Cox's newly established record is being treated like it is a bona fide achievement. And, to be honest, I simply don't understand it.

I can't fathom how the media can glorify the juvenile acts of a grown man. What did Cox really do to deserve the publicity for breaking John McGraw's record? The guy charged onto the field, screaming and spitting on umpires because he disagrees with the call. On many occasions, Cox has thrown an unmerited, unprovoked tirade. I mean, records are for intended to be bestowed upon athletes and coaches for honorable acts, not for throwing a fit and carrying oneself more like a bratty five year old than a professional Major League manager.

And, I hate to play the role model card, but, how what kind of precedent does this set for America's youth. Baseball is often depicted as the beautiful game. It's supposed to be the prefect game, essentially acting as a child's safe haven from violence and the World's gravest realities. A place where a youngster can learn how to conduct himself or herself through observing how the athletes, umpires and coaches conduct themselves.

Although, I'm beginning to think Cox is sending the message that if a child doesn't agree with something, he or she should simply show their frustration by kicking dirt, screaming and using profanity. Then, eventually, others will begin to take notice and that disobedient, unrelenting child earns recognition for the insubordinate behavior.

Call it a slippery slope, or an exaggerated claim. But ask yourself, isn't that exactly what Cox is promoting?

And Yet Another A-Rod story

It appears that Alex Rodriguez has yet again found his way onto the blog. This past weekend the Yankee third baseman hit his career 500th HR, making him the youngest and fastest player to reach the plateau. This is quite the accomplishment for Rodriguez and I am sure an enormous amount of weigh has been lifted from his shoulders. But it appears that the pressure now has shifted to the recipient who was lucky enough to obtain the historic ball from the home run. Walter Kowalczyk of Trenton, New Jersey, is now stuck in a situation that many sports fan dream of being of. What to do with this historic piece of memorabilia?

Kowalczyk is set to go on a local New York radio program and openly debate what he should do with the ball. I personally would give the athlete the first dibs at the ball. I would not openly ask for anything from that athlete, but I would definitely be lying if I said I would not expect anything in return. Fans that sell historic pieces of memorabilia on auctions for a high price, display a tremendous amount of selfishness and greed. Sure its fun to bask in the fifteen minutes of fame when one grabs a historic baseball HR, but that fan should do the right and respectful gesture by chucking it back within the game of baseball.

My question to the rest of the blog/class: What would you do if you caught Barry Bond's 756th HR ball?

Should We Call Him A-Roid?

Alex Rodriguez, Major League Baseball’s pretentious pretty boy, has reportedly fallen into the deep depths of the steroid controversy. Apparently, Stray Rod is an abuser of the synthetic syringe. But, I just cannot fathom A-Rod, the Golden Boy himself, stooping to such unscrupulous measures to guarantee his place in the discussion of Baseball’s best ever.

Well, wait one minute before we castrate the man. Remember the ancient principle, consider the source? This situation is exactly why that rule was created. Wheeler dealer, book peddling Jose Canseco prompted the discussion when he claimed he “had some stuff” on the Yanks third baseman.

Yeah, a really creditable source. NOT!

For anyone who hasn’t stepped into the “scandalous” section at Powell’s lately, Canseco wrote a book called Juiced a few years ago, calling out suspected steroid abusers like Rafael Palmeiro and Mark McGwire. Maybe he was right, but then maybe he was simply bankrupt and thought composing a book to shed light on former friends drug habits would garner enough money to crossover the poverty line. Regardless, where is the loyalty, Jose?

Honestly, I loathe A-Rod as a person. He is a greedy, selfish little brat. However, I have the utmost respect for him as a player. His skill set is about as rare as encountering water in the Sahara Desert. For that reason alone, I doubt he needs to bolster his performance level.

There has been a throng of suspected steroid users in MLB, such as Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, McGwire and Palmeiro, to name a few. Though, of the alleged abusers, Rodriguez is the least likely to be guilty in my mind.

A-Rod has been a consistent power hitter throughout his career. Since breaking into the Major Leagues in 1994, where Rodriguez had zero homers in 54 at bats, he has failed to reach 25 homeruns only twice. His numbers peaked in 2001-02, with 52 and 57 homeruns respectively. However, those were his first two seasons as a Texas Ranger, meaning his home ballpark was The Ballpark in Arlington, where the fourth most homers were slammed in 2002.

A quick glimpse at his physique unveils that he is a natural athlete. His muscles are not bulging out of his uniform like McGwire and he does not have a forehead the size of a melon like Bonds. The consistency argument applies again because, with the exception of his first couple seasons in Seattle, A-Rod has always looked the same. Sure, he has developed muscle mass over the years, but it has been in gradual stages. Reality is he has never arrived at spring training with 40 additional pounds of sheer muscle.

Looks like Canseco finally realized he as good as extinct in the public eye, or maybe he’s just broke again and needs to compose another tell-all book to ensure financial stability.