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Know nothings Myths dispelled during first half of seasonPosted: Friday July 05, 2002 12:08 PM
By Jacob Luft, CNNSI.com Lifting weights was once thought to be counterproductive for ballplayers. Now you can't drag major leaguers out of the gym. Baseball in Florida was supposed to be a mortal lock to succeed, but you can't drag fans to see the Marlins and Devil Rays play.Much like records, myths are made to be broken. Already this season, many of the things we "knew," or at least thought we knew, have been proven spectacularly wrong. Here are a few of the prominent myths that have been dispelled this season:
Baseball needs "competitive balance" or else the sport will plummet into the ocean depths. Oh, is that all? Nirvana isn't this hard to reach. Of the eight teams with the lowest payrolls, five -- Cincinnati, Florida, Minnesota, Oakland and Montreal -- have winning records and are within 6 1/2 games of a playoff spot or closer. When owners refer to "competitive balance," they are speaking in financial terms. They want all of the teams to make money more equally; how they perform on the field is a secondary concern. After all, the Pirates, Brewers and Tigers have new stadiums that have helped in the ledger books but not the standings. That is little consolation for their fans, but it's enough to give their owners a Joker-like grin that couldn't be wiped off with paint thinner.
Baseball can organize its umpires under the same umbrella in hopes of telling them what their strike zones should be.
(Fill in the blank) will make a run at Hank Aaron's all-time record of 755 home runs Then it was Ken Griffey Jr. who would no doubt be the next home run king. But Griffey has compiled all of 438 at-bats since the start of 2001, so it's time to pass the would-be crown to ... Barry Bonds. He's 163 away from Aaron, and at the ripe age of 37 is Babe Ruth reincarnated. But staying healthy is easier said than done, and Aaron put the record so far out there that it's silly to say it inevitably will be broken one day.
Johnny Damon doesn't hit in the first half of the season.
A catcher should be valued for his all-around ability. The three worst catchers at throwing out baserunners in the NL are Mike Piazza (8.8 percent), Paul Lo Duca (24.2) and Michael Barrett (25.5). They ranked first, third and fourth, respectively, in NL All-Star voting for catchers. In the AL, Jorge Posada won the voting despite gunning down baserunners at a 15.5 percent clip, second worst in the league. To be fair, these low percentages are not completely the fault of the catchers. As long as the home run is nearly every team's main offensive weapon, managers will care less and less about stopping the running game. Many pitchers, like Mets lefty Al Leiter, refuse to use the slide step, and many managers don't like to call pitchouts. They would rather concentrate on the hitter at the plate, and probably rightfully so.
Consider the sourceSelig lifted his gag order -- and threat of a $1 million fine -- on his fellow owners Tuesday, allowing them to discuss the labor war. Red Sox president Larry Lucchino and owner John Henry took the opportunity to defend Selig, their embattled leader. They say the commissioner is the messenger for what the owners want to say, and vilifying him is unfair. "There is a misperception that Bud Selig is a one-man band marching to his own drummer. He really is carrying the water for a unified set of clubs and pushing issues that are being thrust upon him by one of his constituencies, the owners," Lucchino told The Associated Press. This would all be very touching, if not for one simple fact: Selig is the main reason these guys are even running the storied Boston franchise.Selig helped engineer Henry's Marlins-for-Red Sox swap this offseason, and then Lucchino was brought in to run the club. These guys owe the commish quite a bit, so it's not surprising they would support him publicly. Wouldn't you do the same for somebody who handed you the deal of the century? We know Selig is speaking for the owners. What the owners have to understand is that by verbally abusing the commissioner, we are expressing our displeasure with them as well.So until somebody else comes up with a legitimate reason to give the commish a break, let the Selig bashing continue!
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The Mets need to stop buying into the theory that first base is not a critical defensive position.
Ever since 
