Wednesday, December 15, 2004 |
ESPN's Top 100 Stories
1. Red Sox Win The World Series. We're stuck in a state of arrested bliss. Here's an e-mail from reader Brian Holmes: "I was walking down the cereal aisle and saw a Wheaties box with David Ortiz on it. Honest to god, I blubbered like Tony Soprano when he saw the ducks in his swimming pool. I had to keep walking around until I dried up. I didn't want the checkout girl to see me. Has anyone else e-mailed you with stories like this? Should I see a shrink?"
4. The Slugger, and 5. The Source. All year long it was impossible to separate the man from the mess. The man's achievements stand alone: seven National League MVP awards, and four in a row; the third player to reach 700 home runs; a .362 season with 45 homers in only 373 official at-bats. And perhaps the most telling number: 232 walks, a single-season record, and a testament to his ability to neuter baseball's mano-a-mano nature.
But that's not what we'll remember first about Barry Bonds in 2004. Instead, we'll remember the taint of performance-enhancing drugs, of steroids, of BALCO, of the smiling impresario Victor Conte and the muscled trainer Greg Anderson. It all trotted one step behind Bonds as he rounded the bases after Nos. 660, 661 and 700. It was there, hovering like an airborne virus, when he was awarded his unprecedented seventh MVP, at the age of 40.
31. Twin Killing. Starting June 9, Minnesota LHP Johan Santana gave up three runs or fewer in 22 straight starts, a single-season record for an American League pitcher during the DH era.
37. Long and winding road. How did the Expos get from QUE to DC?
38. Even Eric Gagne ... can see that his record streak of 84 saves is off the charts. [Ed: get it, 38?]
51. For Pete's sake. ... Pete Rose finally cops to betting on baseball.
88. Keep it Clean. We're sure it's purely coincidence, but in the two years MLB has been conducting random drug tests, no one's hit 50 home runs. [Ed: ... but please to note that according to their own snarkily named "Juice Box", the overall number of home runs has increased in the last two years. If steroid use is helping anybody, it's most likely pitchers and not hitters. Baseball has had many, many years with few players hitting over 50 home runs.]
92. Trouble At Home. With such stars as Johan Santana, Miguel Cabrera and Melvin Mora lighting up the majors, Venezuela should be glowing with pride. Instead, national unrest is casting a shadow of violence and fear. Players have felt the danger since November 2002, when Richard Hidalgo was shot in the arm in an attempted carjacking.
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