What’s up everyone?! This week I want to talk a bit about Major League Baseball. MLB is a topic that many have sour opinions on. Let’s examine a few of the issues plaguing our once great past time. PED’s first and foremost. Steroids, if you will, have put a black eye on the sport for the past 15 years or so and many have written it off. MLB is finally stepping up and handing out harsher punishments, but is it too late to save the game? Fines don’t matter in my opinion. You fine a guy that makes millions of dollars a year $50,000.00 and that’s like taking $10 from me. It isn’t enough for them to stop. It’s a slap on the wrist. And the suspensions are one thing, but only time will tell if it will make a difference. Here is what I propose. If MLB really wants to eliminate PED’s from their game then they should institute a 3 strikes and you’re out rule. 1. The first offense from a positive test would be an 81 game unpaid suspension. ½ the season. 2. The second offense from a positive test would be a 162 game unpaid suspension. 1 whole season. 3. The third offense for the same player would be a lifetime suspension and their MLB career would be over as a player. Also, the team would take some responsibility and would be ineligible for post season play the year of the third offense. I can bet that this would clean it up pretty quick. These guys make way too much money to cheat. That would be my play on how to take the PED’s out of the league.

Now let’s take a look at some brighter topics. With all the negativity around the league, some of the good news has been over looked. First let’s take a look at the Los Angeles Dodgers. Here is a team that has been bottom feeding for a while now, but has anybody noticed what their up to now a days? How about a 37-8 record in their last 45 games! WOW! They are 7 games up on Arizona and with their pitching at an all time high, they don’t appear to be slowing down any time soon. And don’t forget the power in the lineup, especially coming from Yasiel Puig. At 6’3” and 245lbs this guy is a monster and feared by opposing teams.

Another bright spot is Bryce Harper. Let’s be honest, when was the last time you were so excited about a young player like this. Harper can do it all. He can field his position, steal bases, hit for power, hit for contact, extend plays, etc… etc… etc… and don’t forget he is only 20 years old! This kid is good and time will only prove his worth. I remember reading a Sports Illustrated article about him hitting a homerun in high school that measured 575 feet!!! Now that’s power. He has a natural ability and will go down as one of the all time greats in my opinion. It’s fun to watch him. He has just a bit of a chip on his shoulder as well and that makes him dangerous trying to prove himself. With the mental fire and physical gifts he has, the sky is the limit for him. At his age he is not even close to his prime either. As a fan I can’t wait to see his career unfold.

Lastly, I want to talk about my beloved Atlanta Braves. The Braves have always been my favorite team. My grandpa and I used to watch them every night on TBS at 7:05pm. I remember it like it was yesterday. Atlanta has a history of winning but the last couple of seasons have been tough on them. After long time coach Bobby Cox’s retirement the Braves failed to win the division for the first time in almost 15 seasons. This year however they are on a roll. With a 73-47 record, they currently have the best record in baseball. When the Upton brothers are healthy and Freddie Freeman’s bat on fire the Braves have a dangerous line up. They’ve hit 143 homeruns this season. Only 2 teams have hit more.
Their starting rotation is nothing to mess with either with the 2nd best era in the league at 3.21 And with Craig Kimbrel coming in to close it down their bullpen is top notch. Kimbrel is 2nd in the majors with 37 saves thus far in the season. This should be a postseason for Atlanta in which they are feared.
That’s going to wrap it up for now. Baseball is an ageless game and all the negativity seems to over shadow all the good the sport has to offer. I hope you can look past the dark side of the game to see what it has to offer us all. I know I can.

Peter