Rangers Beat Orioles 30-3 [David Stefanini]

I didn't make a typo typing in the score. The Texas Rangers became the first team in 110 years to score 30 runs in a game. The Rangers scored five runs in the fourth inning, nine in the sixth, ten in the eighth and six in the ninth. The last time a team scored 30 was when Chicago scored 36 runs in 1897.

Now the most shocking part of this is that Wes Littleton recorded a save. I said that correctly, in a game where the final score was 30-3, a relief pitcher recorded a save. Wes Littleton pitched 3 scoreless innings to record his first save of the season. When Littleton came into the game the score was 14-3 in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Marlon Byrd and Travis Metcalf each hit grand slams, Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Ramon Hernandez both hit two home runs and recorded seven RBI's.

Obviously, we will probably never see something like this happen again. It was 110 years ago when we saw something like this. I doubt anybody reading this was around back then.

These Records Are Tainted [Addison Quale]

Well, call it what you like. He's a product of his times. He's just doing what everyone else was doing. You would have done the same thing. Whatever. I'll call it for what it is--and that is cheating. It is illegal in baseball to use steroids. And it has been quite clear to all for some time now that Barry Bonds used them.

The rules in baseball aren't there to be just broken. There's a spirit to them. You're supposed to abide by the spirit of the law and not just the letter. Even if Bonds found a way to use performance enhancing steroids without somehow getting caught doesn't make it right. And I don't care if 99% of MLB was using too. It doesn't make a difference. Cheating is cheating is cheating. The law doesn't change once all your friends are breaking it too.

So instead of having the famed single-season and all-time home run records be the result of hard work, discipline, integrity, sportsmanship and courage, they are now blatant manifestations of pride, greed, ambition, contempt, lawlessness and selfishness.

The numbers 60, 61, 714 and 755 used to mean something. They symbolized excellence--pure courage and venerable excellence--that we could all stand up and cheer for (eg. Cal Ripken). But now they have been replaced with a whole new set of numbers: 66, 70, 73, 756. And these have now become symbols of pride and lies. A broken record means nothing when it's based on a lie. An idea means nothing if it's got no integrity to it. And when a record is broken based on a lie, that is not grounds for cheering but rather grounds for being disgusted

MLB has screwed up big time. They used to have a product which was the thing of dreams--something we all knew was good, something we wanted to tell our kids about. But in their drive for fame they let that get away from them. And allowed men like Barry Bonds to usurp that goodness. These records are tainted forever. As far as I'm concerned the home run records right now stand at 61 and 755.

Tri-fecta Anyone? [David Stefanini]

Something very rare can happen today. So rare, there has never been a day like this in baseball history.

Tom Glavine can become the 23rd player to get to 300 career wins. It is very possible this may be the last time we see this milestone achieved in the near future. The next closest person to 300 wins is Randy Johnson with 284 wins. But we do not know if he will ever pitch again. After that we have to go down the list to Mike Mussina who will not get to 300. The only pitcher I see that has a chance of getting to 300 is Johan Santana.

Now onto the long ball where Alex Rodriquez can become the 22nd player to reach 500 career home runs. Unlike Glavine this milestone will likely be reached again. It is possible that this milestone will be reached two more times before this season is over. Still A-Rod will be the youngest player to ever reach 500 home runs. A-Rod is 32 years and 4 days old today. That will be 332 days younger than Jimmie Foxx was when Foxx hit his 500th.

Finally the biggest and most impressive milestone of the three, Barry Bonds could tie the all-time home run record. Tonight, if he plays, Bonds will be swinging for career homer #755. No matter what your personal opinion of Bonds is does not matter today. The only thing that matters is the number 755. When he breaks the record there will be no mark in the record books, and his name will not be penciled in to be erased in later years. He will be the home run champion, at least until A-Rod breaks it in several years.