The Rose Award For 4-28-2006.

So, with 1,000 more ABs than Ruth, the bloated one moves ahead in total
extra base hits.

Not only did the Babe NOT have the advantages of batting gloves,
helmet, 35 pounds of body armor, AND STEROIDS, the Bambino didn't have
the luxury of facing Triple-A pitching! As has BB!

That's right, BB-anal-lavers, he's faced diluted "big-league" AAA-level
pitching all his ML career! Expansion from 16 to 32 teams since Ruth's
time has thinned pitching immensely, throughout the bigs, so much so
that 265-pound Barry has enjoyed facing MANY guys who in Ruthian times
would NEVER have made the big leagues!

In the "old" days, 18-to-21-year-old kids were seldom on ML rosters,
mainly because they didn't yet know how to pitch; adequate control was
a must before elevation to the major leagues. In fact, many's the
pitcher who spent his entire CAREER in the minors--because (a) they
lacked big pitching league skills--and(b) because ML clubs could KEEP
'em there ... no free-agency, etc., etc. So even some
major-league-caliber guys never got to pitch to the likes of Babe Ruth.
Sad but true.

Ruth largely had to face the best pitchers in the known world,
concentrated on just 7 other AL teams. Guys like Lefty Grove and
Walter Johnson and Jim Bagby. In fact, it's said that Grove's TRULY
scary fastball was left in the minor leagues (Baltimore Orioles) before
he ever made to the show. He lacked control until he'd spent 7 years in
the minors, finally joining the Philadelphia Athletics at age 25.

Since he made the bigs with the Pirates in 1986 (where in 413 at-bats
he hit an amazing .223), BALCO-man has had the advantage of facing
hundreds of raw, wild, inexperienced kids possessing little or no
control or other pitching skills. Just hard throwers--or less--who HAD
to serve the big-head fastballs because they couldn't get their
breaking pitches over the plate--if they HAD breaking pitches!

For the Amazing Exploding Neck, at-bats were a constant feast on
grooved hard-ones, with little worry about seeing good breaking balls,
especially in 2-0 and 3-1 situations. Sure, there have been the Randy
Johnsons and Greg Maddoxes, but they were spread out among 15 other NL
teams. The majority of teams' entire pitching staffs in BALCO's time
have had no particularly effective hurlers; just unskilled fireballers
or wobbly would-be fireballers lacking the ability to change speeds and
location, and especially lacking a polished reportoire of pitches.
It's been a rare opposing NL team since 1986 that had more than ONE
pitcher classified as an "ace" on its staff.

In Ruth's time, big league meant BIG LEAGUE. MLB was not day-care for
youths still learning their craft. Babe faced at least TWO major
league-level pitchers on every opposing staff. Due to many factors
then, there may not have been as many big, raw-boned buzz-ballers, but
those 1920s and 1930s pitchers were experienced, wily, mean, and
crafty. And people like Grove never hesitated to zing one at a
batter's head if "necessary."

As for Alou, he'll be 40 in July. Does his current performance remind
you of another player who put up big offensive numbers as he approached
40? Hmmmm ...