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Insider | Short Hops
Updated Aug. 8
Barr-ee! Barr-ee! Barr-ee! ...
From: Alex
Scott,
I feel for you. As the home run chase drags on, your writing gets worse. And you insist on keeping the whole asterisk thing ... why, exactly? You are a smart baseball guy, that much is obvious. But when it comes to Barry, you lose your smarts. As an objective reader, your asterisk gimmick seems childish. ... For your sake, I hope Barry hits 756 tonight, so you don't have to write about him anymore.
Yippeee!
From: Waylon M.
I think you're an a--hole. Do you really think its necessary to put an estrus behind Bonds's name?
Please, does anybody reading this know what an "estrus" is? Anyone?
From: Robert Y.
Ninety-nine percent of all sportswriters are morons.
And judging from my mail, 75 percent of you and your friends are borderline illiterate.
From: Ian
Personally, I don't love your normal articles, but Love Letters is hilarious. I'm glad that you can turn those absurd things people say to you into something witty and funny. It brightens my day when I read it. Keep it up! By the way on your August 3 edition on the last one, you spelled things "tings." Just to let you know so you can prepare for a bashing for that.
Letters from readers correcting my typos, folks calling me "moron" and the Soprano's hype-o, these are a few of my favorite tings.
From: Andy
Scott,
I've criticized your work in the past -- mostly articles about the Yankees, being a Sox fan myself -- but I have to give credit where it's due. This article on Bonds and what the HR record represented in the past and what it represents now is extremely intuitive and well-written. This is the best article I've read all day (after) his record-breaking night. You've succeeded in defining exactly what Bonds has done to baseball and how the game has changed over the years. Bonds is both a cheat and a liar who cares only about himself, despite his last-ditch effort to shield his selfishness by dragging his son into every interview and picture. All we can do now is hope that his record doesn't last as long as Henry Aaron's, which, as you noted, probably won't at the pace A-Rod is piling them up. Again, well done and thank you.
I'm so old, I can remember when the title of Home Run King stood for something.
From: Steve
Seeing that tribute of Hank Aaron was heart-warming, but why hasn't anyone noticed he hardly showed any emotion during it? He had the same, ticked off face of "I hate you Barry" written all over him.
What were you expecting, Denzel Washington? Geez, give the guy a break.
From: Brent T.
Great article on Bonds*. My only difference of opinion is that baseball, while publicly adored, is a private enterprise. As such it is not subject to the same jurisprudence as government is. That is to say, Bonds is guilty till proven innocent. We know he is juiced -- it is both common sense and obvious. Whether that means, as you've applied the semantics, that the record is tainted ... whatever is official ... the records and love of the game belongs to the fans ... this fan will continue to view Hank Aaron as holding this record and Bonds as an interloper of no consequence.
Guilty 'til proven innocent? For which private enterprise do you work? I'll make sure to avoid that one.
From: Bryan M.
I just wanted to let you know that you are the first sports writer since Mike's first start of 2007 to capture the essence of what Mike is like and why we all here at Millennium Sports love our boy Mike Bacsik. Instead of beating the fact that nobody has ever heard of him and that he tops out at 87 mph, you took a second to appreciate what makes Mike Bacsik a great person as well as a great ballplayer.
I think I speak for everybody who knows and loves Bacsik when I say thank you for your extremely thoughtful and well-written article.
The above note was written by the man in charge of Web development for the group that serves as the agent for Bacsik who, of course, is the commissioner of his CBS SportsLine.com Fantasy Football league. And oh, yeah, the guy who served up No. 756 to Bonds*.
From: Mark E.
Cheating is part of baseball, always has been. Spitballs, corked bats, pine tar and Vaseline all have been a part of baseball. Athletes have always been trying to find an edge. Ty Cobb spiked players. People have sent hookers to opposing teams to distract players. Bonds has not been caught and he deserves his records just like every other player. How many games are we going to take off for the pitchers who cheated? If you get caught you pay the penalty, but that does not diminish what was accomplished. Cheating is in every sport and always will be. If people did not push the envelope we would not have the best athletes and the best sports in the world.
I pray you're not a Little League coach.
From: Joseph C.
Maybe we should check sport hacks for bitter-enhancing supplements like egos and hard heads. I am glad it bothers you Scott, hope it burns your heart until it is broken again.
Only supplements I take are Gatorade and Power Bars, my man. And both make you happy and able to run long distances, which helps melt away any bitterness.
From: Mike
This whole Barry Bonds asterisk thing is getting old. I know you're a baseball writer, but would you put an asterisk by Shawn Merriman*, who actually tested positive for the stuff and got named to the pro bowl for it? How about the pitcher Bonds hit 755 against, the one who actually tested positive for the stuff? How about Roger Clemens*? ...
Because of you and your media friends love affair with 755 and 714 you want to smear Bonds. Get over yourself. Until you decide to put an asterisk behind every guy mentioned even remotely to use steroids, yep, that means A. Rod* too, or every player that played during the steroid era, or any era that had an advantage the other generations didn't every player in baseball history. Stop being a prick about it.
Now that Bonds* has broken the record, I will.
From: Bob D.
Scott*, you're a jerk and you've kicked this dead horse for way too long. You're jealous, judgmental and a puny, small man. I read two sentences of your article and that was enough. Read Tom Singer's article. That guy can write! You might learn something about the creative beauty of words. ... SportsLine.com is awesome, why don't you try writing something awesome yourself and be a fitting contributor to the site.
I've written several awesome pieces this summer already. So awesome you wouldn't be able to stop yourself from hyperventilating upon reading them. Pay attention. P.S: Tom Singer (MLB.com) is a friend of mine, a good guy and a baseball lover. Bet you could get him to tell you I've written awesome things in the past.
From: Jake
You bash the Yankees yearly for deadline deals. Don't they deserve credit for restraint this year? Also Phil Hughes, Jason Giambi and Joba Chamberlain make a great addition at deadline.
They sure do. I wrote this spring that GM Brian Cashman's new philosophy of fiscal restraint and working to get younger -- Hughes, Humberto Sanchez (who's now injured) and Chamberlain are prime examples -- is a must, and I think his consistency in this area is going to pay off big-time in the next four or five years. Meanwhile, Jake, make sure you click on over to Short Hops. It's Be Nice to the Yankees Week.
From: Glen
Without any Trevor Hoffman news, baseball seems so irrelevant.
The Padres keep going like this, they'll soon be irrelevant, too. Then our only chance to hear AC/DC will be on the classic rock stations, not at the ballpark.
From: Rishabh S.
I am tired of how underrated the Seattle Mariners and Ichiro Suzuki are. I don't like how Ichiro's great talent is behind Barry Bond's going 0-4 in a game. Please could you not leave out the Mariners. Thank You.
Nobody likes a whiner, but since you said "please," I'll write something on the Mariners soon. Promise.
