Now that the insanely over-hyped NFL Draft has gone the way of the Dodo, fans can get back to the only two sports that matter this time of the year: basketball and baseball.
Look closely and you'll notice that the 2006 versions of the NBA and MLB are not the same as the ones you grew up watching. Both leagues have undergone dramatic transformations over the past few years, but in two contrasting ways. In fact, this may be the first time in which two leagues were moving in such opposite directions.
First to baseball. Here's a sport that, in the 90s, went through a phase which produced offensive numbers that would have made even the most hardcore Tecmo baseball player blush. The combination of smaller parks, sub-par pitching due to expansion, Denver's thin air, and, of course, those steroids led to an offensive orgy that made Cy Young roll in his grave. It got so bad that Ken Caminiti won an MVP thanks to those magical enhancers and Brady Anderson (!!) hit 50 home runs. Although the home run binge of the 90s was exactly what the sport needed in the wake of the '94 strike, the events of the past ten years have been labeled with a big, fat asterisk.
But more recently there has been a change in America's pastime. Runs are down to a little over 4 1/2 per game; Barry Bonds has been reduced to a brittle crybaby with about as much mobility as Tony Siragusa after Thanksgiving; Sammy Sosa has been labeled a fraud and Mark McGwire a coward. These dinosaurs have been replaced by a crop of young pitchers led by Dontrelle Willis and Rich Harden, who are shifting the balance of power away from the hitter. Last year's World Series embodied this metamorphosis, matching up two teams built around dominant pitching and timely hitting. Both the White Sox and the Astros made it to the Fall Classic despite scoring over 300 fewer runs than the New York Yankees.
Will we ever see the single-season home run record challenged again, much less broken? Probably not. But that's a good thing.
Basketball, on the other hand, has gone in the opposite direction. Defense was the name of the game in the 1990s, epitomized by Pat Riley's bruising version of success through defense and intimidation. The average possession consisted of a pass or two followed by a painful one-on-one isolation that often consisted of the offensive player shoving his gluteus maximus repeatedly into the crotchal region of the defender. Watch any game in which Mark Jackson was involved and you'll agree with me. After Michael Jordan retired (for the second time) the NBA just did not have much going for it. That is, until 2003.
Then the triumvirate of D-Wade, King James and 'Melo graduated to the big time. Couple their entrance with the new rule changes (most notably the outlaw of the hand check) and we have a happier, more offense-friendly version of basketball. Scoring is up almost 10 points since the turn of the century. Defense still wins championships, but offense can now win you a ton of games along the way. Just ask the Detroit Pistons, who are the favorites this year because they now have an offense to go with their suffocating defense.
No player has benefited from this shift more than Steve Nash. He made a seamless transition from Dallas to Phoenix and, in the process, took the Suns to the top of the Western Conference. His offensive value is indisputable, but his invisibility on the other end may have cost the Suns last year's playoff series to the Spurs. Despite this gaping hole in his game, the Canuck won the MVP, and he may win again this year if certain leaked reports hold true.
Compare that to the 2005 AL MVP race. As any sports fan knows, it boiled down to Big Papi and A-Rod. Once you get past their gaudy offensive numbers, the two players couldn't be more different. They are the quintessential ying and yang of the sporting world.
The former is a big Dominican Santa Claus who is beloved by Boston fans and generally admired by baseball aficionados. Over the past few years he has come up with countless clutch hits, led the hapless Red Sox to the promised land, and kept Manny in check. You just can't help but like the guy.
Then there's A-Rod, a health nut so obsessed over projecting an image of professionalism and class that he comes off pathetically fake. He's hated by most baseball fans and tolerated by Yankees fans and players. Although the man is a fantasy owner's dream, he is one more October chokefest from being anointed the new "Mr. May" by George Steinbrenner. Take him off the team and the Yankees still make the playoffs. Take Ortiz off the Red Sox and not only do they miss the playoffs, but Manny would have started smoking weed during games instead of before and after and spent the second half of the season picking dandelions out in left. But A-Rod does play exceptional defense, and it is mainly for that reason that he was given the nod over Ortiz.
Last year's MVP winners epitomize where the two leagues are heading. The NBA rewarded a player for his exceptional work on the offensive side of the ball in spite of his porous defense. In contrast, Big Papi lost the MVP award because he didn't play any defense. It's interesting to note that Ortiz, while not Doug Mientkiewicz, is not a terrible first-baseman. In fact if you gave him a full season and then compared his defensive numbers to the rest of the league, he might come out more highly rated among first basemen than Nash compared to other point guards.
But with the atmosphere of baseball these days, it just made more sense for Rodriguez to win the award, despite the fact that he may be the antichrist. For the same reason, Nash was the right pick over Duncan last year. He was a better fit for the flashier and offensive-minded product the NBA is looking to package. Both leagues have received a much-needed face-lift in the past few years that has made them refreshingly entertaining for two completely different reasons.
Cole Liberator is a senior majoring in history. He can be reached via e-mail at cole.liberator@tufts.edu
