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Posted By: Darren J. Duet

Baseball has changed, no doubt. How it has changed is multifactorial, trying to credit this change with one factor is futile. We might never again see a .400 hitter in the bigs, just as we may never see a 30-game winner again, not to mention a 40 game winner.

Of course, when was the last time anybody saw someone slug .812 or hit 73 homers in one season (different seasons at that). Or strike out 383 in one season. Performance values for one, have changed. Currently, the "big ticket" seems to be homeruns for hitters and stikeouts for pitchers.

I reflect on my days on the diamond, I was more apt to brag about hitting 2 homeruns in a double header and going 2-for-9 than for a 4-for-10 performance without any homers.

Another time our pitcher pitched 7-inning complete game shutout win giving up 6 hits and striking out 8. The opposing pitcher pitched 6 complete innings striking out 18, and giving up 2 earned and 2 unearned. Guess who made the headlines on the local sports page. "Gros Stikes Out 18 in Losing Effort"