Baseball has seen a major resurgence in popularity in the last few years, and it has happened for one primary reason: the home run.

After dwindling attendance for years following the cancellation of the 1994 World Series, scores of fans were brought back to the game by the dramatic home run race between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa during the 1998 season.

The race to break Maris’ record was just one example of the home run explosion. Records are constantly being set for home runs by a team in a season, in a week, in a month. Last season Fernando Tatis became the first player to ever hit two grand slams in the same inning. Sunday night Bernie Williams and Jorge Posada became the first set of teammates to hit home runs from both sides of the plate in the same game.

With balls leaving the park at such an alarming rate, and games regularly decided by at least a touchdown, the game as we know it is changing. And for my money, it’s changing for the worst.

To the casual baseball observer there is nothing more exciting than a big-time home run. To the more seasoned fan, however, a squeeze bunt or even just an infield shift can be just as exciting. It is this micro game that is in danger of disappearing.

It used to be that a stolen base or a sacrifice bunt, putting a runner in scoring position in the third inning, could be the difference in the game. There’s no point in such a move now, when there will probably be seven more home runs before the game is finished.

What’s going on in baseball would be comparable to every score in basketball coming on a dunk. Sure, a dunk is exciting, but the heart of the game lies in sound offense and position defense. Likewise, a baseball game should be decided by solid pitching and defense, as well as smart hitting combined with aggressive baserunning. Instead, games are being decided by freakish hulks swinging for the upper deck.

Many players lack such fundamental skills as sliding and bunting. How many times in the last few years have you seen someone pop-up a bunt? How many baserunners have been put-out because they either didn’t slide or slid poorly? The game is getting ugly.

Major League officials have done little to curb the home run output. Umpires seem to be calling a wider strike zone this year, but with teams scrambling to build new fields with shorter and shorter fences, it may be too little, too late.

The Astros’ Enron Field features a left field wall closer than any respectable little league park, all so Jeff Bagwell can pad his already fat home run totals. Likewise, San Francisco’s Pacific Bell Park has put San Francisco bay closer to Barry Bonds than it has any business being.

A rash of expansion in the last decade has severely depleted the number of quality pitchers. Almost anyone in America who can pitch with their left hand can find work in a major league bullpen, particularly for the Cubs.

Harold Reynolds even reported on Baseball Tonight that the baseballs being used this year may be adding to home run totals. The balls feature a prominent, dark blue major league logo, and Reynolds points out that the mark allows hitters to see the rotation of the ball as it comes out of the pitcher’s hand.

It’s hard to imagine any other professional sport adapting their game in such a way in order to increase attendance. It would be alarming if basketball players were suddenly averaging 56 points a game. What if the three point line were brought in to 15 feet or the rim was lowered to 8 feet? That would be comparable to what is going on at these new ballparks.

Bud Selig needs to begin separating what’s good for the game and what’s not. There have been many pleasant developments in the last few years. Save some questionable dimensions, the new ballparks are gorgeous. The restaurants, the amusement parks, the choo-choo at Enron, all these things are making going out to the ballpark an exciting experience. And it’s bringing in new fans.

Still, new fans can’t replace the existing fan base, who are being increasingly alienated by the changes in the game. In order to retain the longtime fans, changes need to be made.

It’s probably time to raise the pitchers mound. The mound was lowered to give hitters an advantage back when Bob Gibson was only giving up one run a game. Now that teams are regularly giving up 10 runs plus, it seems time to give back a little advantage to the pitchers.

Fences cannot come in any more, and in some cases should go back. I realize the Astros want to help Bagwell out, but it should still take a well-hit ball to clear the fence. At Enron easy fly-outs have become three-run homers.

Baseball has the longest, richest tradition of any sport in America. Still, like all sports it must adapt to appeal to modern audiences. The trick is to hold on to the appeal without sacrificing the tradition.

Allowing home run totals to soar the way they have is in danger of damaging the tradition of baseball. If something isn’t done to curb the present trend, there will still be a game in 20 years, and it may be popular, but it won’t be the baseball we know and love.

---

Ben Godar is a senior in sociology from Ames. He is an assistant arts and entertainment editor for the Daily, and a lifelong Cardinals fan.