Mark McGuire Vs Andre Dawson

I have to admit that I have been a baseball fan for many years. I believe the first game I did see was a World Series match up in 1980 between the Kansas City Royals and Philadelphia Phillies. Since then I was a diehard Montreal Expos fan and, yes, my heart did break during the 1994 season that they would have won it all if there was not a strike.


This week I was able to witness one of the biggest cons ever to play this fun and great game. He goes by the name of Mark McGuire and he admitted something that we already know. During his playing days, he used steroids. Now he did state that this was to get over injuries and not enhance his power. Well if anyone does believe that, please look up pictures and take a look at what he looked like when he entered the league and when he retired. Through his career, Mark McGuire has statistics that looked like this.

Homeruns – 583

Runs Batted In – 1414

Batting Average - .263

12 time All Star, AL Rookie of the Year and won 1 Gold Glove for defense.

Now these are impressive statistics and as well used to hold the record for most home runs in a season with 70. This record was broken by Barry bonds in 2001.

These Mark McGuire statistics would have gotten anyone into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Mark McGuire has gotten a very low vote since he has been eligible to be elected. The reason for this was that since the steroid scandal that has rocked Major League Baseball, he has gone on record previous to this week with an admission of indifference. Neither confirming nor denying. Finally, He has admitted to taking steroids but now he is not blaming himself for taking them or that these substances may have helped him. He is blaming the era that he played baseball and that these drugs did not enhance his ability. If this be true, why did he take them? We will get back to that in a minute.



Another baseball player who has been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2010 is Andre Dawson. This man played 19 seasons and the majority of them with legs that could hardly keep him up. He has had numerous knee surgeries and even a replacement put in one of them. The hard surface of playing in Montreal for ten years has essentially disabled him to this day.

Now let us take a look at his statistics for his playing career

Homeruns – 438

Runs Batted In – 1591

Batting Average - .279

8 Time All Star, 8 Time Gold Glove Winner, NL Rookie of the Year and MVP in 1997

What is interesting about Andre Dawson’s career and how long it took him to get into the Hall of Fame is that he just played for the love of the game. He signed a contract for one half a million dollars in the era of collusion. More importantly his size never changed and if you examine the statistics of these two players then you will realize that Andre Dawson had better statistics than Mark McGuire with the exception of homeruns. I find this interesting. If you want a given talent for playing baseball, look no further than a person who put up these numbers on hobbled legs.

Now Andre Dawson would be the perfect role model for anyone who wanted to teach their children how to play baseball properly. Mark McGuire would be the perfect example of a man who could not look himself in the mirror properly because if he could, he would be truthful about why he did what he did and not blame others. I should mention that while Andre Dawson signed a contract for less than a million dollars when he played and that year he won the MVP Award, Mark McGuire’s last contract paid him 11 000 000 dollars in his last year of playing. I wonder again why he took them.

Starting Over

Sarah is starting her new job today. This is the first job she has had in eleven years. Before she became a widow, Sarah was a stay at home mother of three and her husband was the person who was the home provider. He was in the military and had his life taken on a peace mission. Now Sarah, spends every day trying to balance the bills, babysitters and a minimum wage job that does not provide enough to her. The strain has aged her face by years beyond her real age.


This is a scenario that happens each day. People all around us start over in life with riles that they are not used to in order to just survive. Every day, we are amongst divorcees, widowers or people who have been laid off and seek new employment. Their life has not worked out with the plan of just the day before but we have to give them credit. These good human beings are struggling while smiling and we do not know what is actually going on at home at all. We do not know how it feels with the loss of everything and finding employment in places that they are not used too and where they are not paid enough to essentially survive.

This thought was brought to myself as the new year came upon us and how people use this as a time to restart something in their lives. We do not realize that people have to do this every day and not by choice.

So, here is to these “Start Over” ladies and gentlemen in 2010. May it be the year you successfully rebuild.



How to Buy a Book

I have a habit of purchasing books by authors I have never heard of by looking at the title of the book and then the artwork. I have to recommend a great story that I had discovered this way. The White Road by John Connelly. I am not going to tell you what the story is so pick it up and once in a while choose a book this way. It proves to give interesting results.



In closing I was walking to my work recently during a snow storm. A complete stranger pulled over to the side of the road and gave me a lift. Later on when I was walking home from work during the same storm, a complete stranger pulled over and gave me a lift home. Looks like 2010 is going to be a good year.