Sammy Sosa. Roger Clemens. Barry Bonds. All of them were incredible baseball players and all of them ruined the game.
Cheating through the use of performance-enhancing drugs changed baseball for the absolute worst. Not only was their era plagued by steroids, but the years following were marked by an aura of paranoia and untrustworthiness. Everybody wondered who the next juiced up superstar would be.
But, that player never really came.
The superstars were just that. Superstars. Paul Goldschmidt, Clayton Kershaw, and Joey Votto stood out amongst so many other names. They were all doing it the right way. It didn't seem to be enough though. Baseball had a lot going for it, but it needed moments.
Basketball and football have had theirs for years. Most basketball fans can tell you where they were when Lebron pinned Iguodala's layup off the backboard in game seven. But can you find people who remember where they were or what was happening when the White Sox won in 2005 or when the Phillies beat the Rays in 2008?
Probably not. Baseball needed these moments to start reminding people how good the game could be. Moments where people would remember where they were when it happened.
And they started coming.
The beginning of baseball's rejuvenation, to me, started in 2011. It felt as if something was changing when David Freese hit a 1-2 count off the right-field wall to keep the Cardinals alive in game six, and then again when he walked it off in the 11th. In one of the greatest baseball games ever played, I distinctly remember jumping up and down in my bed screaming for two teams I wasn't even a fan of. That was the first moment where baseball broke free of the steroid, paranoia era. It took the greatest world series game ever, but baseball was alive again. And it only got better from there.
The next few years were loaded with memorable at-bats and remarkable performances. Wildcard games were intense and scary as hell every year, the Giants kept winning the World Series every even year, and Jose Bautista's bat still hasn't landed from his epic bat flip against the Rangers in the 2015 ALDS.
The world got to see Bumgarner dominate the Royals, only for Kansas City to break the heart of every Mets fan the following year. Baseball was at an all-time post-steroid high during this time. Every World Series had excellent TV numbers, fans were engaged and every year there was a crazy story. But this was all leading up to the one thing baseball needed.
The one thing that nobody could see coming: The Cubs in the world series.
The Cubs had gone 108 years without a championship, but Chicago loved them. And once Theo Epstein was hired, things started to change in Chicago. The lovable losers were becoming winners.They even became winners enough to clinch the National League pennant and a trip to the World Series. The only thing in the way of the Cubs finally ending their drought was the Cleveland Indians.
And these teams put on a show. In a thrilling seven-game series, where the final game went extra innings, the Cubs did it. They finally won. And do I remember where I was? Of course. I was at BJ's Brewhouse with my girlfriend and her mom, celebrating what was easily the most unexpected sports moment of my life.
And it was that way for a lot of people.
I couldn't tell you a single person who genuinely thought the Cubs' drought would've ended in 2016, but when it did, it was special. The feel of that game and knowing that everyone around the world was watching made it so much better. Never could I remember a baseball game that everyone watched.
This was one of the games that could change a sport for the better, and it did.
Now, since the Cubs momentous achievement, baseball has prospered. This past season was one for the record books. TV ratings were high across the country, the single-season home run record was broken, and as always, it was easy to find a good story.
A terrific regular season gave way to an incredible postseason so far and it's getting people's attention. The four teams that were left represented the four largest cities in the United States. New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Houston were all still standing.
This has now lead us to a World Series between the two most consistently great teams this year:
The Dodgers and the Astros.
And while this could be a sweep or an epic seven game battle, something amazing will happen. It always has. And with this, one thing has become clear. The paranoia of the steroid era is gone. Perished. It took a long time to over come it, but it happened. Baseball is back.
