As a tribute to Jason Giambi let's hope the poster boy for steroids is the turning of a page in the future of baseball where the game can be free of sports.
In honor of Giambi on this day August 8th, 2009 let's look back in baseball history at players that deserve recognition for their feats on the diamond as clean ball players.
1903 - Joe McGinnity (New York) pitched two complete games in one day. He won 6-1 and 4-3 over the Brooklyn Dodgers. The lanky Irishmen free of steroids but potentially a high tempered athlete on the whiskey.
1915 - Clifford "Gawy" Cravath (Philadelphia) hit four doubles and brought in eight runs in a game against the Cincinnati Reds. During an era of the mushball where not even steroids might have helped the Philly right fielder wooo'ed onlookers on this day smacking the bejeeezies out of the dead ball!
1920 - Howard Ehmke (Detroit Tigers) set an American League record when he defeated the New York Yankees 1-0 in 1 hour and 13 minutes. Where was Tony Larussa to pull the Tiger Ace? Out defending Mark McGwire and slamming Jose Canseco?
1931 - Bob Burke (Washington Senators) pitched a 5-0 no-hitter against the Boston Red Sox.
1954 - The Brooklyn Dodgers scored 13 runs in the eighth inning to beat the Cincinnati Reds 20-7 at Ebbets Field. Not the greatest of comebacks but the ethically diverse Dodgers led by Captain "Pee Wee" Reese was not on the "juice radar" with his slap hitting prowess!
1973 - Boston Red Sox Orlando Cepeda hit four doubles against the Kansas City Royals. Not quite the deadball but one of the first latin ball players along with Roberto Clemente to not visit the juice bar with "Cousin Rodriquez".
1982 - Doug DeCinces hit three home runs against the California Angels. He had hit three home runs against Minnesota five days earlier. Great third sacker with a wirey frame was one of the early free agents that earned big bucks with a great glove instead of the long ball which has been incentive for the "juice crowd"
1996 - Eddie Murray (Baltimore Orioles) moved into 15th place on the career home run list when he hit his 494th. How many "juice heads" have passed the great Eddie Murray and is there a reason he isn't referred to as "the great Eddie Murray"? Even if mistaken as the great Lions field goal kicker.
1996 - Willie McGee (St. Louis Cardinals) hit his 2,000th major league hit. Willie's upper body was as thick as Giambi's bicep yet the Cardinal speedster and former MVP was good enough to win a World Series ring in "82.
1998 - Paul Molitor (Minnesota Twins) stole his 500th career base. One of the pure greats of the game in the early stages of the steroid era, he continued to get key hits throughout his career en route to being part of Three World Champion teams in the latter part of his career in Toronto and Minnesota.
1999 - Wade Boggs got his 3,000th hit of his major league baseball career. And the self-proclaimed sex addict was verile enough to establish public relations across the typical baseball demographic with a fine handlebar red mustache.
2002 - Major league baseball players and owners agreed to a $100,000 increase in baseball's minimum salary. The minimum was set at $300,000 starting in 2003. I guess more money was needed by the players to pay for the travel expenses for A-Rod's cousin to the Dominican Republic to pick up care packages!
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