Fred Bowen's "The Score" column,
July 6, 2001, Washington Post

Baseball: Same Questions, New Answers

At the beginning of the baseball season, I said there were nine big questions that the season would answer.

We are about halfway to the World Series. Let's take another look at those questions to see what answers we have so far.

Will Mark McGwire come back?

Baseball's home run king has been hurt for most of the season and hasn't yet gotten back into the long-ball groove. But Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants has taken McGwire's place as baseball's home run champ. Bonds even has a chance to beat McGwire's record of 70 homers in a season.

Will Alex Rodriguez be worth $252 million?

If anyone is worth $252 million (over 10 years), it's A-Rod. He has been terrific. He is batting better than .300 and he's a leader in home runs and runs batted in. But his team, the Texas Rangers, has no pitching. So even A-Rod will suffer through a losing season.

How are the Orioles going to be?

Better than a lot of people thought. Young pitchers Sidney Ponson, Jason Johnson and (surprise) Josh Towers give the Birds of Baltimore hope for the future. Even if they won't have Cal Ripken.

Who is Ichiro Suzuki?

He is Japan's seven-time batting champ. And now he is a big hit in America. As the Seattle Mariners' starting right fielder, Suzuki has proven that he can run, hit, and throw with the best in the major leagues. And that makes Suzuki a star in any language.

What about the bigger strike zone?

This year, Major League Baseball made the strike zone bigger so that it would be easier for pitchers to strike out batters. So far, it seems to be working. Batting averages are down. So are walks and runs.

Can Pedro Martinez get any better?

Pedro isn't as white-hot as he was last year, but he's been plenty hot. And the Red Sox pitcher is still the best pitcher in baseball. Pedro's hurt right now, but any chance you get to see this guy pitch, take it. He's a master on the mound.

Will the games get any faster?

Not really. Even with the bigger strike zone, the average game takes nearly three hours. I love baseball, but three-hour games are just too long.

Who will the surprise teams be?

So far the Minnesota Twins, Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs are baseball's biggest surprises. All three teams seemed headed for losing records, but they are battling for first place in their divisions.

The most amazing team of the season has been the Seattle Mariners. The last three years, the Mariners have lost superstars Randy Johnson, Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez. So what happened? The Mariners got better. Talk about a surprise.

Can anyone beat the Yankees?

Sure. The world champion Yankees are not a cinch to make the playoffs. I root for the Yankees' arch rival, the Boston Red Sox. So for me, if the Yankees miss the playoffs, this will be a great baseball season.

FRED BOWEN is the author of sports novels for kids. Write to him at KidsPost, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, DC 20071. Or e-mail (with "The Score" in the subject field): kidspost@washpost.com.

© 2001 The Washington Post Company