May 25, 2005 [LINK]
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) has joined with Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA) to introduce the "Clean Sports Act of 2005," which would set uniform drug standards for professional baseball, football, basketball, and hockey. One of the witnesses testified that wealthy superstar athletes could easily defeat the proposed weakly-funded testing mechanisms, however. See Washington Post. I think such legislative moralizing is a misguided attempt to make up for the lack of a spirit of good sportsmanship in contemporary American society. If the "whatever-it-takes" cynicism of most pro athletes prevails, however, there may be no alternative. Which is better (or worse): the cynical, amoral candor of Jose Canseco, or the teary-eyed, shamed stonewalling of Mark McGwire?
Thanks to Eric McErlain, sponsor of the Shea Stadium page, for plugging this site on his Off Wing Opinion blog, and thanks to Rob Visconti for sponsoring the Tiger Stadium page, which thereby gets moved ahead in my "to-do" list. You got a favorite stadium? Let everyone know about it (and about you)! In response to inquiries, I've decided to offer a discount for individuals who want to sponsor more than one page: Second, third, and fourth pages can be sponsored for one year for $8 (eight dollars U.S.) each, $2 off the basic rate. These rates are subject to change. Those who have already sponsored pages are eligible for the discount. As the traffic on this site continues to rise, I will also consider commercial-rate ads on a limited basis.
The diagrams on the Milwaukee County Stadium, U.S. Cellular Field, and Hiram Bithorn Stadium pages have been tweaked slightly to conform to the new standard, with home plate at the same location. You'll soon start to notice the aesthetic enhancement on the pages that rely on rollover effects with thumbnail diagrams. One such page, which I've just revised by adding such diagrams, is the Anomalous stadiums page.