Question of the Week

David, Fort Smith, AR
Subj: Coaching titles
Okay, what is it with these coaches and their titles of "assistant head coach" and "associate head coach" and co-offensive coordinator and co-head coach and such? Heck, here at Arkansas we had a running game coordinator and a passing game coordinator and an offensive coordinator (I think-- he might have gotten lost in the title shuffle). Whatever happened to "coach"?

You bring up a fabulous point David. It wasn’t long ago that men like Pud Galvin pitched 72 complete games a year, football players like Jim Thorpe played on both sides of the ball and a single coach could control an entire team all on his own. Although I can appreciate the need for specialization, a part of me also longs for a time when your dentist could simultaneously cut your hair while also giving you a good bleeding with a leech. Now those were the days!

Question of the Week

Leslie, Vancouver, B.C.
Subj: Barry Bonds
I would love to see these so called superstars play under the same conditions that Hank Aaron played. Let’s see what they can do without science behind them.... not only performance-enhancing drugs but the type of equipment they played with.

You have a point, Leslie. In addition to playing with inferior equipment, Hank Aaron and his peers had to contend with grueling double headers, long bus rides and training tables that often featured little more than a package of salami and a loaf of Wonder Bread. Hall of Famer Cap Anson is one of many old timers to share your sentiment that the game has declined. "Baseball was a man's game in my day," he once lamented. "I'd like to see what today's boys would do against the likes of (Old Hoss) Radbourn, (Pud) Galvin, (Tim) Keefe and (John) Clarkson." I certainly share his sense of nostalgia for a time when baseball was a purer pursuit.