Apparently former MLB pitcher Mike Remlinger is taking a page out of Lenny Dykstra’s manifesto on financial planning.  The Chicago Tribune reports that Remlinger, a former Chicago Cubs pitcher who retired in 2005, is auctioning off the barrel of Sammy Sosa’s corked bat from June 3, 2003.

Remlinger, who had been secretly holding onto the wooden shard since that memorable June night, says that he attempted contacting Sosa regarding his interest in the bat but never heard back from the former Cubs slugger or his agent.

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The highly anticipated “The Tenth Inning” is a two night, four hour documentary on baseball from the 1990s to the present day, by award-winning film-maker and historian Ken Burns.  Burns, who wrote and directed PBS’ Emmy Award Winning, “Baseball,” has structured his latest effort to continue where the latter left off.

From the PBS website:

“The film highlights dramatic developments that transformed the game: the crippling 1994 strike that left many fans disillusioned with their heroes; the increasing dominance of Latino and Asian players who turned baseball into a truly international game; baseball’s skyrocketing profits, thanks to new stadiums, interleague play, and the wild card; the rise of a new Yankee Dynasty; the Red Sox’ historic World Series victory; the astonishing feats of Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds; and the revelations about performance-enhancing drugs that cast a shadow on many of the era’s greatest stars and their accomplishments.”

“The Tenth Inning” will air on Sept. 28-29; 8:00 – 10:00PM ET on PBS

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Since its inclusion in 1985, I have always felt that the home run derby was, without a doubt, the highlight of the All-Star break.  There was nothing more exciting than watching the most prolific home run hitters put on an unparalleled display of power, as a way of giving back to the major league baseball fan base.  Baseball’s best power hitters seemed honored to be selected for the derby, and it was clear that they were whole-heartedly competing.

However, that was then.

Now, the home run derby is an embarrassing, lesser version of what it once was, featuring out-dated commentators and shitty, intolerable music that can be heard three states over.  It has become an overly publicized, commercial event that fails to recognize and compliment the most impressive players in baseball.  What happened to the days where guys like Ken Griffey, Jr., Frank Thomas, Juan Gonzalez and Jim Thome battled each other, round by round, while creating an electrifying environment within the given park?  I’d prefer a derby featuring juicers like McGwire and Sosa than the anticlimactic atmosphere that I had to sit through last night.  I thought that baseball’s all-star game and home run derby actually reflected the best players in baseball?  It seems as though the derby has now become an event much like the Pro-Bowl, where the players would rather protect their bodies and swings than participate in an elite event that was once a highlight of the MLB season.  It’s a running joke.

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