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This was posted over at the awesome "Baseball Primer" site that has a neat FR like weblog for various articles. I had to post this over here just to get the following over as well. John Brittain posted the top ten real reasons triples aren't being hit any more. #6 just plain cracked me up:

Top 10 *real* reasons more triples aren't being hit:
10. Decreased intellect due to steroid abuse causes player to pause at first and decide whether to turn left or right.
9. Better looking babes in the stands on the first base side than the third base side.
8. Bigger shortstops, takes longer to get around them.
7. Players dive head first into first base now (if it's so effective, why don't sprinters dive head first over the finish line--besides the obvious of course).
6. John Olerud.
5. Payroll disparity between large and small market teams (submitted by some geek in Milwaukee).
4. Legging out triples in not covered in the collective bargaining agreement.
3. Modern cups chafe too much.
2. Too many triples at Wendy's (submitted by an anonymous player on New York Mets).
1. New baseball etiquette: It's disrespectful to show up the outfielder with the noodle arm.

For those who don't make it over to the Baseball Primer site to read the comments- McCarver's argument is really really silly, unless ballplayers stopped hustling back in 1930.

Personally, I get plenty enough miffed at the big bombers who just stand in the box watching their big bombs fly out in mock amazement. You hit one yard, just start running and run the damn thing out and don't show anyone up. You did the job, run it out, then onward and upward and give the man who threw the ball his props because you won't hit him yard every time out (well, not unless Preacher Roe or Jay Hook are resurrected, anyway).

Which causes me to think that there is yet another reason to cherish any chance you get to watch Ichiro Suzuki play baseball. He hits triples, and lots of them. Of course, he runs as though he has either a posse or an income tax collector on his tail. And on the rare occasion when he hits one out (rare? They either declare a state holiday or X-ray his bat when he hits one of his rare home runs), he runs it out like a legitimate professional. The big bombers are so busy watching their jacks that when they pop one up they're petrified to run one out lest they lose style points - and meanwhile, maybe two fielders lose it in the sun and oops! there's an error and maybe you got yourself to second base right off the, er, bat, because you were running it out like a pro and had a clean shot at profit off the other guy's mistake...

Damn, I miss Tim McCarver. My Mets made a huge mistake letting him go.