Free Republic

One thing you learn from studying baseball history is that people have always predicted the sport’s demise. Over and over, the game weathers every perceived crisis and continues to thrive. More than 70 million fans will attend major league games this season; another 40 million or so will go to minor league games. Countless more watch the sport on television and online. And yet attendance is down, and more and more balls are being kept out of play. Some longtime observers consider the shifting landscape — hitters swinging for the fences, pitchers throwing everything with maximum effort, fielders standing in...

CINCINNATI -- Cincinnati Reds pitcher Bronson Arroyo is going to donate $100 for every strikeout to Homes For Our Troops, an organization that provides homes at no cost to injured or disabled servicemen and servicewomen and their immediate families. As part of the Homes For Our Troops program, one local serviceman or servicewoman will be selected as the recipient of a new home. Arroyo's contributions through his Strikeouts For Our Troops program will be donated to the general fund of Homes For Our Troops, which also features the Birdies For The Brave campaign of PGA golfer Phil Mickelson.

Thank you America for Supporting Strikeouts for Troops! In April 2005, I asked several of my fellow players from around Major League baseball to take a bold step and help me launch Strikeouts For Troops™ -- a unique program to help our wounded men and woman of the military with some “comforts of home” as they go through their rehabilitation process. The players responded by pledging money for the 1,438 strikeouts they threw, 740 hits they had (including 86 home runs) and 362 runs they drove in. We also saw great contributions from you, the fans, not only with your...

HOUSTON (AP) -- Roger Clemens moved into second place on the career strikeouts list behind fellow Houston-area native Nolan Ryan, and became first six-game winner in the majors to lead the Astros over Pittsburgh 6-2 Wednesday night. Clemens struck out Raul Mondesi swinging in the fifth inning to pass Hall of Fame left-hander Steve Carlton with No. 4,137.

I just left the Astros vs Pirates and watched Roger Clemens pass Steve Carlton for #2 all time strike out leader behind another great Texan, Nolan Ryan. He struck out 7 and picked up the win.