Call me crazy, but I like the type of old school pitching matchups that the Philadelphia Phillies are preparing for tonight against the San Francisco Giants.
As we continue to move on from the performance enhancing drug era, players like Roy Halladay and Tim Lincecum have reclaimed their rightful place among baseball's rock stars.
Suspension of disbelief
Everyone suspends their disbelief, whenever they watch a fictionalized movie, witness a professional wrestling match or willingly involve themselves in any one of a number of other spectacles of that nature. I am proudly a fan of the movies and of wrestling, while always knowing that both involve elements of fantasy.
In a somewhat similar way, most baseball fans, media members and various other people allowed themselves to believe in the video game that portrayed itself as baseball for well over a decade.
In 1998, we were captivated by that amazing home run chase between St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Mark McGwire and Chicago Cubs outfielder Sammy Sosa. Giants fans loved watching the amazingly talented Barry Bonds bust through history, drop countless power chords and technically become the game's all-time leading masher.
For most of those years everyone, except for the players themselves and some insiders, didn't know what was really going on. Like so many juiced round-trip rides, those days are long gone.
Yes, there may be players who are still using. But, every ticket holder is fully aware of reality. And that is where Halladay and Lincecum walk onto the field.
Doc and The Freak
'Back in the day' is a corny term that middle-aged people use to transform their half-way-home longevity into perceived sage wisdom about all things related to life. I will now invoke that privilege.
Back in my day watching the best Phillies pitcher ever, 'Lefty' Steve Carlton was heaven. If he happened to face someone like Tom Seaver (Cincinnati Reds), Don Sutton (Los Angeles Dodgers) or various other mound monsters in that era, it was even better.
Seeing 'Doc' take the hill against 'The Freak' evokes those types of memories for this aging baseball dog.
While reduced offensive output around the major leagues might not be immediately embraced by every marketing machine, it is helping to restore the integrity of the game that we all love. Pitchers of this caliber are once again leading the way.
While Lincecum hasn't gotten off to a good start this season, I would like to see both of these men throw a double gem.
Sean O'Brien's professional writing career began in 1990, when he first began working in the Philadelphia Phillies farm system. He was a freelance sports writer for five years and is currently a Featured Contributor for Yahoo! Sports. You can follow him on Twitter @SeanyOB and read his daily Sports Blog: Insight.
More from this author and the Yahoo Contributor Network:
An epic Philadelphia Phillies trade was made 40 years ago
Five traits of hardcore Philadelphia Phillies fans
Was New York Yankees legend Babe Ruth was the greatest player of all-time?
Was San Francisco Giants' Mays better than Atlanta Braves' Aaron?
