It’s Year of Strike Even With No Labor Woes

With the help of a bigger strike zone, pitchers have regained control of Major League Baseball, writes Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post:

“If Barry Bonds, with his 73 home runs, was the symbol of 2001, then Curt Schilling with his 18-3 record is the symbol for 2002.

“Here’s one eye-catching statistic that captures the whole trend. In 2000, only one starting pitcher in the American League had an earned-run average under 3.70 [Boston’s Pedro Martinez]. As of Tuesday, there were 15 starters in the AL and 37 in both leagues in that category.

“This transformation has been enormous, as dramatic in its way as the flood of home runs that preceded it. But baseball has had so many other problems, controversies and distractions that the game itself has been overlooked.�

Trivia time: How many work stoppages has Major League Baseball had since 1972?

Dead rivalry: Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel says the Florida-Florida State football rivalry won’t be the same after a certain coach moved to the NFL:

“It just won’t have the same kick [or cheap shot, perhaps] without the Gators’ head jalapeno, Steve Spurrier. Unless, of course, Spurrier joins Ted Williams on ice and comes back to needle Bobby Bowden, who will still be coaching at age 135.�

Mob connection: James Gandolfini, who plays New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano on the HBO series “The Sopranos,� has made his second commercial for the struggling Rutgers football program.

In the ad, Gandolfini, a 1983 Rutgers graduate, assures three college pals they will have great seats for home games.

“Close, real close,� he says.

Shooting gallery: John McClain of the Houston Chronicle, joining others in calling Ryan Leaf the biggest bust in NFL history:

“Leaf threw 14 touchdown passes, or [six] more than former running back Walter Payton. Peyton Manning has thrown 111. And just imagine: Leaf and Manning each got $11-million signing bonuses [in 1998].�

Weighty issue: The Dallas Cowboys have 19 players on their training-camp roster who weigh at least 300 pounds, including the entire projected starting offensive line of tackles Solomon Page (6 feet 5, 325 pounds) and Flozell Adams (6-7, 357), guards Larry Allen (6-3, 335) and Kelvin Garmon (6-2, 350) and rookie center Andre Gurode (6-4, 326).

Waiting in the wings are backup tackles Aaron Gibson (6-6, 410) and Char-ron Dorsey (6-6, 388).

Looking back: On this day in 1990, Nolan Ryan, 43, won his 300th game as the Texas Rangers defeated the Milwaukee Brewers, 11-3.

Trivia answer: Eight. That’s more than the NFL, NBA and NHL combined.

And finally: Chris Weinke longs for the day when his age won’t be an issue.

But that’s difficult today, considering the Carolina Panther quarterback is turning 30 only a year after being an NFL rookie and two years after winning the Heisman Trophy.

“Age is just a number, it’s just something in your mind,� said Weinke, who played pro baseball before attending Florida State. “They say when you turn 30 is when you start to feel your age, but I feel pretty good.�