Good is Good...Great is Better

There has to be something wrong with Major League Baseball. The 2012 season has bestowed so many notable events that it seems the most valued asset of pitching isn't as special or meaningful as it has been. In the past 5 seasons, no hitters have been escalating.  We see more and more every year. This year, however, there has been an overall killjoy on the no hitter.  It seems that every week someone is carrying a no hit bid into the late innings, regardless if they finish it off. I am no longer astounded by hearing about no hitters. The game has transformed into a pitcher's game. Before 2007, the record books allow us to see that no hitters were once extremely rare; and, if it occurred twice in a season was considered an anomaly.  This season has been ridiculous.  The new tradition of holding teams hitless has become a night to watch, as the once unexpected has become the expected. What has sparked this sudden outburst of dominant pitching is unapparent, but one can expect and hope that perhaps baseball is returning to the golden years of baseball. Maybe the days of Larsen, Sandy, and Feller are back. When you think about it, the post-Ruth era really brought some of the best pitching, along with the DiMaggio 56 game hitting streak and Ted Williams achieving the last .400 season. This was way before my time, but from what I have read and heard, it seems that the late '30s brought some of the most dominant pitching which culminated with the immortalized season of pitching - 1968, where baseball infamously dropped the mounds from 15 to 10 inches.  Here is one  stat that I came across.  In the the first year on the lower mound, there were 15 pitchers who won 20 games. But no hitters were still seen as sacred examples of all out dominance.

There isn't an official quota on how to recognize a no hitter, but I think the media should put more emphasis on perfect games and recognize the no hitter less. Although a no hit game is an accomplishment of great magnitude, I no longer see it as the pinnacle of a pitcher's career.  Perfection is what we strive for, so why is close to perfection recognized.  In different assets of life, this saying "close but no cigar" is so true as what you did was great, but it wasn't great enough. In baseball, we recognize perfection with a hint of failure.  Baseball has to instill tough love and reserve the history books for perfection, as there is too many close to perfection performances that society and media canonize as greatness. Every professional sports league has its issues, and I believe that, other than the Steroid Scandal, the way we view no hitters is the most problematic facet of the game.