Opinion: They just don't make 'em like they used to

Man, am I ready for the NFL season to get here.

I'm not sure how much more I can take of MLB pitchers being pulled because they feel a twinge in their arm or Justin Morneau being out because his head hurts.

I know, I know. I'm not in Justin's shoes and I have no idea what he's going through. But he hasn't played since taking a knee to the helmet on July 7. If this was the NFL he would've missed a fourth of the season already.

I have all the respect in the world for Morneau and what he does and I understand the Twins are trying to protect his well-being, but six weeks, really?

The other thing that bothers me about the MLB is the way it coddles its pitchers. The Twins are notorious for being extremely gentle with their pitchers.

Everyone knows by now Ron Gardenhire pulled Kevin Slowey after seven no-hit innings on Aug. 15.

In a similar situation, on Aug. 23 Texas Rangers starter Rich Harden had a no-hitter through 6 2/3 innings when he was yanked.

I understand both of these pitchers have dealt with arm problems this season but I always thought pulling a pitcher that hasn't allowed a hit was one of those unwritten rules in baseball. You know, one of those taboo things you just don't do.

Moreover, I thought the Rangers would be the last MLB team to coddle a pitcher with Nolan Ryan involved so heavily in the franchise. He has made it known that the way to develop a pitcher is to throw a lot of pitches and build up the arm strength.

Another example of pitchers being treated like precious babies is Washington Nationals phenom Stephen Strasburg. The way he is being handled is the way to gently cradle a new born baby.

Before the season even started he was given a limited number of innings he would throw this season. Then, the slightest bit of tingling in his arm he was whisked away and doctors examined his arm like a precious gem.

Obviously I don't know the specifics of these arm problems these pitchers are having but if throwing a baseball is so harmful to a person's arm then maybe we shouldn't play baseball anymore.

Do you think Bob Feller ever felt a tingle in his arm when he threw a baseball? Heck, in the offseason he was doing exhibitions like seeing if he could throw faster than a speeding motorcycle.

Can you imagine what Twins GM Bill Smith would do if Francisco Liriano was doing that?

Let's compare Feller with one of the more durable pitchers playing today, Roy Halladay. In his 18-year career, Feller threw more than 250 innings in a season seven times; Halladay has done it once. In fact, Feller threw more than 300 innings in a season three times, including 371 1/3 innings in 1946 when he won 26 games.

There is a big difference in those numbers, and to think that Feller lost three full seasons in the prime of his career to World War II. He even says his arm never had the same zip it did after he came back from the war.

It's easy for me to say today's pitchers are soft and they need to suck it up and go throw. However, it's not their fault.

As the old saying goes, "They just don't make 'em like they used to." And it's true. They don't push pitchers like they used to. They don't push athletes like they used to.

There is a thin line in pushing an athlete, though. You never want to hurry along an athlete with a concussion.

With the way pitchers are today, you'll never see another one throw more than 300 innings in a season and you'll certainly never see one win 27 games like Feller did in 1940.