"Modern stars are healthier, bigger, and they receive better individual instruction."

Oh, yes. That quote, which I'm totally agreeing with, was uttered by Cincinnati Reds general manager Gabe Paul...in 1956!

There's no comparing the physical conditioning of players today and players of sixty years ago -- or even thirty years ago. Today's players are bigger and stronger. Mostly stronger.

Peter Gammons, ESPN's fine baseball commentator, made an interesting point a year or two ago along these lines. In the 1920s and '30s, Jimmie Foxx was called "The Beast" because of his size and strength. According to The Baseball Encyclopedia, Foxx was six feet tall and 195 pounds. That's just about the same size as...José Offerman! Jim Leyritz! Randy Velarde! What a brute!

A few years back, Mark McGwire approached me before a game at the Oakland Coliseum. He'd heard my ESPN partner, Joe Morgan, ruminating about reasons why home-run production was on the rise. McGwire was mildly annoyed that Joe kept talking about juiced baseballs and watered-down pitching instead of giving credit to sluggers like him.

"Joe keeps talking about why there are so many home runs," Mark said. "Well, here's the answer."

With that, he held out his right arm and flexed it. I'll never forget that flex; his biceps muscle looked like a high-rise condominium -- it was gigantic.

McGwire is a big believer in weight training. He lifts weights during the season as well as in the off-season, and his program is closely monitored to ensure that he maintains his flexibility as he builds muscle.

For Mark, and many of today's players, pumping iron is only part of the training drill. Hours before a game, they're down in the catacombs of the ballpark, pounding baseballs in the indoor batting cage. After a half hour, they disappear into the video room for another twenty minutes to study replays of their swings, looking for the smallest flaws.

That's during the season. In the off months, the routine hardly changes. Players still get their swings, in batting cages they've set up in their backyards or garages. A few even follow the cost-is-no-object example of Cal Ripken, who on his Maryland estate built a full-service gymnasium, complete with batting cage and regulation-size basketball court.

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