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Apparently, Major League Baseball has as many lives as 50 Cent, and a similar rap sheet. And for a league that has done nearly everything wrong in the past decade, it has surprisingly strong staying power. The MLB has made every effort to alienate its fans, yet they come back hungry for more.

They've withstood strikes, contraction, drinking, drugs, scandals, hundreds of games, and paychecks worth billions of dollars. And that's just the Yankees' Triple-A team. Even baseball's gamblers get a shot at the Hall of Fame (Bud's in 'til 2006 -- that's plenty of time for Pete Rose to work his magic.)

How does Major League Baseball do it? The NBA gets crucified when half of the Trailblazers are caught for drug possession. The NFL comes under much-needed scrutiny after players die from drug use during practice. Major League ballers not only use -- they brag about it. After Baltimore Orioles' pitcher Steve Belcher passed away, the league didn't move to ban ephedra. And after a few days, the media turned a blind eye.

As David Wells claimed, it isn't only controlled substances that ball players use to enhance their game. Forget tipsy, David Wells sounded like a frat boy the morning after hooking up with a fat chick: "Dude, come on, I was so drunk..." Whether he was drunk, hungover, or blatantly lying is irrelevant -- how many other jobs allow you to make bold claims about getting hammered on company time -- to a national audience? Seriously, could you imagine Kobe Bryant claiming to be stoned the night he dropped 50? Why do Major Leaguers get away with this stuff?

1. Tradition

Baseball is America's sport and America's past time. It's the only sport in full-swing on Memorial Day, Labor Day, and the Fourth of July. Loved by everyone from presidents and astronauts to young Johnny down the block, baseball has been romanticized for hundreds of years. The older generations of players have been portrayed as mythic legends; orphans who grew up to rule the league, top ball players that gave up their career to fight for their country. We've been brainwashed to connect baseball, apple pie, and Chevy Trucks with everything that is good about the U.S.

2. Numbers

It's the quintessential father-son game -- enough action so that you don't have to talk much, and enough numbers where you can talk for hours and say very little. Professor Douglas Noverr, of Michigan State University, who has researched and written about the game, explains: "Baseball has an underlying cultural mythology that is very resilient. No sport generates a fascination with numbers the way baseball does."

3. Homeruns

More common than soccer goals and male field hockey players, yet more elusive than three-pointers, touchdowns, and J-Lo marriages, homeruns are sports' answer to the ADD-generation. Homeruns take skill and power and luck, and they allow the hitter to soak up the moment, as well. Plus, it's the perfect ballpark give-away -- the balls are cheap, used, and usually, they'll get a few bucks on eBay. Sure, you can catch a puck at a hockey game -- but your team isn't scoring because the puck is out of the rink.

4. The Long Season

Really, what else is there to do in the summer? Baseball is long enough that it barely interrupts March Madness and the NBA Finals, yet it teeters off before the heart of football season. It isn't so taxing players have to wait a week before hitting the field. Besides, with a season that seemingly never ends, can you blame a guy for downing Bloody Marys in the clubhouse to spice it up a bit?

5. The Yankees

Love 'em or hate 'em, they're fun to root for/against. The Yankees are so huge that my friend Andy consistently labels the Mets a small-market team. No other league has an evil empire so evil that even fans hate the owner. The Lakers? Hard to hate a team led by a Zen Master and the man behind Kazaam. Notre Dame? Their ultimate boss is God, so hating on the boss is dicey. George Steinbrenner is the ultimate character -- large than life, with an ego the size of NYC.

6. Movies

Compare baseball films to any other sports-related movies, and you're immediately floored by its wholesome image. Bull Durham, Field of Dreams, The Sandlot -- and the list goes on. Football may have Rudy, but it also has Varsity Blues and Little Giants, a heart-warming tale of a team led by Rick Morranis and a girl in a skirt. Hockey? Slapshot may be on par with Caddyshack as the greatest sports comedy ever, but even combined with the thrills of the Mighty Ducks movies, it barely holds a candle to watching Shoeless Joe emerge from a cornfield.

How long can this combination sustain Major League Baseball? When baseball players on average make more than $13,000 a day, while average annual household income in the United States is just $57,045, how many more strikes will fans be willing to sit through? How much longer will the goody two shoes image of the league last when players are killing mascots and owners are raising ticket prices? Today's players are taking for granted a reputation earned years before they were born -- will the next generation of players be as lucky?

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