I dont know if anyone has ever seen the movie Eight Men Out, but it is a movie about the Chicago Black Sox and there gambling scandal, in which they threw world series games for cash. Well there is a little scene after the judge finds the ball players guilty, and the ball players are basically found to be disgraces, where a little boy yells out to Shoeless Joe Jackson, "Say it aint so Joe, Say it aint so". Well after todays Mitchell report came out I am feeling like that little kid. Now steroids is not a new topic of discussion, this report dates back to 2001 I believe. However today, for me, was the culmination of one of the worst disgraces in sporting history. Right now the American public looks like idiots while Jose Canseco looks like a genious. Some of the games greats such as Bonds, Clemons, Tejada, Giambi, Pettite, and Sheffield all had there names come up on this report. That is a lot of MVPs, a lot of records, a lot of World Series rings, that in my mind are all tarnished.
I am split on my feelings towards the individual players. Yes they cheated to get ahead, and yes in some cases they even lied about it in front of a grand jury, however this isnt a couple of bad apples, this is an entire culture among baseball. Following Sammy and Mac's big HR chase the game changed for the worse, and everyone in baseball. The game was booming, ticket sales high as can be, record salaries, but all this is based on artificial help. Baseball turned its head on this problem until it was too late. It wasnt until we have one of the most time honored records in all sports get broken, does baseball realize that something needs to be done. However it is far to late, and this era of baseball, to me, will always be marked with a yeah but. It is a shame to the hundreds of players who did it the right way, who played there hearts out and didnt use enhancements, but even to those clean players I ask did you not know what your fellow teammates were up too.
Where baseball goes from here? Well I know I am sounding dramatic but the truth is baseball is a game i still love. The team I love is about to become a contender, and I am anxious for the start of a new season. I hope the drug testing becomes stricter, I hope they find a way to bust those who use HGH. I hope Bonds is stripped of his home run crown, and Clemons of his Cy Young victories. Though I doubt baseball will have the guts to do it. Today is the culmination of what is wrong with the game I love, the money, the fortune, the fame, has led to cheating, and the game may never be the same again.
4 comments:
This report seems a lot like the results of an STD test - you find out what you already knew. Those little spots and burning sensation ain't right.
Personally, I'm more concerned about what happens now than the actual "shock value" of the report. I'm about 10 years past "say it ain't so" - I've believed it was so for a long time.
My point is this - let's start over with a new testing policy and new severe penalties now going forward and let bygones be bygones. In other words, YOU FUCKERS BETTER LET GAGNE PLAY FOR THE CREW THIS SUMMER!!!
I agree the report doesnt tell us much we didnt know. Clemens is the name that pissed me off the most. This guy I always thought did it the right way, and to find out that isnt the case pisses me off. The fact that the numbers he has accumulated over the course of his career will probably never be touched by another pitcher again really sucks.
The Mitchell report isnt going to do much as far as cleaning up the game, so you are right, get a better testing system in place, and put this horrible era behind us. I love that our entire backend of our bullpen is HGH enhanced. That spells world series to me.
I guess what baffles me at this point is the evidence shows that Gagne bought some HGH on two occasions back in 2004 when he was a Dodger. MLB did not ban HGH until 2005.
Say what you want about ethics or general fairness or whatever, but is there any evidence the guy ever actually broke a Major League Baseball Rule?
So far, I don't see it.
Same thing with Turnbow. He flunked an Olympic test. The Olympics has more rules than MLB ever will, and what he tested postive for was NOT banned by MLB at the time.
I understand there is a concern that maybe Gagne and Turnbow were good on HGH and now that it is banned, they might not have "it" anymore, but what evidence here makes them bad people or cheaters if there is no proof that they broke a rule?
I agree with you that there really cannot be many suspensions handed out for a couple reasons. The first being what you mentioned HGH wasnt banned by the MLB until after many of these guys were busted using it. The second reason, much of the report is hearsay, as far as i know nobody has pictures of needles being used, or any positive tests. To prove that they did it would be virtually impossible.
As for Turnbow, he actually already was suspended for his use of HGH or steroids. That is why the Angels cut him, and the Brewers picked him up. I dont see him facing any punishment.
I still dont like argument HGH wasnt a banned substance so it isnt considered cheating. Come on this is chemically engineered hormone that you have to inject into your body. To me that is cheating I dont care what tests they have or what rules are against it. I know realize you cannot punish these players because they were cheating if there werent rules in place to stop it, but I still feel these guys knew they were doing wrong, and continued to do so, because of the results they were seeing on the field.
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