Well the latest New York Times report says Sammy Sosa is the second name on the list of 104 players to be named for steroids and performance enhancing drugs list. And we’re surprised and shocked. No. Sosa lied just like he did with the corked bat and when he told the Cubs he cared about them at least in his actions before walking out on them in the final game of the baseball season in 2004.
Now don’t get me wrong. I’m disappointed and appaled like anyone else that he and others like Bonds, Clemens, Palmiero, McGuire, A-Rod and most recently Manny Ramirez have used these drugs to cheat the game of baseball and their reputations as great players in the game. I’m happy major league baseball is trying to clean up the game by taking stronger actions like suspending Manny Ramirez for 50 games and so forth.
But on the flip side as fans, if we’re going to be appaled by these players then should we also eliminate all the memories that these players gave us like the 1998 Sosa-McGuire home run chase and other memories. It was good for baseball then and helped put fans back in the seats after the 1994 strike which canceled that year’s World Series. I often ask if it was an honor to have seen these players perform and while there’s no definite answer to that question, I think if you enjoyed yourself and got your money’s worth at the time then it was worth it. For example Barry Bonds went through his pursuit and passing of Hank Aaron’s home run record under the steroid and purgery cloud, but we still watched. Now with Bonds we conveiently said we didn’t like it because of his surly attitude. But with Sosa, Clemens and McGuire A-rod, Manny etc we all liked them because they were popular until we found out they were cheaters and then our attitudes changed.
But that gets me to my final point of should their tainted records stand and should they go into the Hall of Fame. And I answer yes and yes to those questions. If a player has been linked to using steroids of better words as these players have then they should asteriks next to their records and we should honor the Hank Aaron’s, Roger Maris, Babe Ruth and others who never used steroids in breaking their records. As for the Hall of Fame let them in but not for 10-20 years depending on the remorse or accounting of their usage of these drugs. Hear that McGuire, Clemens, Bonds and now Sosa and someday A-Rod and Manny. I want some kind of baseball and legal court trial before these players are let in. Look at what it’s done to Pete Rose a clean player on the field, but a gambler off of it which led to a current lifetime ban from the Hall of fame for him. Why isn’t steroid use treated with the same lack of integrity as gambling when it comes to how we judge the integrity of the game?
Let me know your thoughts and thanks always for reading. Best wishes. Badgerbratwurst
June 17, 2009 at 3:34 pm |
Shocked! Shocked I am at the revelation that Sammy Sosa used steroids! Next they’ll be telling me that NBA players smoke weed and water is wet…
I could not care less who used steroids and who did not. Pro atheletes have used amphetamines as long as they’ve been around, not to mention cortisone injections, pain pills, etc. If they want to ruin their bodies for 3-5 years of big paychecks, that’s their prerogative. Just don’t treat us like idiots. I resent guys like A-Fraud who feel the need to lie to us and pretend that we’re stupid enough to believe him.
As the classic saying goes, if you’re not cheating, you’re not trying. As long as the methods of testing lag behind these designer steroids, players are going to use them to try to get an edge. And, let’s be honest, few people in that position wouldn’t do anything they can do to get an edge, if it means multi-million dollar contracts and championships.
June 17, 2009 at 4:05 pm |
How true Scott and thanks for your comment always. We enjoy the games as entertainment but we’ve always known there’s some crookedness to them. But at the same time if watch and enjoy then we’re just as guilty so we’ll leave it that. Best wishes and talk soon.
June 17, 2009 at 6:15 pm |
Goog blog. I agree with ya. In my opinion, If the MLB lets Players who used steroids, they need to let Pete Rose in. Aka …Charlie Hustle played the game with more passion than most players, and obviously had natural talent, and the heart and will to play hard and consistent. Its just too bad he got caught up in Gambling. But yeah we need baseball to be clean, and I think thats what is happening…we’ll see. We can still Honor the players who now and in the past, werent cheating with steroids or HGH. Those players still make it a sport worth watching. God Bless…talk to ya soon Paul……………Jeff p.s.
June 18, 2009 at 1:25 pm |
Jeff,
Thanks for your great comment. It’s too bad that we have to talk about cheatin g in whatever way it happens in sports. But it has happened and we have watched and accepted it to a point so we are just as guilty. We have been used definitely , but we could turn away as well. We just love our sports and want to see it clean. It will never be perfect, but hopefully we’ll get back to the good old days or what we thought was good even though there have always been problems in different ways. Thanks again Jeff and Scott for your great comments. Best wishes. Paul/badgerbratwurst