Foul Ball! Steroids, Baseball, and Hypocrisy

There are three things that you just don't mess with in America. They are--in no particular order--kids, dogs, and baseball.  Child molesters that are exposed to the general population in prison are assured of certain death.  Mistreatment of a dog invites scorn and contempt, although that is now under question with the NFL's attempted beatification of Michael Vick.  And please note that the American people take their baseball very, very seriously. 

There is a widespread misconception among baseball fans that Major League Baseball (MLB) is the only sport that is pure and pristine.  NBA players are considered gangsta' thugs. Rush Limbaugh once described quite accurately that a typical NFL game sometimes resembles a fight between the Crips and the Bloods.  But, baseball fans conveniently forget about the "Black Sox" scandal, the Pete Rose gambling scandal (more on that below), the use of greenies, spitballs, and the collusion among club owners to avoid competitive bidding for players' services. Yet baseball fans are outraged at steroid use in baseball.  ("I'm shocked, shocked that there is drug use in Major League Baseball!")

In an interview with Bob Costas, Mark McGwire finally admitted steroid use, confirming what was probably the worst kept secret in the history of humankind.  McGwire, between crocodile tears, claimed that he used steroids only for health purposes although an FBI informant claims otherwise.   McGwire was recently hired to be the hitting instructor for the St.Louis Cardinals.  Cardinal Manager Tony LaRussa stands by his man claiming that McGwire would have hit all those home runs without steroids.  Yeah, and Dave Kingman hit for average.

Maybe there was a pang of guilt, but in reality McGwire was probably testing the waters to see if baseball would accept his return.  McGwire has been under the radar since his retirement in 2001, thus avoiding the scorn and contempt experienced by Barry Bonds.  Bonds has been essentially ostracized from MLB since 2007, with no AL team needing a power-hitting DH with bad knees.  Bonds is also under indictment for perjury.  The trial has been indefinitely postponed. Other steroid users haven't fared much better.  There is the indefinite suspension by MLB of Rafael Palmiero following his finger waving testimony before Congress.  Another player in steroid limbo is Roger Clemens who continues to be investigated by the Department of Justice for perjury.  Sammy Sosa, despite being named as one of the 103 players that tested positive for steroid use, calmly waits--as he believes--for his induction into the Hall of Fame.

By cutting a deal with Congress before his testimony before his testimony, McGwire, until his tearful confession has avoided any consequences of his steroid use.  But who knows what McGwire gave the "Honorable Gentlepersons" of the Congress [sic]  in exchange for his testimony?  For some reason, McGwire has received kid glove treatment all of these years while others have paid in one way or another for using performance enhancing drugs.  Steven A. Smith expressed his contempt for McGwire on the January 12th broadcast of his Fox Sports show.  The elephant in the room was that McGwire was given preferential treatment because he is White as opposed to the treatment that Barry Bonds has endured.  It's not clear whether the race victim card applies here, but it is odd that McGwire got a Congressional deal that others didn't get.  What is really laughable is that perhaps the most crooked Congress--(read Democrats)--in American history self-righteously deigns to judge alleged steroid users.     

Many fans still question the continued suspension of Pete Rose for gambling on baseball.  A USA Today/Gallup poll showed that 75 percent of more than 1,000 Americans surveyed think that player use of performance-enhancing drugs is more serious than Rose's gambling offense. The same poll shows that support for Rose's Hall of Fame eligibility has not changed in 20 years--60 percent favor it and 35 percent are opposed to make Rose eligible.  Whatever Rose was, he gave his all on the field and never considered any alternative to winning. He was known as Charlie Hustle because of that quality.  While reprehensible on its face, knowing how competitive Rose was, it is believable that he would bet on his own team.  But it was still wrong to gamble on baseball.  My über-smart Sister once told me that, "If it's wrong on Monday then it's wrong the rest of the week." 
  

But all of these barroom and squawk radio discussions about relative filth miss the point.  Both gambling and steroid use compromise the integrity of the game.  Otherwise, why not evolve into sports entertainment like the WWE?  That's because although we may know the probable outcome of a WWE wrestling match and that some of the wrestler's bodies may be "enhanced," we're still entertained.  FYI, there are fans of wrestling that are called "smarks" that are fans that enjoy pro wrestling despite or because they know that it is staged.  But Americans enjoy a wide range of entertainment options and know how to put things in their proper perspective.  The only time they get angry is when there's a misrepresentation of the product that they've spent their hard earned dollars on.  This is the emotion behind the anger toward Tiger Woods who was misrepresented as a clean-cut guy but who turned out in reality to be Tiger Woody.  From all this, perhaps even Barack Obama might experience a "teachable moment" and reconsider his misrepresentation that he is a moderate.  But knowing how arrogant he is and that he is Soros' puppet, it's doubtful that he would ever be open-minded enough to be truthful.  It is turning out that there is no such thing as change that we can believe in.