Baseball's Big Problem

I have had several people ask me over the last couple days, "so, what do you think of Manny and Papi?" Usually my answer is something short like, "not surprised." The truth is that there are many different layers to my feelings on this issue. One thought I have that I don't think anyone disagrees with is that this steroid controversy is eating away at America's Past Time and it's going to take a long time to get over it. That's obvious; here are some of my other opinions on this topic:

Fan ignorance
One of the main parts of this controversy is rooted in the fact that for so long baseball fans have had their heads in the sand. When the players are bigger, stronger, faster and performing at superhuman levels, the game is often more enjoyable to watch. But when all of a sudden someone calls "foul", the other side rears its ugly head; the juicy gossip-loving, lynch mob mentality. Joe Fan says, "I didn't care that you guys looked like the Brawny Paper Towel guy and a Dominican Popeye when you were chasing Maris in the summer of '98 and entertaining the crap out of me... but now that I hear you may have cheated??? String 'em up!!"

This ignorance gets ten times worse when you mix in a fan's loyalty to his/her favorite team. Perfect example of this is what's going on in BeanTown right now. Sox fans have been fat and happy the last few years, and why not? Great team success, while their arch-rivals have not only struggled on the field, but have been faced with more of this controversy than any other single team. The Chowds were loving life when no Sox players showed up on the Mitchell Report (funny how a team executive was the one heading the investigation). Now let's fast forward to Thursday when the story dropped about the two offensive cornerstones of their championship teams being dirty; you could hear the rug being pulled out from Sox Nation across three time zones.

And what about you, Dodger fan? Sorry to pull you away from your love affair with Manny; but weren't you the ones leading the charge up the hill against Public Enemy Number 25 a few years back? You vilified Barry worse than anyone! All the while you're riding your record setting closer that went from an ineffective no namer to one of the best in the game while adding 8 mph to his fastball in ONE OFFSEASON. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a Barry guy. But it has a lot more to do with him being the worst teammate ever than it does with "the clear". Sorry to pick on you guys, I'll let you get back to your dread locked left fielder that's trying to get pregnant. But hey, it's not like you "raped or killed anyone", right Manny?

Who's to blame?
First, there are the players. For those who feel like the ones that have been outed are the only perpetrators, you're sorely mistaken. And honestly?? You're also pretty stupid. It's unfortunately reached the point where I feel like there should be a list of those who DIDN'T cheat. The sad part is, is that it's getting so old hat, I'm less and less outraged by it every time. I heard a quote from Hall of Famer Bob Gibson yesterday saying that had this been available to him in his day, knowing it would have given him a competitive edge, he can't say for certain that he wouldn't have made the same choice. Yes Mr. McCarver, THAT Bob Gibson.

Okay Mr. Ballplayer, so you did it. Just knock it off with the charade that comes with getting caught. Don't half ass an apology, don't blame a trainer, don't say you didn't know what it was, and don't say you're glad to get it off your chest when you had to be called out to begin with. Just once would I love to hear someone say, "Yeah, I did it. I did it because it worked. It wasn't illegal at the time. I'm competitive and wanted an edge, and wanted my team to win." Will we ever hear that from one of these guys? I don't know, but I can hope.

In my opinion, Commissioner Selig is probably the one to point the finger at the most. He has personified the ignorance of MLB fans times 762*. When the sport was reaching its height of popularity, where we you with drug testing being proactive on this issue? And once Canseco starts pointing fingers, you're the one ready to crucify the racehorses you rode to such success. Until this list of 2003 drug failures gets completely released, this will keep happening. Every couple months, a new name, a new player's rep dragged through the mud, towing the game of baseball behind it.

Where do we go from here?
It's going to take a while to get through this thing, but I think we can do it. First of all, we need to be told every day that drug testing is in place and that it's working. We often forget that the things we're discussing are from six year back, or further. We need to have faith that the people out there that love this sport as much as we do will not let it cannibalize itself. I think it's also going to take a little bit of looking in the mirror and being honest with ourselves. We knew what it was and we knew what we were watching; and if we didn't, we darn well should have. If we're going to hold this sport to the same regard we hold the others we'll be fine (don't tell me, NFL purist, that you think it's normal for 300 lb men to run 4.6 40's). But if we stay in this current mentality: that we want to live in the past, and talk out of both sides of our mouths, and act outraged by the things we once cheered so loudly for... then we may be in a lot of trouble. I love baseball and will never apologize for it. I have complete faith that this sport I love will get through these trying times.... hopefully coming out stronger than it's ever been.