Mega-zine 2005
An Asterisk as Big as the Game Itself
The Mega-Have-Nots of Sports in the Last Year
By Mackenzie McAninch
QCF Magazine staff writer
It's early May, and I've yet to attend a pro baseball game this year, nor do I ever plan on going to another. There's been a lot of foul play in Major League Baseball (MLB) as of late, and I'm disgusted with what the league has slowly morphed into. Many people would like to see an asterisk next to Barry Bonds' name in the record book for his "most home runs in one season." An asterisk would be placed next to his name that indicates he has been under investigation for steroid abuse. If he ever goes to court and is found guilty, then the asterisk should be updated. But Bonds is MLB's bread and butter, and it's highly unlikely he will ever be tried, let alone found guilty of steroid abuse.
QCF Cover art June 7, 8 2005
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Roger Maris previously held the record of 61 home runs in one season. Now his family and even the Senate of North Dakota are asking the commissioner of MLB, Bud Selig, to alter the record books and place Maris on top again. That might be considered a little extreme because who is to say Maris wasn't on steroids when he broke the record back in 1961? Highly doubtful, but possible. Just like Bonds' excuse for taking a steroid cream: "I didn't know what it was." It's doubtful he didn't know, but possible. What did he think he was taking? Wrinkle removal? I'm all for the asterisk action, but apparently Selig feels differently. "Barry Bonds' home run record will not be altered; his record will stay in place to protect the integrity of the game of baseball," he said.
INTEGRITY? |
That's a foreign word in baseball today, and forget about the word loyalty. As long as you wave the right amount of green under a player’s nose, he'll stab your mother in the back to get it. Pedro Martinez abandoned the World Series Champion Boston Red Sox and their offer of three years at $38 million this year for the lowly New York Mets' offer of $50 million over four years. At press time, the Mets are a .500 team and I can all but guarantee if he was still in Boston, he'd be on a team with a better record. But the ring means nothing to Pedro now; it's all money. The loss of loyalty has been gone for many years, and it streams across all professional sports. But today I'm beating up on baseball for a number of reasons.
The way they have handled the situation with the alleged steroid abuse scandals is pitiful. Granted, there have been other scandals brought up in the other major sports lately, but not nearly as bad as in baseball. A big reason for this is because they have one of the worst drug testing policies in all of pro sports (as well as the college level) but all of the pro sports have their own loopholes. In baseball, you currently have to test positive for steroids four times to receive a one-year suspension.
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At press time Selig has announced a proposal to crack down on MLB steroid testing policies with a 50-game suspension for first-time steroid offenders and a lifetime ban for a third violation. These penalties would be the strictest in all of professional sports. Selig should definitely be applauded for actually making some small attempt to right the wrong, but it's still not enough. And why didn't Selig come up with this idea years before? Because he wasn't backed into a corner with no other way out, that's why.
Currently in the Olympics, if you test positive for steroids once, you get an automatic two-year suspension and a lifetime ban for a second violation. Most people I’ve asked feel all pro sports should follow suit. Producing a logical answer on why pro sports should not have the same policies as the Olympics would be very difficult. The Players Union would probably argue for their clients, but logic is not usually in their agenda. That union has yet to respond to Selig's recent request, but you can bet there will probably be an argument from them.
Jason Giambi admitted to abusing steroids in the past. The guy is trying to start over on a clean slate so at least there is still some decency left in the league. However, when current and former players like Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire repeatedly refuse to admit the truth, and they are as guilty as O.J., it's hard to give them respect of any kind.
Bonds hasn't always been the black sheep. He's one of the best players the game of baseball has ever had, and he has the stats to prove it. He is the Michael Jordan of baseball. But then he lay down the mother of all quotes: "All this stuff about supplements, protein shakes, whatever. Man, it's not like this is the Olympics. We don't train four years for, like, a ten-second (event). We go 162 games. You've got to come back day after day after day. We're entertainers. If I can't go out there and somebody pays $60 for a ticket, and I'm not on the lineup, who's getting cheated? Not me. There are far worse things like cocaine, heroin, and those types of things. So we all make mistakes. We all do things. We need to turn the page. We need to forget about the past and let us play the game. We're entertainers. Let us entertain."
Mr. Bonds, you are not an entertainer. Hulk Hogan, Madonna and Al Pacino are entertainers. You are an athlete, and young kids look up to you. Accept the role or step down, Barry.
Many Cincinnati Reds players have spoken out that they are disappointed with all of the allegations going around. A player like Adam Dunn is more of a role model than Bonds will ever be. Dunn is just a good ol' country boy who knocks homeruns in-between strikeouts. He honestly plays the game he loves.
Bonds should just admit he abused steroids and move on. Many wish Selig would admit he's leaving all records as is because he's well aware that, even though he can't prove it, many players of the past probably used steroids and got away with it. But apparently, to Selig, the integrity of the game is saved by continuously covering for a player like Bonds. Yet Pete Rose will never get inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame because he gambled on baseball even though he admitted his wrongs.
Never again will the MLB get my financial support at a ball game or from merchandise, etc. And the day Barry Bonds gets inducted into the Hall of Fame (and he will) is the day I shut baseball out of my life forever.
"The Podium" is Queen City Forum Magazine's opinion page. Guest writers and staff writers offer their take on social, political and life issues.
Contact Information
· mackenziem@queencityforum.com
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