Black Sox II
In a matter of days, former Senator George Mitchell will release his report on the investigation into performance-enhancing drugs and baseball. It has been reported that the report will name names of players guilty of using steroids, HGH and others. In addition, many are worried that the report will finger others as either aiding players or simply being compliant.
On the surface, this is a potentially great report. Perhaps the American public will learn more about the state of athletics and the lengths young men (and women) will go to succeed in sport. Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire may be the poster boys for the era, but it goes far, far deeper.
And, to be fair, we need to go deeper into this report.
George Mitchell was asked to head this invesigation because of his political clout. However, there is more to Mitchell than meets the eye. George Mitchell is a director for the Boston Red Sox.
That means everything in this report.
Let's assume the reports are correct and Mitchell will actually name players. What players does he name? New York Yankee Jason Giambi is on the list. So is Cleveland Indian pitcher Paul Byrd -- whose name was mysteriously leaked to the press just before he was scheduled to pitch in the American League Championship Series against -- you guessed it, the Boston Red Sox.
The question becomes not only who are named but who won't be named. The Red Sox, for example, are loaded with talent. If the report names stars from any other team but fails to name, say, Mike Lowell or David Ortiz or Manny Ramirez, isn't the purity of the report called into question? And let us not be naive and think the Red Sox players are innocent of this. If the Yankees, Mets, Dodgers, Angels, Cardinals, Indians, Cubs, Rangers, Giants and Rays all have players guilty or suspected of steroid use, it is only logical that the Red Sox are equally as guilty. After all, they did just win two of the last four World Series.
Bud Selig, ever the short-sighted baseball commissioner, failed to think this through. The scandal here is more than just who has cheated. The scandal now is how can an officer from one organization be fair to the other twenty-nine. What would he do if, in his investigation, one of his stars was discovered as a cheater?
The truth is, we probably already know the answer.
Just ask Paul Byrd, whose name just happened to be linked to HGH right before he was to pitch against Mitchell's Red Sox.
The steroid scandal is coming to and end.
Black Sox II has only just begun.
On the surface, this is a potentially great report. Perhaps the American public will learn more about the state of athletics and the lengths young men (and women) will go to succeed in sport. Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire may be the poster boys for the era, but it goes far, far deeper.
And, to be fair, we need to go deeper into this report.
George Mitchell was asked to head this invesigation because of his political clout. However, there is more to Mitchell than meets the eye. George Mitchell is a director for the Boston Red Sox.
That means everything in this report.
Let's assume the reports are correct and Mitchell will actually name players. What players does he name? New York Yankee Jason Giambi is on the list. So is Cleveland Indian pitcher Paul Byrd -- whose name was mysteriously leaked to the press just before he was scheduled to pitch in the American League Championship Series against -- you guessed it, the Boston Red Sox.
The question becomes not only who are named but who won't be named. The Red Sox, for example, are loaded with talent. If the report names stars from any other team but fails to name, say, Mike Lowell or David Ortiz or Manny Ramirez, isn't the purity of the report called into question? And let us not be naive and think the Red Sox players are innocent of this. If the Yankees, Mets, Dodgers, Angels, Cardinals, Indians, Cubs, Rangers, Giants and Rays all have players guilty or suspected of steroid use, it is only logical that the Red Sox are equally as guilty. After all, they did just win two of the last four World Series.
Bud Selig, ever the short-sighted baseball commissioner, failed to think this through. The scandal here is more than just who has cheated. The scandal now is how can an officer from one organization be fair to the other twenty-nine. What would he do if, in his investigation, one of his stars was discovered as a cheater?
The truth is, we probably already know the answer.
Just ask Paul Byrd, whose name just happened to be linked to HGH right before he was to pitch against Mitchell's Red Sox.
The steroid scandal is coming to and end.
Black Sox II has only just begun.
posted by E-Luv at 12:50 PM
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