I'm trying something new, starting yesterday: a photo of the day. This one is from Skyview High School Choir's Winter Concert, and for the record, has absolutely nothing to do with the comments below.Now, let's talk baseball.
Yes, as you might imagine, I have a few problems with the Mitchell report, and its raison d'etre.
Years ago in the SCA, I was witness to a conflict similar to this one. Some fighters were said to be using 'magic' before a tourney, in order to increase their chances of winning. In reaction to this, some other fighters started using herbal performance enhancers. As a result, a LOT of people got pretty bent out of shape over it. It got me thinking, and now here we are again in the same kind of bind.
First, I wonder: Why baseball? Are we supposed to believe that those cows playing football are not doped-up? Gimme a break. And basketball? Oh yeah, even though the average height of Americans is going down, basketball players just 'naturally' keep getting taller. Suuuure, that makes sense. Whatever.
Secondly: Is there a problem with performance enhancement, in general? Clearly not. Players practice in order to perform better, and even try to practice more than the competition. Should their practice-time and routines be standardized? Of course not. Players eat well; some even try to eat more nutritious meals than the competition, making them able to perform better. Should their diets be standardized, then? Of course not. Genetic diversity is something we celebrate everywhere else; why not baseball?
This term we're throwing around -"drugs"- is not very well defined. Any substance which you introduce into your body will have an effect on your body. Heroin will slow you down. Sugar will speed you up. Alcohol will depress you; potatoes and chocolate will cheer you up. Some herbal compounds will help you think more clearly, others will help you stay awake; some will help you gain muscle mass, others will increase your stamina. Marijuana will help you focus on certain kinds of tasks, while steroids will help your body focus on others. How do we draw the line between acceptable and unacceptable?
And if it's wrong to use physical/pharmaceutical performance enhancing substances, why is it OK to pray before a game? I think that's a pretty telling distinction, and what it has to say would not please the faithful.
Now with that out of the way, I'll say this: The rules were public, and the players accepted them implicitly when they signed their contracts. Therefore, I don't think that any players who are convicted should get into the Hall of Fame. Sorry, guys: you cheated, and that's way worse than anything Pete Rose did, if ya ask me. Leave 'em out of the record books? Nah, I just think the books should indicate that sports -all sports-- changed significantly with the introduction of steroids. It's as if robots were allowed to play: there is no way to compete fairly anymore.
