Today, (actually right now), Roger Clemens is appearing before Congress to testify on his own behalf about whether or not he took steroids and/or human growth hormones.
My personal opinion.....WHO CARES and why is congress involved? All three of you that read this blog know that I am a huge baseball fan. Always have been and most likely always will be...if anyone should be upset about steroids in baseball, it should be someone like me; however, I seriously do not care one way or the other.
Sure, I've heard various opinions and sure, I've actually flip-flopped a hundred times on this very issue BUT seriously....why is it such a big deal? Why is congress involved? Brian McNamee (Clemens former trainer), claims he injected Clemens with steroids....Clemens denies it and now a few weeks later, there is a congressional hearing and people like Andy Petitte are testifying before a federal grand jury!?!?! Isn't this getting a little ridiculous?
And what is the final outcome anyway? Major League Baseball hired George Mitchell (a US Senator) to internally investigate baseball and try and find out all he could about steroid use: who was using, who was selling, etc.. A year and a half later, he released a 409 page document naming 78 former and present players that have taken and/or are currently taking steroids and/or HGH.
Do you realize that it cost over 20 million of OUR own taxpaying money to launch this report? Do you also realize that absolutely NOTHING came from it except this congressional hearing with Roger Clemens trying to clear his name? The report came out, everyone shrugged their shoulders and said, "Great. We now know what everyone already knew." Goodbye 20 million dollars.
Even as I type this, I am getting upset. It makes no sense to me and I am a die-hard baseball fan! We train our athletes from the time they are born to look for and try and gain a competitive edge. Win at all costs! Parents yell from the stands at the umpires, other parents, other kids, their own kids, and the coaches and that is only in T-ball. Parents have their kids playing ONE SPORT year-round in hopes of getting that coveted scholarship. They spend thousands of dollars for club teams, personal trainers, and the best equipment all in hopes of gaining that "competitive edge" on their kid's opponents. Then we blame the kid and launch 20 million dollar reports when he goes a little too far????
There is so much pressure put on these young athletes from day one to outperform, outplay, and outlast everyone else, do you really blame them when they go from lifting weights--to eating eggs--to drinking shakes--to taking creatine--to injecting steroids. Natural progression, is it not? Gaylord Perry is in the Hall of Fame...his best pitch (the spitball). Known cheater. Caught numerous times. Bring up his name...everyone laughs. Sammy Sosa got caught with a cork in his bat which is designed to make the ball fly farther. Suspended only 7 games. Hidden ball trick has been successfully used over 300 times in Major League Baseball....a "trick" which is used to "deceive" your opponent. This "trick" is taught by managers and encouraged. Isn't baseball being a little hypocritical? You can use a spitball throughout your career and go to the Hall of Fame. You can be caught red-handed with a cork in your bat and get a measly 7 game suspension. And you can outright cheat and deceive your opponents and this is encouraged. However, inject something into your body to help you recover quicker and lift weights more often.....Death Penalty! Off with their "heads!" (steroid joke...pun intended).
Okay, now you probably think I am a proponent of steroid use. No, I am not. I do not support cheaters. I feel bad for those doing it the right and healthy way. Yes, MLB and Bud Selig dropped the ball in the 90s and didn't "step up to the plate." However, grand jury testimonies, congressional hearings, and spending 20 million dollars to pick up that ball is going a little overboard, don't you think?
Prediction: John McCain is voted as our next President and his first course of action: Presidential pardon for Roger Clemens.
4 comments:
It's funny that you posted about this, I just got back from the gym and spent a 1/2 hour watching the hearing......my insignificant opinion after watching one senator (or whoever is doing the questioning) attack McNamee then when his time is up another senator is attacking Clemens and so on and so forth as the pattern continued is that "who cares" just like you said.
Both of these guys, while I was watching, were caught in lies they had said earlier thus fueling each senator to try and discredit whomever they don't like.
After watching my window of these hearings I think both guys are lying to a certain degree and it's too bad it had to get this far.
Are we seriously wasting money on proving someone took steroids. I know I have a pea brain when it comes to "sports talk" but, seriously? Isn't there other stuff we can focus on like for example: are Chaddyshack and Jesper really secret lovers and their banter back and forth is just a rouge to cover it up? Now THIS is important stuff. :-)
Dro, great post. I agree with you as well. I could care less about all this drama with Clemens. His career is over regardless. Wouldn't it at least make more sense to go after the current users who will be on the field in 2008? They need to figure out how to test for HGH and other illegal drugs going forward rather than drag us all through the mire of the past.
1. Steroid use becomes a Congressional issue because of its high visibility - and that is what politicians crave most. You get some face time on the tv, ruin a person's life, and get re-elected.
2. I wouldn't go as far as Jon in saying that the hidden ball trick is comparable to corking or throwing a spit-ball. The next logical argument would be that the curve ball or change-up is some how unethical. I believe a line can be drawn between on field cheating (corking and spitball) and off field cheating (roids). When one is cheating on field there is a chance to be caught during the game and a penalty can be assessed. Off field cheating can't be caught during a game and there is no penalty.
3. Prior to 2003 steroid use was not banned by MLB. If I were Clemons I would say I juiced until MLB changed the rules. If MLB believed roids were a problem, they would have banned them long ago. Because they did not, I would argue, it was not any more unethical than doing anything else that was against the law.
4. I disagree with the McCain thing. He may pardon Clemons, but the first thing he will do is pardon the 22,000,000 permanent "tourists" we have visiting our country currently.
Exactly. Who freaking cares. As an NBA fan this whole Clemens thing really bothers me. The day after the superbowl is my favorite day of the year. Do you know why? Because it is the day that Basketball is the only major sport being played. It is the time of year that Baseball and Football stop dominating Sportscenter and Sports Talk Radio. But no...Clemens has to go on trial and monopolize all the sports coverage, thereby taking away from any serious in depth analysis and coverage of the NBA and the sweet trades going on in the West. Screw Clemens, and Bonds, and Steroids. It's all I hear about and it means nothing. Baseball is such and airwave hog. Unfortunately, besides an occasional ref, the NBA is full of upstanding straight arrows in collared shirts that live lives of morality and ethics, void of scandal and controversy. Maybe that's why the NBA's ratings have suffered - because the players actually don't cheat.
Post a Comment