I'm watching the Tampa Bay Rays put a solid beat down on the Boston Red Sox. During the ESPN broadcast the announcers Aaron Boone, Rick Sutcliffe, and Sean McDonough are flat out killing Manny Ramirez about his recent failed test and retirement. To be honest, I have never liked Manny for any reason and did laugh pretty good at the comments. Still, the comments bring up some good things to talk about on the current Performance Enhancing Substance (PES) conversation.
Every baseball fan has heard, read, or watched modern day Baseball become a venue to ruin PES players reputations. This starts with players such as Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmerio, Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds, Brady Anderson, Jose Canseco, Jason Giambi, Andy Pettite, and Roger Clemens. The list goes on like several rolls of toilet paper. They all used, they all excelled, and they all have been named in reports of substance use.
Why were these players allowed to use for many years with a blind eye to the use? Was MLB closing their eyes and ears? No one in the Governing body of the MLB was complaining when these players were hitting fifty home runs, hitting five hundred foot shots in games or All Star showcases, throwing tons of strike outs, pitching no hitters, or breaking historic records. The time that the PES use took place was opportunistic for Baseball to regain popularity lost. Fans did not complain, including myself, although we all kind of thought something was "up"! So, why do we shun these players now? I'm not quite sure. Maybe because we don't want to admit we liked the players doing what they did, no matter how they went about becoming that good???!!
Recently, Manny Ramirez voluntarily retired from baseball after testing positive for a performance enhancing substance, steroids. This is Manny's second go round on the amusement park ride. He did have options, stay in MLB to serve a one hundred game suspension, or retire from the game. He took the low road and left. He has nothing to want for in concerns of money. What legacy does he leave to the game? Probably none at all. He probably will never be voted higher than five percent on any HOF ballot. If that is true, he will fall off the ballot, with no chance of making the HOF. Does he deserve to be in the HOF? His numbers say most likely, but we know after this recent turn of events, there is no chance.
The long and short of PES is that from 1994 to 2005, PES was acceptable in MLB. Sometime after the 2005 Congressional hearings about PES and the release of the Mitchell Report in 2007, the use of these PES's became unsatisfactory. Maybe the whole issue is a bigger issue than just players doing what they had to do to gain an edge over other players. Maybe it gets right down to the fact of most people, it's not cheating unless you get caught. So, does that mean if you don't get caught it's okay? Does it mean if you do get caught a lynching mob should be dispatched to get you? So, honestly, do we fans want to know who else has used PES? Will the use change our outlook or perception of our favorite players?
If you have a point of view, post a comment. All are welcome. Thanks and Cheers from the Cheap Seats.
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