So now the Mitchell report has been released. And we find out that there are some marquis names on the list, though not nearly as many as was thought would be. What is the response?
Overall, I'd say the response has been fairly tepid. While the media has been blasting around the report as if we have reached doomsday, statements from individuals on the list remain strangely absent with a few exceptions.
Baseball has always lived by its own code of ethics, the main ethic being that what happens in baseball, stays in baseball. History is rife with stories of drug usage, alcoholism, rampant infidelity in the sports world, even criminal activity in the sports world, but the leagues, for the sake of public relations, have always tried to bury everything in the proverbial sand where they stuck their heads.
It's rather childish when you think about it. It's as if by ignoring the problem, or by playing shallow lip service to it, then it becomes persona non grata. It goes away.
Fans won't do anything about it. They won't boycott any games for a greater principle of cleaning up the sport. Owners won't do anything about it because they continue to make piles of loot despite the cheating. And the players certainly won't do anything about it because they make millions which adds up to privilege.
Roger Clemens' attorney has stated that his client was wrongly accused of using steroids.
Roger had the opportunity to be questioned by the Mitchell investigation team and be above board about everything. He refused to do so. His refusal is more than telling. It is damning.
So where does that leave us all?
Most likely looking towards pitchers and catchers gathering in Florida in February. It will all pass under the bridge and away down stream. There will be puffs of argument from time to time that records now need asterisks.
But, in the end, it will all fade away as if nothing ever really happened.
No comments:
Post a Comment