I was really going to avoid mentioning the steroids issue today. But two things I read this morning have really struck me.
From today’s Boston Herald:
Also yesterday, U.S. Senator and Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Bunning said players accused in the Mitchell Report deserve a chance to clear their names. He said MLB owes it to the players to set up judicial hearings so their sides can be heard.
Unless Senator Mitchell is a total liar, he gave every player named in the Mitchell Report a chance to dispute the allegations against them. I don’t understand why any player who is innocent, yet told they would be mentioned in the report, wouldn’t take the opportunity to talk to the Senator to clear his name. Jason Giambi spoke to Senator Mitchell – and he was guilty.
That isn’t to say that I believe every player mentioned in the report is absolutely guilty. But I’ll say this. An awful lot of us thought Jose Canseco was just blowing smoke out his ass when he wrote his book, and he’s been proven to have been pretty dead on about all this. (ARod should be very nervous. Given that he just hired a ‘manager’ to go along with his agent and, I’m sure, scores of lawyers, I’m guessing he is. It’s all about ‘image’, isn’t it?) Brian Roberts, the guy most pointed to and said "See how unfair this report is? It mentioned Roberts when the only ‘evidence’ against him was Larry Bigbie saying Roberts told him he used!", admitted the report was correct about him. So did Andy Pettitte and a few others. So where are the rest? Why aren’t their faces on tv, screaming about their innocence? Where are the lawsuits? Why send your lawyer or agent to make a statement for you if you aren’t really going to do anything like bring a suit against MLB and the Senator for dragging your name through the mud? It’s suspicious, to say the least.
Also given an opportunity to discuss the steroids issue, while NOT being accused of using, was Curt Schilling. He refused. He was also one of many seemingly ‘clean’ players who sat on his hands and did nothing while he saw the use of PEDs around him. (I know writing PED with the "s" is like writing RBI with the "s" but it’s a better flow for me and it’s early so it’s staying!) When the report first came out, Schilling was quick to defend Roger. But now, well it’s like someone told him he needs to get off a few shots toward Clemens, if for no other reason that to make it look like he wasn’t being racist by calling out Barry Bonds and defending Roger Clemens when they’re accused of the same thing. Curt is much more than a blogger. I know he has a right to his opinion and a right to share it, but he had that opportunity ample time to do so when it would really matter – and he refused. If he couldn’t man up and do something when it counted, why do I care what he says now? Consistency would be nice, Curt.
My ‘favorite’ part of what Curt wrote was his slamming of the fans and their opinions.
Problem is the fans version of accountable is completely dependent on their opinion of the player in question. If you are a fan then all is forgiven, or there is much less vitriol than you might have for other names mentioned."
Kind of like the way Curt attacked Bonds but had a much softer stance for Clemens?
The fans opinions get clouded by their fandom, but yours doesn’t? Pots, kettles and all that, Curt.
Just like your fellow union members, you had your chance to get things out in the open, more than once, and you refused. So to now start beating your chest and decrying all of this, feels a little hollow.
Man, I just want pitchers and catchers to report so I can stop hearing about all this.
8 comments for “Chances Are”