Well, it's so Joe

Posted: Friday, December 14, 2007 by Travis Cody in
24



These bloated drug cheats...IN ANY SPORT...are not going to get the message until we as fans stop making excuses for them.

I say to you, Mr Eric Gagne, that you had my attention between 2002 and 2004 as you saved 84 straight games for my Los Angeles Dodgers. However you are now a possible drug cheat according to the Mitchell Report, and those 84 games no longer mean anything to me.

I say to you, Mr Paul Lo Duca, that you were my favorite player while you were with the Dodgers, and it hit me hard in 2004 when you were shockingly traded to the Florida Marlins. However you are now a possible drug cheat according to the Mitchell Report, and that loyalty is withdrawn.

I say to you, Major League Baseball, fix your house.

I say to you, professional sports, fix your respective houses.

I say to you, sports fans, force them to fix their houses.

I say to myself, take the final steps to put professional sport in its proper context.

If the people who play these games for millions of dollars do not respect themselves or their sports, then why should I?

The Mitchell Report

Players named

Note:

The report took issue with assertions that steroids were not banned before the 2002 collective bargaining agreement.

They had been covered, it said, since management’s 1971 drug policy prohibited using any prescription medication without a valid prescription, and were expressly included in Vincent’s 1991 drug policy.


Senator Mitchell says not to punish the players. Bullshit. They knowingly chose to do something that was illegal. And they gained an unfair advantage over players who stayed clean.

Cheating is cheating.

24 comments:

  1. I had thought the Players' Union needed to be the ones to spearhead the "fix" but I'm starting to think it could be the fans who can actually make it happen...

  1. I say stop overpaying these idiots to begin with.

    I'd rather watch little kids play anyway. It's more fun.

    Although I enjoy football...

  1. Schmoop says:

    It makes it harder and harder to enjoy the professional game of baseball. Cheers Travis!!

  1. Anndi says:

    *shakes head*

    *sigh*

    The old timers are turning over in their graves...

  1. Julie says:

    Great point Ann! I'm disheartened and I'm not a baseball junkie. So sad...but if they don't suffer any retribution what's the point in doing the testing? Who paid for it?

  1. Linda says:

    I have to agree with Julie, if there is no retribution then why bother having gone to all this trouble? If you get caught stealing, you pay the price - if you get caught cheating, you should also pay a price.

    It's just so sad that all of these players didn't think they were good enough just using their own natural ability and that they needed "help" in the form of drugs. What kind of message does that send to our youth? To those who have grown up idolizing "The Boys of Summer"?

    It's very, very sad but I am glad that someone had the guts to finally take this issue on.

    Shame on all the cheaters - shame on them all.

  1. RW says:

    I am glad I am a football fan at least they do nothing wrong (scough)

  1. Yes... any way you look at it... cheating is cheating.

    This could be the final nail in the coffin for baseball, which truly saddens me.

  1. You said it, Trav - cheating is cheating, no matter how you slice, dice, or try to cover it.

  1. Anonymous says:

    If not the players then who do we blame? Nobody pays to see the Commissioners of these leagues or the trainers, so who cares what they do.

    It's the players we get attached to so they are the ones we should be pissed with when they let us down like this.

    Walter Payton or Mike Singletary would have never taken steroids. (can you tell I'm a Bears fan?)

  1. the ultimate accountability does lie with the players...but they can't be the only ones punished.

  1. Sandee says:

    See why I love you so much Travis? It's your morals. I so agree with everything you have said. People need to take responsibility for their actions and then suffer the consequences when they make illegal/bad choices. Excellent post. Have a great day. :)

  1. I agree, Travis. Cheating is cheating. The records do not mean the same anymore. Sad.

  1. Unknown says:

    Such a disappointment for the fans of whichever sport is corrupted by cheating.

  1. Very little personal responsibility to be found in today's world of sports.

  1. Katherine: The PU won't do anything unless it costs them money. I agree that it will be fans who decide whether any sport bothers to clean itself up.

    Kyra: If the MLB season started tomorrow, I wouldn't watch.

    Matt: It most certainly does.

    Ann: There's some cheats among the old timers too. I don't believe for a minute that they weren't looking for an edge somehow.

    Julie: Exactly!

    Linda: Well said.

    Roger: Right. **wink**

    Dix: It's time for a new round of baseball heroes.

    Songbird: I'm tired of hearing the "everyone else was doing it and management looked the other way" defense. It doesn't matter to me. A player could choose to cheat or not. End of story.

    Cicero: Correct!

    Katherine: The choice to cheat or not rested with the players. I'll accept that management and the PU and the fans looked the other way and implicitly condoned it. But at the end of the day, the player chose to cheat and is responsible for his own actions.

    Sandee: Awwww shucks. Personal responsibility in daily excellence. We're not perfect, but we must own our choices for good or ill.

    Mimi: I never would have thought that I could be disillusioned at the age of 43, but I am.

    Pauline: Yes it is.

    Charles: You said it.

  1. Jeni says:

    Yep - a rose is a rose is a rose - right?

  1. Anonymous says:

    just popped in to say hello!! Agree--cheating is cheating!! Have a great weekend.

  1. Anonymous says:

    just popped in to say hello!! Agree--cheating is cheating!! Have a great weekend.

  1. Anonymous says:

    just popped in to say hello!! Agree--cheating is cheating!! Have a great weekend.

  1. As always....well said Travis

  1. Jeni: Pretty much.

    Bridget: Thanks. You too.

    V: Thanks.

  1. this is so sad, these guys had the ability to be great but wanted to add some juice to their game, sad

  1. Sarge: I guess for some, having athletic skill that allows them to play sports for a better living than the majority of college educated professionals just isn't enough.