“baseball” is doing a major cover-up on its doping problems.
On Friday, baseball and its players union came to an “agreement” to whitewash all its doping problems – and the major trade press that covers the sport seemed to agree. Lets do nothing , sweep it under the rug, and gosh golly isn’t Bud Selig, as usual, doing all he can to control problems confronting baseball. Normally I would capitalize baseball, as a sport worthy of the highest esteem; but its commisioner, owners, players union and players seem bent on contorting and twisting the game to fit the drugs and other artificial chemicals and technologies rapidly becoming available to make some players “lots better” than others. What a sham and a shame on baseball.
What I was surprised to discover was the reaction of the Sports Press. Just report the facts to cover our asses – and maybe not that:
CBSSportsline – just the AP facts
ESPN Sports – nothing to be found
NYTimes – not even the facts are deemed fit to print on – oops one story just appears, but nothing at Bats
Sporting News – abridged coverage from Associated Press
St.Louis Post Dispatch – just the AP facts
USAToday – the only “Sports” website with comprehensive coverage
Yahoo – perfunctory news coverage from Associated Press
Hohumm a late Friday story… drugs in baseball and everybody gets off as the Union strips baseball commisioner of any clothes and credibility … ughhh who wants to print a story on Bud Selig naked morally speaking again. But surely the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, part of the rock solid mid-America that reveres the the sport …. no such luck. Well at least the Sporting News … so sad a once proud “baseball” publication reduced to “going through the motions coverage”.
So baseball, instead of sending a signal that no “corking of the bats or bodies” or any other artificial advantages will be allowed
in its sport – instead said, “nudge , nudge, wink, wink, know what I mean, know what I mean”.
And maybe that is the problem. The baseball nation is signalling to the Press that they want to do the same as last year’s “San Francisco Giants Fans Love Barry Bonds and asterisked Home Run Records“. Just don’t remind us how the commissioner and the players union are totally discrediting and slowly but surely eviscerating baseball. Let Marion Jones goto prison for drugging and lying but surely not Roger Clemons or Miguel Tejada or any baseball player.
Meanwhile back at bat-heads headquarters you get this gem “Hehehe – and we will give $200,000 to some youth anti-drug in sports campaign.” Who was the PR brat behind that tokenism ?
I was enjoying writing about baseball here and elsewhere; but not any more. I can spend my energy, time and attention much more fruitfully elsewhere. What a shame for the national pastime … time and events indeed have passed by in probity, fairness and moral sense a lot of baseball’s players. Its as if they couldn’t handle time’s curves at all.