I just love a good surprise, don't you? Too bad this didn't count as one.
In what has to be the most shocking revelation since Elton John announced he was gay, it appears that some Major League Baseball players really do take steroids.
When the San Francisco Chronicle reported late Monday that Barry Bonds, Gary Sheffield and Jason Giambi were among a group of athletes who had received steroids, it was undoubtedly the biggest story of the week.
From the fans to the media to politicians, now it seems everyone wants to have their say on the matter. Quite naturally, the media has launched an all-out blitz in search of the smoking gun, while politicians have thrown their opinions into the mix as well.
To be honest, none of that surprised me.
If the media weren't in search of the next hot story, and politicians weren't always trying to score morality points with the voters, then I think we all should be worried.
What hasn't been quite as predictable is the reaction of the fans.
Read just about any fan-reaction story or jump online and enter an Internet baseball chat room and a good portion of those people are genuinely worried about what will happen to the game.
Can baseball survive such a scandal? Should all of the records be called into question? Those are but a few of the concerns out there, and I can assure you the list is growing by the day.
My question is, why? Baseball has been headed down a path of self-destruction for more than a decade now, and seeing a few names on a federal court document has done little to change that.
With the finances of the game so out of control, the current drug scandal should seem like a blip on the radar screen.
The New York Yankees have built an all-star squad complete with a $200 million payroll, but no one needs to go to that extreme to realize there are problems in the sport.
In today's climate, small-market teams have little chance of surviving - let alone competing - as salaries continue to escalate. As a result, ticket prices have gone up across the country, leaving fans to absorb most of the costs.
With no salary cap in sight and a labor agreement full of holes, do we really need to worry about what player might be doing drugs?
No one seemed to care much when a suddenly pumped-up Brady Anderson smacked 50 home runs for Baltimore in 1996. And no one seemed to care when a hulking Jose Canseco hit 42 home runs and stole 40 bases in 1988.
Those issues were just as relevant then as they are now, yet this week's revelations somehow carry more weight.
Perhaps those who care about baseball should worry whether the game itself can be saved before they worry about the athletes who play it.
http://www.robesonian.com
In what has to be the most shocking revelation since Elton John announced he was gay, it appears that some Major League Baseball players really do take steroids.
When the San Francisco Chronicle reported late Monday that Barry Bonds, Gary Sheffield and Jason Giambi were among a group of athletes who had received steroids, it was undoubtedly the biggest story of the week.
From the fans to the media to politicians, now it seems everyone wants to have their say on the matter. Quite naturally, the media has launched an all-out blitz in search of the smoking gun, while politicians have thrown their opinions into the mix as well.
To be honest, none of that surprised me.
If the media weren't in search of the next hot story, and politicians weren't always trying to score morality points with the voters, then I think we all should be worried.
What hasn't been quite as predictable is the reaction of the fans.
Read just about any fan-reaction story or jump online and enter an Internet baseball chat room and a good portion of those people are genuinely worried about what will happen to the game.
Can baseball survive such a scandal? Should all of the records be called into question? Those are but a few of the concerns out there, and I can assure you the list is growing by the day.
My question is, why? Baseball has been headed down a path of self-destruction for more than a decade now, and seeing a few names on a federal court document has done little to change that.
With the finances of the game so out of control, the current drug scandal should seem like a blip on the radar screen.
The New York Yankees have built an all-star squad complete with a $200 million payroll, but no one needs to go to that extreme to realize there are problems in the sport.
In today's climate, small-market teams have little chance of surviving - let alone competing - as salaries continue to escalate. As a result, ticket prices have gone up across the country, leaving fans to absorb most of the costs.
With no salary cap in sight and a labor agreement full of holes, do we really need to worry about what player might be doing drugs?
No one seemed to care much when a suddenly pumped-up Brady Anderson smacked 50 home runs for Baltimore in 1996. And no one seemed to care when a hulking Jose Canseco hit 42 home runs and stole 40 bases in 1988.
Those issues were just as relevant then as they are now, yet this week's revelations somehow carry more weight.
Perhaps those who care about baseball should worry whether the game itself can be saved before they worry about the athletes who play it.
http://www.robesonian.com
