Jay Mariotti
<!-- Begin Content -->[font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]At very least, star is a hypocrite; at worst, living a lie
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August 2, 2005
BY JAY MARIOTTI SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST <!-- Empty line is needed --><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=4 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><SCRIPT language=JavaScript src="http://a3.suntimes.com/RealMedia/ads/adstream_jx.ads/www.suntimes.com/output/mariotti/@Top,Top1,TopLeft,Middle,Middle1,Bottom,x01,x02,x03,x04,x05,Frame1,Right1!Middle"></SCRIPT><CENTER>[font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Advertisement[/font]</CENTER>
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So he wants us to think he's victim, that he actually could have been sabotaged by ''contamination,'' that no baseball star with so much at stake -- his legacy, his Hall of Fame candidacy and his word -- would be so foolish to knowingly use a performance-enhancing substance after telling the world he loathes the stuff. Sorry, but I'm sick of being duped by The Steroids Era.
I do not believe Rafael Palmeiro.
Less than five months ago, he stood before Congress, angrily pointed his finger at the panel and said, ''Let me start by telling you this: I have never used steroids. Period. I don't know how to say it any more clearly than that. Never.'' He cut a smooth, dashing, articulate presence that afternoon, contrary to the suspicious likes of Mark McGwire and Sammy [''I agree with Raffy''] Sosa. Palmeiro was baseball's shining witness on an otherwise dark day, one of the few players under oath who seemed fully believable.
Turns out we were buying into an image and a profile, but probably not reality. The force of his words suggested he ''never'' has been around the steroids culture in any way, but after Monday's news that he has tested positive for the dirty juice, Palmeiro lost his credibility by scrambling during a conference call and leaving an impression he had ''unknowingly'' taken an unprescribed supplement. Suddenly, a man who claimed to be squeaky-clean was admitting to having recently ventured into the murky world he detested. You don't distance yourself from the bulk-up culture at a Congressional hearing, then intimate after a positive test that you used a supplement.
At the very least, it smacks of hypocrisy. At worst, he's living a lie.
''I made a mistake and I'm facing it,'' Palmeiro said. ''I hope that people learn from my mistake and I hope that the fans forgive me.
''If my situation results in the education of current and future players about the dangers of taking anything without a prescription from a licensed physician --that is a positive. At the end of the day, it is important for all players to understand the risk of contamination and to be very careful about what they put in their body.''
He is asking us to believe in his stupidity. Palmeiro may be many things today, but he is no idiot. He strikes me as someone who knows exactly what he's putting into his body, and therefore, I have no reason to think his excuse is anything but a desperate reach to save his career. ''Why would I do this in a year when I went in front of Congress and I testified and I told the truth?'' he asked. ''Why would I do this during a season where I was going to get to 3,000 hits? It just makes no sense ... I'm not a crazy person.''
<!--startsubhead-->The numbers don't lie
Allow me to present a statistic for your perusal. After Palmeiro's first 100 at-bats this year, he had exactly one home run. In his next 243 at-bats, he hit 18 homers. That may be nothing more than coincidence, but if we are attempting to get to the bottom of The Steroids Era and protect the game's non-juiced eras, perhaps it is circumstantial evidence. Here's another spike: In Palmeiro's first four seasons as a regular with the Texas Rangers, after his trade from the Cubs, he hit a collective 70 home runs. In 1993 -- Jose Canseco's first full season with the Rangers -- Palmeiro's home-run total shot to 37. After the strike-shortened season in '94, he proceeded to string together seasons of 39, 39, 38, 43, 47, 39, 47, 43 and 38 homers. How does a guy who was dealt by the Cubs because they thought he couldn't hit for power -- as if Mark Grace did? -- wind up with 569 home runs?
After his day on Capitol Hill, I would have told you it was about hard work and hand-to-eye coordination. Now, I am not so sure. All I know is, the denounced Canseco is looking more credible by the hour. In his tell-all book, he named four players that he believed were involved in injecting steroids: McGwire, Jason Giambi, Palmeiro and Pudge Rodriguez. Strange things have happened to each one of them. Giambi was busted in the BALCO case, McGwire was humiliated in the Congressional hearings and has disappeared in shame, Rodriguez lost 20 pounds and Palmeiro, in the most damning development this year, became the first big-name player to be suspended 10 days for steroids use under baseball's new, tougher policy. Among the few men who stepped out and defended him was President Bush, who owned the Rangers during the early part of Palmeiro's Texas career and considers him a ''friend.'' Said Bush: ''He's testified in public and I believe him.'' For a man who has condemned steroids and acknowledges that the lies run pretty deep within the culture, how odd for Bush to blanketly defend a buddy when he really has no idea what's happening here. His vote of confidence in Palmeiro may come back to haunt him.
<!--startsubhead-->Place in Hall now in doubt
Because anyone with a shred of common sense knows blind faith isn't wise in The Steroids Era. ''He ended up being the most outspoken against steroid use and even this guy is in a situation where he's been suspended,'' Rep. Christopher Shays, the Connecticut Republican who sat on the steroids panel, told the Associated Press. ''It just blows me away. Obviously, it calls into question every accomplishment he's had.''
For all the shots Congress took for getting involved in the steroids mess, the opinions of these men are refreshing and spot-on. If we are to doubt Palmeiro's feats, we must also question whether he belongs in the Hall of Fame. Like Giambi, he cited legalities in refusing to specifically explain how he could have tested positive. ''I would love to tell what happened to me so everyone would understand,'' he said. Then, why doesn't he tell? If my reputation and career were in jeopardy, I'd be damned sure the public knew my side of the story, regardless of any so-called confidentiality pact.
Instead, Palmeiro disappeared for the next week and a half to be with his family. Until I hear more from him, I will not check his name on a Hall of Fame ballot. Until I hear the specifics, I can only assume he went to Capitol Hill and conned me. Although not as hyped as McGwire and Sosa, Palmeiro was part of a power explosion that helped fuel the supposed renaissance of baseball in the late '90s. Anyone involved in a scam cannot be handed a free pass to Cooperstown. Washington Nationals manager Frank Robinson, one of the all-time great sluggers, says anyone who fails a steroids test automatically should be eliminated from Hall contention. When you consider Henry Aaron, Robinson and yesteryear's other mighty sluggers weren't aided by performance enhancers, you feel like sticking a big, fat asterisk over the entire Steroids Era.
Feel like a Hall of Famer, Raffy?
''Really, that's not for me to determine,'' he said. ''I hope that people look at my whole career and appreciate that I've given everything that I've got. I respect the Hall of Fame, and if they think that I'm worthy enough, I would be very honored. And if they don't, I gave it all that I had to this game.''
Just the day before, I stood in Cooperstown and watched Ryne Sandberg take shot after verbal shot at the bloated bombers. He pointed to his former Cubs teammate, Andre Dawson, and praised him for dominating seasons the ''natural'' way. Did he know something was coming down Monday about Palmeiro, his former teammate?
Probably not. I'm inclined to view it as fate. We're all tired of being deceived by false heroes, when never really doesn't mean never. Jay Mariotti is a regular on ''Around the Horn'' at 4 p.m. on ESPN. Send e-mail to inbox@ suntimes.com with name, hometown and daytime phone number (letters run Sunday).
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<!-- Begin Content -->[font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]At very least, star is a hypocrite; at worst, living a lie
[/font][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]
August 2, 2005
BY JAY MARIOTTI SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST <!-- Empty line is needed --><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=4 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><SCRIPT language=JavaScript src="http://a3.suntimes.com/RealMedia/ads/adstream_jx.ads/www.suntimes.com/output/mariotti/@Top,Top1,TopLeft,Middle,Middle1,Bottom,x01,x02,x03,x04,x05,Frame1,Right1!Middle"></SCRIPT><CENTER>[font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Advertisement[/font]</CENTER>
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<!--publication CST --><!--pub_section SPT page 107 last modified 8/1/05 11:34 PM-->
So he wants us to think he's victim, that he actually could have been sabotaged by ''contamination,'' that no baseball star with so much at stake -- his legacy, his Hall of Fame candidacy and his word -- would be so foolish to knowingly use a performance-enhancing substance after telling the world he loathes the stuff. Sorry, but I'm sick of being duped by The Steroids Era.
I do not believe Rafael Palmeiro.
Less than five months ago, he stood before Congress, angrily pointed his finger at the panel and said, ''Let me start by telling you this: I have never used steroids. Period. I don't know how to say it any more clearly than that. Never.'' He cut a smooth, dashing, articulate presence that afternoon, contrary to the suspicious likes of Mark McGwire and Sammy [''I agree with Raffy''] Sosa. Palmeiro was baseball's shining witness on an otherwise dark day, one of the few players under oath who seemed fully believable.
Turns out we were buying into an image and a profile, but probably not reality. The force of his words suggested he ''never'' has been around the steroids culture in any way, but after Monday's news that he has tested positive for the dirty juice, Palmeiro lost his credibility by scrambling during a conference call and leaving an impression he had ''unknowingly'' taken an unprescribed supplement. Suddenly, a man who claimed to be squeaky-clean was admitting to having recently ventured into the murky world he detested. You don't distance yourself from the bulk-up culture at a Congressional hearing, then intimate after a positive test that you used a supplement.
At the very least, it smacks of hypocrisy. At worst, he's living a lie.
''I made a mistake and I'm facing it,'' Palmeiro said. ''I hope that people learn from my mistake and I hope that the fans forgive me.
''If my situation results in the education of current and future players about the dangers of taking anything without a prescription from a licensed physician --that is a positive. At the end of the day, it is important for all players to understand the risk of contamination and to be very careful about what they put in their body.''
He is asking us to believe in his stupidity. Palmeiro may be many things today, but he is no idiot. He strikes me as someone who knows exactly what he's putting into his body, and therefore, I have no reason to think his excuse is anything but a desperate reach to save his career. ''Why would I do this in a year when I went in front of Congress and I testified and I told the truth?'' he asked. ''Why would I do this during a season where I was going to get to 3,000 hits? It just makes no sense ... I'm not a crazy person.''
<!--startsubhead-->The numbers don't lie
Allow me to present a statistic for your perusal. After Palmeiro's first 100 at-bats this year, he had exactly one home run. In his next 243 at-bats, he hit 18 homers. That may be nothing more than coincidence, but if we are attempting to get to the bottom of The Steroids Era and protect the game's non-juiced eras, perhaps it is circumstantial evidence. Here's another spike: In Palmeiro's first four seasons as a regular with the Texas Rangers, after his trade from the Cubs, he hit a collective 70 home runs. In 1993 -- Jose Canseco's first full season with the Rangers -- Palmeiro's home-run total shot to 37. After the strike-shortened season in '94, he proceeded to string together seasons of 39, 39, 38, 43, 47, 39, 47, 43 and 38 homers. How does a guy who was dealt by the Cubs because they thought he couldn't hit for power -- as if Mark Grace did? -- wind up with 569 home runs?
After his day on Capitol Hill, I would have told you it was about hard work and hand-to-eye coordination. Now, I am not so sure. All I know is, the denounced Canseco is looking more credible by the hour. In his tell-all book, he named four players that he believed were involved in injecting steroids: McGwire, Jason Giambi, Palmeiro and Pudge Rodriguez. Strange things have happened to each one of them. Giambi was busted in the BALCO case, McGwire was humiliated in the Congressional hearings and has disappeared in shame, Rodriguez lost 20 pounds and Palmeiro, in the most damning development this year, became the first big-name player to be suspended 10 days for steroids use under baseball's new, tougher policy. Among the few men who stepped out and defended him was President Bush, who owned the Rangers during the early part of Palmeiro's Texas career and considers him a ''friend.'' Said Bush: ''He's testified in public and I believe him.'' For a man who has condemned steroids and acknowledges that the lies run pretty deep within the culture, how odd for Bush to blanketly defend a buddy when he really has no idea what's happening here. His vote of confidence in Palmeiro may come back to haunt him.
<!--startsubhead-->Place in Hall now in doubt
Because anyone with a shred of common sense knows blind faith isn't wise in The Steroids Era. ''He ended up being the most outspoken against steroid use and even this guy is in a situation where he's been suspended,'' Rep. Christopher Shays, the Connecticut Republican who sat on the steroids panel, told the Associated Press. ''It just blows me away. Obviously, it calls into question every accomplishment he's had.''
For all the shots Congress took for getting involved in the steroids mess, the opinions of these men are refreshing and spot-on. If we are to doubt Palmeiro's feats, we must also question whether he belongs in the Hall of Fame. Like Giambi, he cited legalities in refusing to specifically explain how he could have tested positive. ''I would love to tell what happened to me so everyone would understand,'' he said. Then, why doesn't he tell? If my reputation and career were in jeopardy, I'd be damned sure the public knew my side of the story, regardless of any so-called confidentiality pact.
Instead, Palmeiro disappeared for the next week and a half to be with his family. Until I hear more from him, I will not check his name on a Hall of Fame ballot. Until I hear the specifics, I can only assume he went to Capitol Hill and conned me. Although not as hyped as McGwire and Sosa, Palmeiro was part of a power explosion that helped fuel the supposed renaissance of baseball in the late '90s. Anyone involved in a scam cannot be handed a free pass to Cooperstown. Washington Nationals manager Frank Robinson, one of the all-time great sluggers, says anyone who fails a steroids test automatically should be eliminated from Hall contention. When you consider Henry Aaron, Robinson and yesteryear's other mighty sluggers weren't aided by performance enhancers, you feel like sticking a big, fat asterisk over the entire Steroids Era.
Feel like a Hall of Famer, Raffy?
''Really, that's not for me to determine,'' he said. ''I hope that people look at my whole career and appreciate that I've given everything that I've got. I respect the Hall of Fame, and if they think that I'm worthy enough, I would be very honored. And if they don't, I gave it all that I had to this game.''
Just the day before, I stood in Cooperstown and watched Ryne Sandberg take shot after verbal shot at the bloated bombers. He pointed to his former Cubs teammate, Andre Dawson, and praised him for dominating seasons the ''natural'' way. Did he know something was coming down Monday about Palmeiro, his former teammate?
Probably not. I'm inclined to view it as fate. We're all tired of being deceived by false heroes, when never really doesn't mean never. Jay Mariotti is a regular on ''Around the Horn'' at 4 p.m. on ESPN. Send e-mail to inbox@ suntimes.com with name, hometown and daytime phone number (letters run Sunday).
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