Did you catch today’s gallup poll on steroids? It showed 62% of baseball fans believe that Roger Clemens should enter the Hall of Fame, but only 46% believe Barry Bonds should. Hmmmm. The poll also showed 55% of fans think players linked in the Mitchell Report for using performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) should NOT be punished, but only 37% felt that way before the report. Translation: When 18% of fans learned the investigation wasn’t purely "The Bonds Report", they changed their mind… Further translation: Hmmmm…
We’ve been quiet on the steroids front amidst all of the soap operas, federal inquisitions, and the greatest “benefit-of-the-doubt-job” in sports media history (see Andy Pettitte). For both good and no-good reasons, the planned 6-part COSELLOUT epic series on baseball, steroids, and the Mitchell Report fell by the wayside. Perhaps we’ll expound later, but in light of such journalistic laziness, we’re just going to let our hair down and let it all hang out… Bull Durham style. However, this isn’t his big league media how-to advice, just classic Crash rants (original rant right here):
On Steroids: “I believe that at least 70% of players from the last 15 years used performance enhancing drugs (PEDs). I believe that anyone surprised at Clemens inclusion in the Mitchell Report should be barred from discussing baseball. I believe if videotaped evidence came out tomorrow about potential hall-of-famers like Bonds, Clemens, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, Ivan Rodriguez, Mike Piazza, Jeff Bagwell, Todd Helton, Juan Gonzalez, Jeff Kent, Roberto Alomar and others, my opinion of them would remain exactly the same[1]. I believe that none of these players are bad people, none should be investigated, none should be penalized, and scape-goating league-wide problems only serves some perverted inner need to feel better about ourselves. I believe players did not act alone, but with the silent consent and of Bud Selig, media, owners, baseball management (including George Bush), and probably you too. I believe a memo is not a policy, and real policies are defined by real consequences. I believe congressional hearings of baseball players are self-indulgent, overrated crap. I believe that there oughtta be a constitutional amendment outlawing grand standing politicians and federal indictments for men who throw balls of string or wave sticks of wood. I believe Mike Schmidt is the one who shows honesty and integrity — when he admits that he probably would have used steroids if available in his day. I probably would have used them too.”
On Steroids & Media: “I believe that Jose Canseco’s ‘Juiced’ is full of fact, ‘The Game of Shadows’ is full of fiction, and all authors involved care most about their “intensity of the fame”… and fortune. I believe that writer Tom Boswell – who called out steroid use in baseball back in 1988 when it was unpopular — can be as holy as he wants to be… even if he is wrong. I believe in having the same level of moral indignation about steroids in 2008 as in 1998. I believe that any media member who didn’t must have looked the other way or must look like Forest Gump. In either case, they forfeited any moral right to express any moral righteousness. Finally, I believe that most media members who say “what about the kids” don’t give a damn about the kids. I believe that this is proven by their daily unwillingness to: take on the 5000 beer commercials per football game; paint athletes as anything more than "villains or heroes"; or write more stories about positive player contributions."
On “The Bonds Effect”: “I believe the current steroids debate is an unintended outgrowth of the media’s well-documented hatred for Barry Bonds – often fueled by a combination of personal, personality, and racial biases. I believe the public shame by McGwire, Clemens, and many others is mostly Barry’s collateral damage. I believe if Big Mac were fingered before Big Barry, the debate would be much closer to the NFL one, and we would hear similar initial reactions like this Rick Reilly audio clip on Big Mac & Andro in 1998[2]. I believe this Gallup Poll today that shows public views on punishment before and after the Mitchell report only supports "the Bonds Effect". I believe that the media had a mountain of evidence to investigate steroids use in the 1990’s, but only a molehill of will. I believe that the media PROTECTED the likes of McGwire and Clemens until OUTSIDE entities[3] like Congress and the Mitchell Report painted many sports journalists into a corner[4]. I believe there is a reason why: two investigative best-sellers have been written about Barry, but not about anyone else; half the sports writing community turned into legal analysts after the Mitchell Report, but not before it; and most educated sports fans have never heard of ‘Operation Equine’, but my own mother has heard of ‘BALCO’.
[1] No, I have no proof. This is merely a belief based off of circumstantial evidence from a combination in major statistical anomalies often coinciding with increases/decreases in body mass relative to drug testing implementation.
[2] In the audioclip Reilly states: "My personal slant on it is, you know, if you can pop those pills and jerk 58 homers a year, you know, everybody would be jerking 58 homers a year. I mean, it still comes at you nasty 92 mph on a freakin’ rubber and you’ve got .5 seconds to make a decision whether to swing or not, and you got to hit in the middle, and it’s got to go 400 feet. I think that everybody is over estimating what this one little supplement does." The audioclip is necessary for Reilly’s tone.
Amazing post, Modi. Smoking!
Too many great points here, but I do want to single out the point about the Daily News. Much as I hate Lupica, him and the rest of the Daily News have shown to me that they are consistent. They have treated Clemens (front page at least 5 times in the last two weeks, more than Barry Bonds even) with the same over the top hamminess and moral indiginity that they treated Bonds with.
My opinion on steroids in baseball, much like yours, has been two things: One, I don’t care if players use it, stop feeding me the “what about the children” sh*t, when MLB purposely heavily recruits children in countries where ‘roids are legal, like DR.
And 2) prove to me that this isn’t all about the media’s witchhunt to get Bonds. Like you wrote, every media outlet (except the DN) that hammered Bonds is proving to be more understanding towards Clemens.
Where are the pictures of Clemen’s head, and his body in ’88 versus ’05? Where are the astericks for his records? Where are the needles throw at guys like Rick Ankiel and Andy Pettite? Troy Glaus?
Another great post MODI!
Cooperstown is full of players and contributors that would fail the morals clause that the voters choose to apply arbitrarily to people that they don’t like. Oh yeah, FYI, there really isn’t a “morals clause”. The voters can really vote for whoever they want. Hall of Fame voting should be based solely on your play, or contributions to the game. If you want to include morals on the plaque, fine, be fair about it, and don’t sugar coat everything just because you believe so and so was a great player.
Babe Ruth was a womanizer, gambler, and drunk plenty of alcohol at a time when it was prohibited. Ty Cobb was as racist as they came. Gaylord Perry used grease balls. All are in the Hall of Fame.
Bonds, McGuire, Sosa, and Clemmons all deserve to go into the hall for their play on the field. They all should be or should have been first ballot HOF’s. While I’m railing against the HOF voters, what’s up with them never wanting to let someone be unanimous just b/c Babe Ruth wasn’t unanimous. The keepers of the game in baseball take ridculous to a new level.
I’ve always believed that if you wanted to use an asterik, you should put one on every record set before 1947. Blacks and darker latinos couldn’t play baseball in America before then (since they were banned in the 1870′s). This, despite when they played black vs. white exhibitions, the blacks beat the white players more often. Babe Ruth and some other players wanted MLB to let them play in the league. On the other side, you had Ty Cobb and Judge Landis. Had blacks been allowed to play, Ruth might not have had 714 homers, Josh Gibson might be the all time home run king, Satchel Paige might have had the record for strike outs in a season.
Thanks SML, it’s definitely all about Bonds and everything else is a Frankenstein situation
kos, agree all around. And Ty Cobb was far more than just racist. He was racist and violent. There are multiple instance of him physivcally taking his rage out on a black fan. Shit he did makes Ron Artest going into the stands look like a traveling violation
Posts like this one are why I read your site. Good work!
Thank you Mark.
[...] Channeling Your Inner Crash Davis: Modi rambles on baseball and steroids; you may not agree with all of it, but it’s entertaining (or was to me). [Cosellout] [...]
Oooh, that gave me chills.
[...] Interesting take on Steroids and the affect on fans: Cosellout [...]
I dont think Cooperstown is racist. I also don’t think segregationist should be disrespected after their death either, since they were a product of a different time. That being said I do think it is disheartening to see the public perception of steroids change with the introduction of Roger Clemens into the mix.
I have to disagree again though when you attribute the disparity between how people feel about Bonds compared to Clemens. I see this as a public perception issue more than a racist one. I think if you swap Barry Bonds with Ken Griffey Jr. or Tony Gwynn you would have a situation where they would sweep the process under the rug, but because of the public perception/probably truth that Bonds is an asshole, you have people wanting to get him.
AIIIGHT MODI!!!!!
ENOUGH. I’m sick and tired of looking at Kevin Costner’s ass every time I come to your site.
Please, please, please post something – anything to get his grille off the top of the page.
Thanks.
DavidMac:
It’s odd that you say you “think” these things when the absence of thought is so obvious.
If you keep this up, you’ll be gub’nah uh Miz’sipi fo’ sunrize.
@Temple3
Wow, what a great way to post so much and say so little. Go drink your 40 and smoke your weed, maybe play some ball, and finish up by hanging with your 16 kids who you haven’t seen since they were born. When you do that, then get back at me.
umm yeah. maybe you should sit down for a while man. how bout a fresca?
Oh David…there’s no point in being serious with you. You’re still a pseudo-intellectual whore who likes to carry other people’s water. No matter the dialect or the district – if you ever wanted to get serious, you’d know how to find me. Keep strivin’ and you’ll git to the Whites-only House.
Didn’t you just get banned on another site for being a di@%#!.
“I see this as a public perception issue more than a racist one. I think if you swap Barry Bonds with Ken Griffey Jr. or Tony Gwynn you would have a situation where they would sweep the process under the rug, but because of the public perception/probably truth that Bonds is an asshole, you have people wanting to get him.”
DMac, it is not either/or. Personality AND race are factors in an integrated way that cannot separated. The problem is that “black jerks” always seem to get far greater punishments in “public perception” than “white jerks”. Racial bias is still clearly a factor. I will argue that Clemens has a track record that is every bit the “jerk” as Bonds. (The Piazza chronicles; the yearly hostage negotiations; the perks and privileges unseen by any other players in history without the “me-first” label that any black player would wear around their neck).
Black jerks must be compared to white jerks — which is why Bonds-Clemens is so useful. A Tony Gwynn analogy is not useful here only if you were going to compare to say a really nice white guy — like say Andy Pettitte…. and it is hard for me to imagine any black player getting the Pettitte kid gloves…
DMac, Kenesaw Mountain Landis — as COMMISSIONER — was THE REASON that baseball didn’t integrate sooner. Forget “product of his time”. There were owners who were “products of their time” that saw things differently… Amongst one of several examples is that Bill Veeck wanted to buy the Philadelphia Phillies in 1942 with plans to integrate the team, but was blocked by Landis. And no, I would not eliminate any players from the HOF(see Cap Anson; Ty Cobb) because they should be judged on their baseball prowess. However, a COMMISSIONER should be judged on their contribution or lack there of to the game.
Temple, I’m going to take care of your request right now!!!