Until Next Time...

It’s been a while here at The Outside Corner.

Between college baseball, college life, and preparing to move countries, once again, I simply put this website on the backburner, and never returned.

It has finally dawned on me that this is something that I can’t continue, at least in the foreseeable future. I could write a long, “I’m sorry” story about how little time I have, but, well, who would believe me. I watch a lot of TV and play a lot of video games, and spend a lot of time in the gym, out with friends, and generally, chilling out.

I have plenty of time to sit down and write columns. On almost a nightly basis, I see a story and think to myself “I should write about that”, before getting lost in something else and ultimately forgetting.

As I write this, I am kicking myself that I didn’t plan ahead further, to write one final, real column here for The Outside Corner.

Think about it, between the baseball draft (on my underrated favorite events of the year), Strasburg making his first big league start and being better (yes, I said better) than anyone could have expected, the Lakers and Celtics playing in Boston in a pivotal Game 3 of the NBA Finals, Armando Galarraga making his first start since the Joyce incident (something else that went completely unmentioned here), I could have ended with something special.

Could have, would have, should have.

That’s all in the past now.

I missed Strasburg’s first start, save for the 12 outs MLB.com let me watch for free online. I missed the baseball draft, tuning out after Cleveland finally made a pick I can get on board with the 5^th overall selection. I missed the biggest baseball story of the season, not writing a single word about the blown call at first base that we will all remember every single time a base umpire gets a call wrong for the rest of our lives.

I missed Tiger coming back as a shell of his former self; I missed the LeBron end of season meltdown; I missed a golden opportunity to write about the first Indians game I had seen in person in five years.

In the time it has taken me to write this, the Celtics and Lakers have each dominated the court for minutes at a time multiple times each. I have no idea will win; and I’m not going to make a prediction.

I missed what could have been one of the best stories I have ever written – a full-blown jump onto the Chicago Blackhawks bandwagon made in the Windy City itself.

At the end of the day, if I wrote a real story now, would it even count?

Could I write a story and pretend people will have interest in anything I have to say, given the complete non-activity here the last few months? What could I possibly write about with any degree of credibility?

So I didn’t.

I thought it was finally time to tie up some loose ends here at The Outside Corner.

This isn’t goodbye forever. This definitely isn’t the last column I will write, nor will it be the last column this website ever sees.

My last column, which didn’t even make it to The Outside Corner, was about the brilliance of LeBron James, about two days before he went from the best-ever-in-my-opinion to just really-really-good.

That’s not how this page was supposed to end. Nor will it be.

From time to time, there may be something post-worthy that will pop up on this page. Will anyone even read this? Who knows. This site was never about readers, or web traffic, because if it was, then it would have been the biggest failure of all time.

This site was an outlet; nothing more, nothing less. I wanted to write something, and put it somewhere other than the ‘My Documents’ folder in my laptop. I did that. Even if I achieved nothing more than that, I did it.

So now I can walk away, with loose ends tied up, and with everyone at least somewhat understanding what happened to this page.

As Kobe Bryant continues to make me hate him and like him more and more, simultaneously, I will sign off for the last time – at least for now. If this site ever becomes fully functional again, it will be better, and bigger, more professionally run, and, hopefully, will feature more writers than myself.

As I explore other life and career options, they too may find a place in this website. The name, the URL, and the topics may change, but the idea of this being an outlet, somewhere to display my work, will never change. If everything works out, and someday I am being paid to write insulting and short-sighted analysis, then this will be the first place a come to. This will be the place everything will be based from.

And if in ten years, this page still somehow exists on the World Wide Web, hopefully, more than just me will have some value looking back over these pages.

So that’s it. No “this is why we love sports” or “I can hardly wait.” I will save that for a real column. This one can end simply – thank you to the select few who read this page from time to time. Thank you to those who fueled these columns, and thank you to those who gave me ideas, presented me with arguments, or simply gave me inspiration to write about something.

Until next time.

When Professional Sports Are Wrong

If you have ever read one of my columns before, you have probably seen me use the phrase “this is why we love sports.”

So often, we are reminded why we love sports so much. As you read this, Web Gems are being produced on the diamond, instant classics are being constructed by LeBron and Co. in the NBA Finals, and the NHL is getting closer and closer to the Stanley Cup. Add to that the future of the NFL getting its call in the NFL Draft this past week, and it’s been a busy week for the producers of SportsCenter.

As always, it’s a great time to be watching sports. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, this is why we love sports.

But for every great play that brings a smile to our faces; for every game-winning shot and mascot-falling off-the-dugout-while-dancing blooper, we get this:

Edinson Volquez.

The young Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher, who is rehabbing from elbow surgery, tested positive for a banned performance enhancing substance last week. He will be suspended 50 games for the violation.

Now, I have been on the record before that we shouldn’t care about steroids and performance enhancing drugs the way we are told to by the media, and I still believe that. Honestly, who really cares that superior, more athletic and skilful athletes might be taking substances to help their game? Isn’t that why we pay to go watch the games, to see the best of the best?

But where this case crosses the line is the suspension. Of course, being suspended for 50 games should mean having to miss 50 games, right?

Wrong.

As Volquez is still recovering from the staples in his elbow, he is being allowed to serve his suspension while on the Disabled List.

Imagine this in a non-sports setting: you break the single-most talked about rule in your company’s policy, and they let you serve your mandatory suspension while you are on vacation with your wife. No punishment, no repercussions, just a corporation saving its face by pretending to care.

Imagine sexually assaulting a co-worker, and instead of being fired or suspended, you simply get a slap on the back of the hand.

Am I the only one not ok with this?

What is the point of even giving out a suspension if it won’t cost him any time on the field?

But as Volquez continues to get ready to continue his highly lucrative baseball career with little to no actual damage done by this positive test, the sporting world moves on. ESPN will talk about the 3^rd round of the NFL draft for 8 months of the year, but this story came and went in a matter of days.

Does anyone else see a problem here?

We are stuck in a vicious cycle, where members of the media and fans expect every wrong-doer to be called out, ostracized and blamed for the world’s problems, and then expect us to continue to pay to watch these games.

We are expected to condemn everything it is to want to be the best by any means necessary, and then blindly turn around and cheer the best athletes in the world. We are expected to hate steroid users, but love people doing the exact same things as steroid users on the field, and forget about everything else. Lather, rinse, repeat.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t exactly know how to do that.

And as more information comes out in this case, we are learning that Volquez was taking fertility medicine, to try to start a family. Or was it his doctor’s fault? Or did he just forget to check the banned list before taking an over-the-counter supplement?  My head is spinning. Like every other failed drug test in the history of sports, it wasn’t his fault, and he is sorry.

Why care about any of this? Beats me.

I guess it’s just another reason we love sports.

The Sports World According to Professional Wrestling

Two weeks ago, for the 26^th time, the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) held their biggest pay-per view event, WrestleMania. With over 72,000 people in attendance, it was one of the most attended sporting events in the last 12 months.

In case you missed it, The Undertaker kept his WrestleMania win streak alive, winning his 18^th Wrestlemania fight, and ending the career of Shawn Michaels in the process.

Don’t know what I am talking about?

Don’t worry, no one does.

Ever since The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin became actors, and wrestling became rated PG-13, and Vince McMahon became a parody of himself, and steroid-bans turned big pecs into even bigger man-boobs, wrestling just hasn’t been as good.

I remember the good old days: back when I was 12, thought it was real, and watched every event as if my life depended on it.

All of this got me thinking: Have you ever thought how much better life would be if all sports more closely resembled the WWE?

Think about it for a second – in the WWE, anybody can issue a challenge to the champion at any time. Imagine if after the 2009 World Series, the bitter Red Sox challenged the Yankees to a No-Holds Barred Steel Cage match for the 2009 World Series trophy. Are you trying to tell me you wouldn’t want to watch this?

When you think about it, we are already seeing some elements of professional wrestling in baseball. Hitters and pitchers have their own entrance music for when they come to the plate or the mound in a big situation. How much different is this to “Oh, you didn’t know?!” any time the Road Dogg would prepare to make his way to the ring in the 90’s?

This week, everyone pretended to be a golf fan as Tiger Woods made his comeback at The Masters. In wrestling, the performers are divided into two groups – ‘faces’ (good guys) and ‘heels’ (bad guys). Given everything that has transpired the last few months, Tiger Woods would make a great heel to Phil Mickelson’s face. As the two fought across the four days, eventually, the good guy won.

But imagine if, like in professional wrestling, the salty, jealous bad guy had attacked the winner from behind with the Championship Belt? (Or in this case, the Championship Jacket?) Can anyone honestly tell me they wouldn’t watch this?

Imagine if the professional tennis circuit held open tournaments to determine the Number 1 Contender to face Roger Federer at each tennis Major. Wouldn’t that be more exciting than watching Rafeal Nadal play some chump in the first round of Wimbledon and win in straight sets?

Or imagine if one day, NBA Commissioner David Stern announced that instead of a traditional basketball match, the Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers would be competing in a ladder match, where the hoops at each end are raised so high that the only way to score points is to climb a ladder and put the ball in. Seriously, who wouldn’t watch that for at least one quarter?   

At the end of the day, no one sport can match the excitement, absurdity and outrageous antics of professional wrestling.

Maybe I shouldn’t have stopped watching after all.

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The Art of the Subplot

This column appears in the March 16th issue of The DePauw.

Like any great movie, a significant sporting story has some kind of interesting subplot. In the cinematic world, this often takes form in the way of a complicated relationship or family matter that may determine the course of action of the entire film.

In the sporting world, this is what makes any new sports story interesting. In the last few weeks, interesting subplots have been popping up everywhere.

Take, for example, Marion Jones. Last week, she signed a contract to play in the WNBA with the Tulsa Shock. Yes, the same Marion Jones who won three gold medals at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. And, yes, the same Marion Jones who lost those medals after admitting to the use of performance enhancing drugs seven years later.

What is more interesting here? The fact that Jones signed with a WNBA team, or the fact that she was in prison a year ago? Her starting WNBA salary (the league minimum, about $35,000) or her new multi-sport athletic aspirations?

But Jones’ story is hardly in the minority when it comes to the subplot. In the last week alone, we have learned that David Beckham will likely miss the World Cup, Nomar Garciaparra retired from baseball, and that Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras played in a charity tennis match to help raise money for the earthquake victims in Haiti.

All of these stories are interesting in themselves.

But, every single one of these stories also has an interesting subplot, and in some cases, the subplot is even more interesting than the story itself.

When Nomar decided to retire from baseball, he didn’t just call a press conference and let everyone know he was done. He signed a one-day contract with the Boston Red Sox, the team he is most recognized as being a member of, and retired as a member of the team he made his debut with.

When Agassi and Sampras got together to raise money for charity, the match descended into a pathetic, immature verbal cat fight. (If you haven’t seen a video of this yet, you are missing out.)

And in my favorite sporting story of the week, at least in terms of the all-mighty subplot, David Beckham tore his Achilles tendon playing for AC Milan, and is now likely to miss the 2010 Soccer World Cup.

Think about this one for a minute – there is so much more to this than just the injury. Beckham was aiming to play in his 4^th world cup for England, which would have been a record. Beckham was also playing on loan for another team – how do the LA Galaxy feel about this injury? Beckham is essentially being paid as the player to make soccer in the United States relevant; how will this injury impact that?

It goes even further.

Beckham is reaching the age where any major injury could be career threatening. Will he ever play professional soccer again? And, perhaps most importantly, who will have the best hair in South Africa this summer now that Beckham won’t be playing?

When you think about it, this is why we enjoy sports; this is why sport is entertainment. There is so much more than what is going on out on the actual field or court. What athletes and players did last week or last year has relevance to the enjoyment we get from watching sporting events. Without the element of sub plot, there would be no underdog stories (and thus the movie Rudy would pretty much suck), no comeback stories (We Are Marshall would just be Matthew McConaughey’s face on screen for two hours), and no true sporting hero inspiration. (Would anyone even try in sports if Rocky Balboa didn’t exist? Exactly.)

So as we get ready to go on Spring Break and fill out March Madness brackets, remember: just as Blood Diamond has a Leo DiCaprio love-story woven in, every sports story has a subplot. It’s just up to us to find it.

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Spring Warmth Awaits as Baseball Season Starts

Understand this – I am a junkie for symbolism. Anytime a movie or TV show throws in an especially symbolic scene, I am probably going to watch it with a smile on my face (or whatever emotion is appropriate in the given situation).

Take Rocky IV for example. In one of the best scenes in cinematic history, Rocky trains out in the Russian wilderness, trudging through the snow with logs on his back, climbing mountains, chopping trees and lifting anything he can find to prepare for his fight, while the big, evil Russian Ivan Drago trains in a high tech lab with trainers and scientists and publicists, using the latest equipment and even taking anabolic steroids, something our great American hero Rocky Balboa would never, ever do.

The symbolism in this scene is endless – as Drago knocks training partners to the ground, Rocky cuts a tree to the ground. As Rocky runs up a massive mountain in the snow, Drago runs on a treadmill with a steep incline. As Drago presses a barbell over his head to the applause of his training entourage, Rocky presses a trailer with his trainers and wife in it over his head.

We all know what happens next.

Rocky, with his ‘old-school’ training methods, defeats the massive Russian, and the world is saved. This movie, and in particular this scene, single-handedly ended the Cold War, and I refuse to believe otherwise.

This is the power of symbolism.

So what does all of this have to do with where we are right now?

Last week, we all witnessed one of the single greatest real-life symbolic transitions, ever.   

On February 28^th, the Winter Olympics in Vancouver concluded. Merely days later, Major League Baseball started to play its first Spring Training games of the year. In the span of three days, the sporting focus of the country went from 100% winter to 100% spring. Finally, the winter months are behind us, and as the weather warms up outside, so too will the spring season of professional (and amateur) sports.

While baseball may only just be starting, the NBA is coming down to the pointy end of the season. And with only a little over a month left before the playoffs, there are still many interesting story lines yet to entirely unfold. Where will LeBron go next year? Is Kevin Durant the next, well, LeBron? Can the Nets possibly get any worse?

And if the NBA isn’t enough to fill your basketball quota, there is always the looming presence of the college basketball playoffs. ‘March Madness’ is creeping closer and closer every day.

Clearly, it’s a great time of year to be a sports fan. The NHL is back after the Olympic hiatus, and spirits in the league could not be higher. Only a few years after the league shut down for an entire season, the Olympics have surged popularity back into the suddenly hot-topic league.

And, for the seven of you out there who care, Rugby seasons are starting in the southern hemisphere. (That’s the game they play in the movie ‘Invictus.’ You know, the one with Matt Damon and Morgan Freeman in it?)

But for me, this all comes back to the symbolic change of seasons; the shift of focus from the biggest winter event in the world to the spring beginning’s of America’s pastime. As our overpaid heroes run around in the Arizona and Florida warmth, the rest of the country is waiting for the snow to melt, and for the season to truly start.

It’s going to be a great spring.

And if you still don’t believe in the power of symbolism, then I can’t help you any further.

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Deciphering Tiger's Code

This column appears in the February 26 edition of The DePauw.

In a week when a man crashed a plane into the IRS main office out of frustration, it only makes sense that all we noticed in the news was the most awkward ‘press conference’ in the history of television.

Forget the fact that Tiger Woods had the proverbial ‘deer in the headlights’ look for 15 minutes straight, an unconfirmed Guinness World Record. Forget the fact that this ‘press conference’ had two cameras, a handful of media personnel and a bunch of Tiger’s buddies there for support. Forget the fact that he didn’t even allow questions.

What’s important here, is that he at least did something.

He could have continued to stay in hiding, save for a few well-arranged photo opportunities and public statements until someone else messed up and everyone forgot about Tiger. But he didn’t, he came out to apologize to us, his sponsors, his family, and perhaps most importantly, the sporting community.

Sure, we all wish we know what is going on inside Tiger’s head. Is he being sincere? Is this just yet another cover-up? Did he walk behind that blue curtain and proceed to cheat on his wife again?

All of these are questions that we want answered.

Since that isn’t going to happen anytime soon, we have to work with what we have. I don’t want to speak for anybody else, but I know that anytime a man who got caught having upward of 16 affairs, with porn stars and sex tapes and possible love children, comes out to speak, I am going to listen. But what did he really tell us, if anything?

Well, quite a lot, actually. Here are some of the things I heard Tiger actually say during his press conference last Friday –

What he said: “Good morning, and thank you for joining me. Many of you in this room are my friends. Many of you in this room know me. Many of you have cheered for me or you've worked with me or you've supported me.”

What he meant: “Man, I am so glad that I got to choose who came to this thing. Don’t worry guys, lunch is on me after this.”

What he said: “I know people want to find out how I could be so selfish and so foolish. People want to know how I could have done these things to my wife Elin and to my children.”

What he meant: “Haha, the joke’s on you! I’m not actually going to tell you anything! Ha!”

What he said: “Elin and I have started the process of discussing the damage caused by my behavior.”

What he meant: “She hit me again the other night. This time with the 6-iron.”

What he said: “My behavior has caused considerable worry to my business partners.”

What he meant: “I’m still rich, right?”

What he said: “Some people have speculated that Elin somehow hurt or attacked me on Thanksgiving night. It angers me that people would fabricate a story like that.”

What he meant: “Are you kidding me? Didn’t you see my picture on the cover of Vanity Fair? I’m jacked! Do you think she could really hurt me?”

What he said: “Elin has shown enormous grace and poise throughout this ordeal. Elin deserves praise, not blame.”

What he meant: “Please forgive me, baby. You’re really hot.”

What he said: “I once heard, and I believe it's true, it's not what you achieve in life that matters; it's what you overcome.”

What he meant: “That’s a real saying, right? Come on, is has to be… what else can get me off the hook here?”

What he said: “I want to thank the PGA Tour, Commissioner [Tim] Finchem, and the players for their patience and understanding while I work on my private life. I look forward to seeing my fellow players on the course.”

What he meant: “You didn’t think I was coming back, did you Mickelson? Looks like I deceived you, too!”

What he said: “Finally, there are many people in this room, and there are many people at home who believed in me. Today I want to ask for your help. I ask you to find room in your heart to one day believe in me again.”

What he meant: “Look guys… My bad. But are you trying to tell me you wouldn’t have done the same in my situation?”

And with that, he walked back behind the blue curtain, and back out of our lives for another few months.

If you’re anything like me, you don’t want this to end. You want endless Tiger jokes for the rest of your life. But this will end, and we will once again be blessed to watch the most dominant athlete today walk the courses around the world, leaving destruction in his wake.

Just like The Terminator, Tiger will be back. And boy, does he have something to prove.

I can hardly wait.

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Mark Shapiro’s Big Promotion

Ok, I know what you’re thinking – we’re doomed, right?

Our mentally challenged General Manger, the dude who is almost single handedly responsible for how bad this team has been in years past (seriously, don’t get me started on Shapiro. Look to any other column with his name in it on this website for a few cheap-shot insults at the guy) is now being promoted? The guy who by himself destroyed our epic team from the 90’s and early 2000’s, the guy who traded Victor and Lee before we had to, the guy that signed David Dellucci, and Kerry Wood, and all those other guys we hate, the guy that would probably drive even the Yankees into the ground, is now going to become team president.

The silver lining?

A new General Manager! This is actually the best thing that could happen to Indians fans, and here’s why. Chris Antonetti, the current Indians assistant GM, will take over Shapiro’s role following the 2010 season. Antonetti is so respected that he has been approached by multiple teams, on multiple occasions, to leave the Indians to assume a General Manager’s role. But like a true Indian, Antonetti has hung tight, waiting for his opportunity in Cleveland. (In his defense, it probably should have come about 2 years ago, but whatever. As the saying goes, better late than never, right?) Now it is here.

Does this look like a guy you would trust your team with?

Indians fans, rejoice. The Mark Shapiro-as-GM era is almost over. Of course, this means several things. Instead of trying to explain these to you myself, I feel the voice of Indians fans from around the country should be heard. (After all, the emotion and heartbreak Indians fans suffer is up there with almost anyone in professional sports today.) On the day the news broke, comments like the following started trickling in from Indians fans everywhere, courtesy of the Indians.com discussion boards  –

From ‘UtTribeFan’: Really? He disassembles the 07 team over 2 years and puts us in the celler then gets promoted? I don't see the logic...

From ‘DolansFolly’: This is a joke, right?

From ‘UsedByMichelle’: Can you say "Peter Principle"? I know that you could. Markie should be promoted OUTSIDE the Tribe organization.

From ‘macaDnutt’: Disassembles a winning team, makes the common fan suffer, BS's his way out of poor decisions and gets a promotion. Sounds like a Wall Street banker! Did he get a $100 million bonus this year too like the rest of the crooks?

From ‘tbbc44’: Promoted? He should have been sedated with what he's done to the Indians.

From ‘Den11’: I got so excited for about a half a second when I read "Mark Shapiro will be out as Indians GM" and then a little sick to my stomach when I finished the sentence and found out he wil become team president. Well, hopefully ANY change in the Indians front office is a good thing; time will tell. Obviously, what we really need are new owners. Anybody heard any good rumors about that lately?

 

From ‘BuckeyeTurf06’: Glad to see the Indians reward mediocrity with a promotion...

From ‘I_like_BB’: The Indians ownership and management has to be stupid beyond belief. They reward demonstrated incompetence! They hire the biggest loser manager in MLB to replace an average manager and then promote the worst GM to President.

From ‘Golfmandan’: This is a slap in the face to every Indians fan alive!!! The Dolan's don't deserve for fans to show up anymore!!! Think about this:::: In every corporation in America or abroad if a employee only had 1 productive year in 10 years of employment he or she would be terminated for JUST CAUSE!!!

I think you get the idea…

My take? If you could somehow combine all the insults and negativity from the comments above, and then double that, you would havemy thoughts on Mark Shapiro. But we all know this; we all know we have wanted this guy out for a long time now, and it’s finally happened.

The thing I am looking forward to most from here on out, without Shapiro in the role of GM? Winning. (Cheap shot? Sure, but what else do you expect by now?)

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The NBA All-Star Game

This column appears in the February 19th issue of The DePauw.

Being watched by an NBA record 108,713 fans, you would think the NBA All-Star game was a pretty big deal.

You’d probably be wrong.

The NBA All-Star game traditionally has been a successful one. The stars roll in, put on a point scoring display, throw in a few dunks and alley-oops to excite the crowd, and then leave to a standing ovation. It happens almost every year.

Add to that the excitement of the Slam Dunk Contest and the Three-Point Contest, and you really have yourself a weekend.

Usually.

For whatever reason, the 2010 NBA All-Star game didn’t live up to previous editions of the event. The game was played with the build-up of the MLB All-Star Game, but the enthusiasm and excitement of the NFL Pro Bowl.

Maybe it was the massively oversized arena, Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, removing the “buzz” element from the crowd. (On that same note, who decided it would be cool to play a basketball game with some spectators like a mile away from the actual game?) Maybe it’s an indication of the greater sports movement away from All-Star Games and exhibition contests in general. (After all, in the grand scheme of things, this game means absolutely nothing.) Maybe we just don’t like sports as much anymore.

Maybe, just maybe, it’s a bright neon-colored sign showing us the future of sports. Showing us where our games are headed, and where our athletes are going. Maybe it was a sign of the massive corporate influence on any and all marketable athletes in the world today. Maybe it was a sign that gimmicky, fan-friendly events like the Slam Dunk Contest (with this years’ being quite possibly the least entertaining dunk contest ever) and the Three-Point Shootout just don’t excite us anymore.

Maybe, it’s a sign that the game is no longer enough.

The game, by itself, has lost its appeal. And this isn’t just basketball, or all-star games, or any single specific sport or event. It is the world of sports as a whole.

It’s not enough to watch the competitors against one another. It’s not enough to witness the beautiful act of a perfectly executed pass, or a science-defying pitch, or a thunderous tackle. We need more. We need video games, we need celebrity, we need scandal, and above all else, we need money. We live in a society where we always need more.

All of a sudden, for some reason, watching an NBA player dunk a ball with no one else on the court isn’t enough. Just like watching a baseball player hit home runs in batting practice and an NFL receiver catch an uncontested pass isn’t enough anymore, sport itself is falling behind the rapidly changing fan base. What’s important now isn’t who wins in the box score, but who cleans up in the bottom line. It’s a sad metaphor for the rest of society.

So what comes next?

When the gimmick stops working; when the game itself becomes the gimmick, where do we go from here? Will the next All-Star game feature special celebrity substitutions? Headband cameras for the folks at home? Playboy models as the coaches? If you think this is too farfetched, what can possibly be more crazy then throwing 100,000 people in a giant room to watch 10 guys bounce a ball around for an hour or two?

But this is why sports works. Because for every single person that reads this column; for every single person that says “it was better the way it used to be”; for every single person that claims sport is dead; there is a passionate fan out there watching. While the owners and perhaps even the players approach sports differently in today’s world, the underlying principle of sports for enjoyment will always be hidden there somewhere. For every celebrity sitting courtside Sunday who didn’t know Kobe Bryant from the referee, there was a fan sitting in the upper deck, with their binoculars, taking in every moment as if it were their last.   

You never know what’s going to happen next. For better or worse. It’s simple, and yet so confusing at the same time.

And that’s just the way we all want it.

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Excerpt: The Public Reaction to Steroids in Baseball

The following is an excerpt from a research project I recently completed titled 'The Real Truth:  Steroids, Baseball, and the Clouded Future of The Game. 'It is featured in a chapter entitled 'Public Perception and Reaction.'

This study is not just about the way steroids have re-written the baseball record books. This study is about much more than just statistics; after all, statistics can only show so much. Statistics show us that of the 41 times players have hit 50 HR’s in a single season, 24 have come since Cecil Fielder did it in 1990, and that of the eight times players have hit 60 home runs in a single season, six have come in the last 11 years. Statistics show us that baseball’s most cherished record, the single-season home run mark, remained almost stationary for 80 years, and then was obliterated by three separate players multiple times in a three year span.¹ Statistics show us that a lead-off hitter in Baltimore exploded to hit 50 home runs in a single season, more than double his previous career best. Statistics show us how the game has been changed.   

Statistics don’t show, however, the effect this has had on the fans, or the media, or the general, interested public. Statistics don’t show that we now live in a world where every athlete is guilty until proven innocent, instead of the other way around. ² Statistics don’t show the underlying “he/she must be juicing” attitude that is present in almost every single professional sport today. That is what this study is designed to look at – the greater effect of steroids on not only the baseball public, but the general public as well. This affects more than just baseball fans and historians; this is an issue being confronted by the most of the modern world.  

Bill Simmons, one of the most-read sports writers in America, voiced this exact attitude in a June 2009 ESPN The Magazine article, saying “baseball has reached a depressing point in which power hitters are presumed guilty until proven innocent.” The reaction to baseball’s steroid problem has been anemic. Regardless of the number of players actually taking the substances, almost every single player is placed at fault by the media and the greater general public. In a February 2009 New York Times article, Dan Rosenheck commented “First Mark McGwire, then Barry Bonds sullied the game’s hallowed home run records with the suspected aid of performance-enhancing drugs.” While we now know for certain McGwire was taking steroids when he broke the home run record in 1998, the way this is approached by Rosenheck accurately represents the greater attitudes displayed by fans everywhere – steroids are ruining the game.

It has become a story of extremes - there has been no middle ground. Players are either clean, and therefore likable, or they have cheated, and therefore do not deserve to be in the game.

News reports on every television and radio station in the country were speculating on the severity of the problem, challenging the integrity of the game, its players, owners and officials. This is further worsened by the on-going drama in the legal cases of Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, amongst others. ESPN baseball writer and analyst Jorge Arangure Jr. believes that these types of problems will never entirely go away. This is alarming to say the least – baseball’s steroid problem, and perhaps more importantly the reaction to baseball’s steroid problem, has become so bad that experts cannot see an end.

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1. The three players: Sammy Sosa (66 HR in 1998, 63 HR in 1999 and 64 HR in 2001), Mark McGwire (70 HR in 1998, 65 HR in 1999) and of course, Barry Bonds, with 73 HR in 2001. Interestingly, since 2001, no one has hit more than 58 HR’s in a season. It is entirely possible that this four year stretch will forever have the highest home run output of any mini-era in history.

2. This extends far beyond baseball as well. Among the worst-received sports of today is cycling, where it is generally assumed that performance enhancing drugs are required to even finish the Tour de France, let alone place.

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For Part 2 of this excerpt, click here.

Part 2: The Public Reaction to Steroids in Baseball

The following is Part 2 of an excerpt from a research project I recently completed titled 'The Real Truth:  Steroids, Baseball, and the Clouded Future of The Game. 'It is featured in a chapter entitled 'Public Perception and Reaction.'

America as a nation has a tendency to knock heroes down as often as possible. Tiger Woods’ recent fall from grace is a prominent and timely example; a previously untouchable legend-in-the-making has become the subject of much ridicule, public pressure and judgment from a wide range of people. Once Rafael Palmeiro tested positive in 2005, only months after declaring he had “never used steroids, period” he became an anti-hero, despised by the American public for not only cheating in his sport, but by lying about it to the highest of authorities, whilst under oath. Barry Bonds’ treatment has been even worse. Always a controversial sports figure and never overwhelmingly popular, the BALCO scandal turned Bonds into one of the most hated men in the history of professional sports.

However, there also seems to be a conflict of interest of sorts when it comes to some professional athletes. As a nation, American sports fans are ready to blindly accuse anyone of anything, but also simultaneously blindly defend some, even in the wake of overwhelming evidence. There is also a love for the underdog story, or the ‘overcome the odds’ success stories. This exact attitude toward celebrity has been evident in the treatment of baseball and its disgraced stars in the wake of seemingly endless steroid scandals.

As already mentioned, Palmeiro, Bonds, and now Mark McGwire have been met with much media scrutiny with regard to their performance-enhancing drug use. However, only months ago, Manny Ramirez, the popular left fielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers, tested positive for a fertility drug on the banned substance list, commonly used to mask the use of anabolic steroids. Yet this is rarely talked about. Once Ramirez had served his suspension, ³ he resumed his place as one of the most popular hitters in the game today. The previous perception of these players led to a substantial difference in their treatment by the local and national media. Ramirez’s carefree, happy approach to the game of baseball worked in his favor as the fans of the game forgave him almost instantly. ⁴

However despite this circumstantially positive reaction, the damage to the games reputation had been done, and realistically, Ramirez had only further damaged baseball’s standing in the greater public. Many fans had looked at Ramirez as a model of honesty, and perhaps above all else, simplicity. If the slugger with the goofy grin and excitable personality had taken steroids, then this meant it was plausible any player on any roster could have done the same.

Furthermore, in the fallout of the Ramirez case, he commented that he had passed “15 tests” and that this was simply an anomaly; a mistake. But what does this really mean? Does this mean that Ramirez had been clean all along, or that he had simply not been caught for all that time? This notion – players passing tests frequently before a failure – further clouds the validity of steroid testing in baseball and indeed all sports. This simply becomes another excuse for fans and media members to expect players are using illegal performance enhancing drugs. This creates an alarming cycle – if no tests are conducted, then we are all to assume that steroid use among players is rampant. However, when tests are conducted, and even when players are caught, the suspicion does not lift. It simply changes from “everyone is doing it” to “no one is getting caught doing it.”

This is the most alarming effect of the steroid era. Baseball historians and fans alike will say the records broken and feats achieved in this era will forever remain as the worst thing to come from the steroid era, but this does not seem to be true. After all, records are kept to be broken, and even if some of the circumstances in baseball’s past may not have been optimal, these are the feats of some of the best athletes to ever play the game. Eventually, these records will also be broken, and with the exception of a scarce few feats and milestones, most of these tainted records will be eclipsed, many times over.

What can never, ever be fixed, however, is the attitude towards the game the fans and greater public now have. Baseball, unfortunately, is now stuck with this label; a culture of steroid use that may never be fully escaped from. Nate Silver, a writer for Baseball Prospectus, believes, “the steroids controversy has been vastly overplayed by the media.” This simple fact – the gross over exaggeration and sensationalization of the issue as a whole – is where the ‘Steroid Era’ has left the game today: tarnished, not trusted, and ultimately lacking the prestige that was once there.

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3. Following his suspension, Ramirez had a short Minor League stint to prepare him for his return to the Dodgers lineup, and was met almost exclusively with admiring fans. Conversely, following the release of Game of Shadows and the BALCO case, fans threw a plastic syringe on the field at Barry Bonds as he ran to the dugout in between innings and held up large, taunting signs.  

4. Of course, Manny was met with some backlash, however this was primarily from fans who previously disliked Ramirez, for reasons stemming from rival cities to former teams. There were very few “turns” of fans against the popular slugger.

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