How
fitting that Alex Rodriguez should start his season at the Cell. After all, the Black Sox played just across
the street from where A-Rod held his press conference.
Personally,
I think Rodriguez is guilty of using PEDs and should receive stiff
punishment. All I ask is that due
process is respected. The “best interests
of baseball” authority of the commissioner shouldn’t be invoked; it’s a relic
of the 1920s, an era not known for fairness.
There’s a procedure in place for disciplining players, so use it. If Rodriguez wins, let that be the punishment
owners deserve for looking the other way when their players started doping.
I’ve
got no dog in this fight, as the saying goes.
Owners and players do what they do, expecting fans to follow along, damn’
the ticket prices (and parking and concessions…). Unfortunately, somebody has to own a team and
somebody has to play on it for the magic to happen. It would be nice if both sides could at least
go through the motions of wanting a relatively clean sport. And maybe they will.
White
Sox fans were hard on Rodriguez all night while a large New York contingent
sounded moderately supportive. Player
scandals bring out the worst in fans. If
the home team employs Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa or Barry Bonds, fans are blind
to the obvious. When the home team hits
the road, other fans will bait players to the point of obscenity and
beyond. A little humility is in order, I
think. Before they boo too much, Chicago
fans would do well to remember that seven of the Black Sox did cheat. (Their getting due process is another story.) And no self-respecting citizenry should ever have
cheered Dennis Rodman, not even once.
As for New York, you guys are stuck
with A-Rod. Welcome to your perpetual
hair shirt.
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