Although the suspicion has been around for decades, the recent insurgence of the baseball steroid dialog bubbled during the Sosa/McGwire homerun battle and continues to steam today. That groundbreaking Sosa/McGwire race was preceded by an overall inflation of offensive power numbers in baseball, like when Brady Anderson was in the homerun derby - a former lead off hitter for the O's. But offense and excitement was welcomed in post-strike baseball. After the single season homerun record fell, the floodgates opened - an arms race. At climax, Barry Bonds boggled minds with an offensive presence that is unforgettable. And quietly a young shortstop from Miami became arguably the greatest offensive player in baseball history, in a very short period of time. These are only some of the figure-heads of the general steroid paranoia. Many other beautiful and amazing things happened in baseball during this time, which beckons the ethical dilemma.
I'm saddened. From personal experience, I dedicated a good 15-20 years learning this game and understanding it's philosophy. That philosophy evolved in recent decades and I experienced that evolution first hand. I didn't go with the flow. As with most things in my life, I appreciate integrity and originality, organics, and pureness of form and intellectualism. I always appreciated players like Tony Gwynn, Cal Ripken, and Greg Maddux, where grace and discipline were celebrated over brute force. There is something to be said about the beauty of a Bonds and McGwire homerun because yes, these two guys have the purest of the pure of swings. However, their crescendo signaled standards that are only attainable through substance.
Can we return to Ty Cobb? Do we want to? Is baseball evolving? Does it mirror American inflated life in general? Do we hate the cheaters? Do we forget, forgive, or say fuck you?
7 comments:
My initial thoughts of the steroid era come two fold. Firstly I feel that as tainted as many of the players in that era were that the eras records should stand. In the 60's players played while on "greenies" and other various forms of speed pills. Before Jackie Robinson it was a whites only sport so many of the games greats were kept out of competition. And around the turn of the century there was the dead ball era where pitchers were throwing balls so coated with dirt that they wouldn't even fly straight. So it seems as if each era has it's flaws. Roided up hitters may have been jacking balls out of the ballpark but they were jacking them off of pitchers jacked up on roids.
But with all that said I feel as if it has made the numbers of the clean players (or who we think are the clean players at least) look even more impressive. Ken Griffey's 600 homeruns look pretty goddamned awesome when you factor in the era he hit them in. And it makes Greg Maddux look like more of a pitching god than even before.
I also feel that coming out of this long ball era the game has reverted back to some of the technique that makes baseball so great. Managers trying to manufacture runs, players stretching out doubles, taking out the second baseman on a double play, ect...
Some of my favorite baseball players: Babe Ruth, Ricky Henderson, Nolan Ryan, Barry Bonds, Sid Vicious, and Steve Avery.
I somewhat believe in the evolution of the game. Ebbs and Flows. Swings and Misses. Some credit is to be given to the 'roidsters. They fucking took it to the next level. Technically speaking, Barry Bonds only hit the ball HARDER as he got OLDER! Does that make any fucking sense at all? Of course not, Barry; I wasn't fooled... Thank you for the show.
NOW BACK TO WORK
Ideally I'd like for everyone to get off the juice and PLAY BALL, but alas... Every human being is evolving whether we like it or not. I remember having the childhood conversation, "Man, I wish I was one of the first people to have played basseball. I would be a pro by default. Damn, I'm soooo good at baseball..." Who wasn't?
I don't understand the argument against steroids in baseball. As if there's anything natural about working out 5 hours a day, every day to begin with.
I was reading about Ray Kurzweil in the new Rolling Stone. He predicts that by the year 2045 all human beings will have microscopic nanobots working inside them that will be able to repair muscle, record and store memories, and enhance performance in other areas. If that future arrives, will anyone and everyone have the strength and athleticism needed to be a competitive sportsman, effectively making all sports primarily mental exercises?
I do think it's shameful that the New York Post had a picture of A Rod on the cover, with the words A-HOLE plastered across his face. He broke a law 8 years ago, didn't hurt anyone in the process, but now gets to be publicly humiliated for our entertainment. Makes me think for the first time that he, at least, earns his paycheck.
AND ANOTHER THING,
I was just reading up on Ty Cobb, because all I know about him is from a few scenes of a Tommy Lee Jones movie I saw on TV once. He was a fucking prick.
"Cobb once slapped a black elevator operator for being "uppity." When a black night watchman intervened, Cobb pulled out a knife and stabbed him. The matter was later settled out of court."
I wonder what percentage of professional athletes are just real nasty, hurtful, millionaire pricks?
The flashbulb lights have been shining on olympiads and the curtains have been lifted on the professional athletes and celebrities as of late; politicians too...and isn't it great? Hopefully we the American public can finally acknowledge these actions and misactions as commonplace (I bet Abraham Lincoln even got sick of being called Honest Abe) and that we may be more understanding and tolerable like Fred Rogers.
What is it with maintainting this manipulative squeaky clean image and apologizing to the world? Get the fuck over yourself.
If your kid starts to hang up posters and/or develop an interest in a certain athlete/celebrity, wouldn't it make sense for their caretaker to take time to find out why and make sure they know the difference between a role model and a model?
Does my sparkling clean house not count because I took amphetamine salts and cleaned it in 4 minutes? Think about how you managed to get where you are at as you sip your coffee and lie to yourself.
The interesting thing is...and I do completely agree with Lucas on this one...but the interesting is it's completely unnecessary. The beauty of the game stands beyond and aside from substance abuse. Granted, they do go hand and hand in some gut-check reality world, but the game exists without steroids and can be played, fuck, mastered without them. This is why a respect Ty Cobb. Obviously he has personal issues as well.
Post a Comment