The Sad State of Baseball
February 7th, 2013 | by Ray Flowers |
I hate this entire performance enhancing drugs mess in baseball. This story just won’t die. It seems like on an almost daily basis there is some new revelation about a player, or group of players, who alleged cheated. I’ve resisted writing about the topic for the most part, I feel almost like it’s beneath me to get down into the gutter with all of this mess, but alas, the story just won’t go away. So something I never do here at BaseballGuys.com – I’m actually going to write an editorial with little relevance, at least directly, to the world of fantasy sports.
Some bullet point thoughts on the whole disaster.
1 – If any player cheated shame on them. They’ve brought shame on themselves, their families, their teams and the fans that support them. If a player cheated, and it can be proven, they should be punished. Period.
2 – The key phrase of the previous statement is “proven.” In this society we rush to judgment so quickly. We want the news immediately. We get annoyed if we have to wait in line for three minutes to get out coffee or if a web page takes nine seconds to load. Instant gratification is the key term for today. That being said, we also seem want to accept every story as truth. Take the recent PED accusations coming out of Florida. It seems that we have grown so weary of the entire PED mess, especially on the heels of the recent admission by Lance Armstrong that he did indeed take banned substances after years of violently defending himself against such accusations, that we’re willing to exceptany story at face value. I’m not saying the recent reports from Florida aren’t accurate. I’ve got no way of knowing whether they are or aren’t. But I will tell you that we’ve all been fooled before. Ever heard of the Piltdown Man? How about the singing group Milli Vanilli? And I don’t even know what to say about the whole Manti Te’o situation. The point is that there are plenty of times when the public has accepted a story without knowing the truth. Let’s be careful not to do that again here. Let’s give the process time to unravel the mystery and get to the truth of the matter.
3 – What is the evidence against the players recently implicated? A series of documents from a clinic in Florida. I’m not saying they are fraudulent or fabricated, but has anyone ever written down something that wasn’t true? We’ve all done that. Isn’t Wall Street filled with people who make claims that simply aren’t true (Bernard Madoff famously fooled everyone with a Ponzi scheme in which he apparently defrauded people of nearly $65 billion dollars). Just because a source reports something “officially” doesn’t make it so. Do we believe the evidence form Florida in regards to the list of players that continues to seemingly increase by the hour?
4 – Even if the documents are authentic, what does that prove? That’s the whole problem with this entire situation in major league baseball. We’re talking about things that happened years ago in many cases. There’s no medical proof of any of this. No drug tests. No blood tests. No urine tests. There is no direct proof of any of it. TO BE CLEAR, I’m not saying we should indemnify players of responsibility here, I’m merely pointing out that there is no direct link to players in the majority of these cases except in testimony from shady characters and in documents that may or may not represent reality. And this is the biggest quandary in sports at the moment in relation to the PED mess. We’re trying to prove something that we can’t prove. I have no idea if Ryan Braun took PEDs two years ago. With this being the second time in two years that his name has surfaced in connection to alleged cheating his window for support continues to narrow, but where is the proof that stands up in court? I just don’t see it. Until we have that we can be skeptical of any player linked at all to any of this, including Braun, but are you really ready to turn your back on a player merely because of an accusation that hasn’t been proven.
Have you ever been arrested or detained by the police for something you didn’t do? Have you ever been accused of lying by your boss when you weren’t? Has a significant other ever thought you were messing around with an ex of yours when you weren’t? We’ve all been accused of things that aren’t true.
I’m not going to say that players are innocent. In my heart of hearts I know they aren’t. I know it. But the fact is that so much of what we accept as truth in the sports world of late isn’t provable. It’s the old he said/she said thing with two sides offering totally different reasons for what occurred (Braun’s team says they are in the records of the Miami medical clinic because they were using the clinic as paid consultants when Braun was fighting his positive test prior to last season and that it has nothing to do with him purchasing drugs from the clinic). Will time allow us to resovle this issue? Will we ever get clarity on some of these matters? I fear we won’t for many. Let’s just hope that MLB finds a better way to test players so that we can put an end to the mess that I fear will engulf the game to the point that it will tarnish everything positive that has happened on the field. That would be an utter shame.
* Don’t forget to get your copy of the 2013 BaseballGuys Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide which is now available. Nearly 150 pages of insight to help you dominate the competition in 2013. At this point, I’m not downgraded guys like Gio Gonzalez, Jesus Montero, Nelson Cruz and Braun, not until we get more clarity with what is going on.
Tags: Gio Gonzalez, Jesus Montero, Lance Armstrong, Nelson Cruz, Ryan Braun
By Joe M on Feb 7, 2013
I personally don’t believe that players should be punished in cases where they have some kind of proof that the player once may have possibly used any phd’s. Though I do believe this should and will affect their HOF chances. The only way a player should be punished for PHD’s is with a current positive test result. Maybe it’s time to make a 1 strike you’re out for a full season and two strikes you’re out of baseball and your record wiped clean, if it would be that strict i’m pretty certain players would be extra extra extra careful with any kind of supplements they take.
I completely agree that backtracking what a player may have taken in the past should not affect his current status (only his possible future status with the HOF)
By Joe M on Feb 7, 2013
Hey Ray
I’m sure the closer convo will come up soon, I also assume you have this info in your guide (which is amazing this year) just didn’t finish it yet. But last year I kicked major butt with going after the good arms rather than going after starting closers like you suggested. Last year for me it was Romo, Chapman, Jensen, and Pestano to go along with the lone starting closer I drafted Jason Motte (also picked some up along the way like Frier).
Who are the middlemen arms you like this year that currently do not the starting closer role?
Thanks
Joe
By Ray Flowers on Feb 7, 2013
Joe M – The Guide has a four page article titled “Middle Reliever You Need to Know.” It speaks exactly to what you are asking about. There are also the “10 Questions” piece about relievers, as well as the “Pitching Targets” piece you can look at. Plus, the rankings themselves have a few players in bold that I like as well.
By Joe M on Feb 7, 2013
Found it, Awesome. For me these are some of the real steals of the draft to not have to waste earlier valuable picks on closers
Thanks
By Dave on Feb 7, 2013
I think it would be a negative for the game for MLB to go back and suspend players just for having their name on these pieces of paper. As Ray points out, when were these PED’s consumed (if at all in regards to these particular players) they didn’t fail a test, and to me that’s just opening a large can of worms that really only skirts the issue. I also agree with Joe that the first positive test needs to be more than 50 games. 50 games for a guy making league minimum is a decent financial hit sure, but for a guy making 3 million, 8, 14, whatever the number, it’s a nice vacation. Sure his name is forever linked to PED’s and he can kiss the HOF good bye, but for some players/human beings, that’s not why they’re playing baseball in the first place. We’re talking about generational money at stake, and some people will do whatever it takes to get their hands on some of that pie. If you make the first positive a year suspension that hurts a little more and like Joe mentioned (as well as some players) the 2nd positive test needs to be a “life time ban” with reconsideration for reinstatement after “X” number of years.
Unfortunately a lot of writers I like and read regularly feel that PED’s should just be allowed and everyone should be allowed to take them. They go as far as to ridicule people who don’t agree with them, which is sad to me since baseball is supposed to be fun, and is the greatest game in my opinion. Just depressing to see people who get paid to write about the sport being negative towards its fans for wanting the game to be as clean as possible.
Anyways, I typed way more than I thought I would on this subject ha.
Positive thought time: ESPN and Yahoo are now both open for 2013 fantasy.
Thanks for the Joe Blanton link today Ray. Someone I am hoping to slip by some owners in my AL Keeper.
By Joe M on Feb 7, 2013
@Dave
I’ve thought about that question myself of why doesn’t MLB just allow PED’s. If you think back to the Sosa, McGuire, Bonds etc. era. I think people in general were very upset and down with baseball in 95 with the strike, and no better way to bring MLB back with guys hitting 500 foot bombs and breaking records while making it look easy. MLB in a strange way owes those guys big time.
I myself am a purist and for 2 reasons I am glad ped’s arent allowed.
1- Baseball is a past time of people’s heroes and legends, they defined the game. They’re the guys we compare players to. They did not use ped’s and their records are being taken away by people that are. This is not fair for them and the history of the game.
2- For the kids. I remember growing up in the 80′s throwing the ball off the brick wall behind my house, trying to give myself short hops and scoop them up thinking and wishing I was Don Mattingly. Kids really look up to these guys and shouldn’t be thinking you need to take anything to be like them. Baseball is all about the kids (and fantasy of course) and the way it makes us feel like kids.
By costaricanchata on Feb 8, 2013
milli vanilli ?? haha .
i suppose that if you listened to them in the 1st place , you’d buy into the argument that baseball’s cheaters won’t get elected into the HOF .
brooklyn bridge for sale .
also , arizona beach-front property .
nice article , Ray .
By Tom on Feb 8, 2013
Ray, the snow has started falling, I open my email and see this year’s guide. It’ s like Christmas morning all over again. Thanks for the guide again this year. To anyone on the fence… GET IT!!!
By Dave on Feb 8, 2013
@ Joe
I completely agree that kids look up to these players. I hear people argue that it’s parents fault for letting their kids idolize these figures and they shouldn’t be role models for their children. As a parent it’s not that I push my son to idolize a baseball player and to think they’re the greatest human beings on the earth or tell him to do what they do, but as any true baseball fan knows, you naturally want to be like a big leaguer from a very early age. There’s a reason I practiced my Ken Griffey Jr swing hundreds of times daily growing up.
Personally for me, I find the whole PED issue as a teaching point for my child as well. Not only is it a way to teach him about stats, trends, looking for outlier type seasons, but life in general and how some people will always look for a way to get a leg up on everyone else to climb to the top. Even though I would like tougher penalties for players who get caught, the system in place now at least catches a decent amount of players and proves why a Melky type hitter had the season (or possible seasons, if you think he was on them during his KC year). Ron Shandler’s work has really opened my eyes to just look at trends and ask why? Example: Why are we seeing such dominant relief efforts?
Anyways, good chat. Not fantasy related, but I am glad we can have a talk about an issue like this without putting down people who don’t agree with our particular view point. There isn’t a “right answer” and we’ll see where this goes.
By Joe M on Feb 8, 2013
Griffey’s swing makes me smile
By Bobby on Feb 8, 2013
Very well said Ray. i cant wait for baseball to start. I enjoy your work on the Drive.
By Tim on Feb 8, 2013
What is so frustrating about baseball isnt who we catch and who we dont, but that its so hard to equate those we do catch.
I remember during the holidays of 2005, I was driving around and Steve Finley, who had just been acquired by the Giants was being interviewed on our local sports station and he was talking about a change in his workout routine, he had a breakthrough when he started working out with Marv Marinovich (Todd’s dad) which focused all on core training, flexibility, etc (very little weight lifting and none heavy). Finley made a transformation from a single digit low double digit HR guy to a guy who hit 28-35HR in a 4 out of 5 year stretch. Presumably, PED free, but with a new workout routine.
So what is so bothersome about many of these guys is that their likely switch to PED also includes a new workout routine, and we dont know is the production a result of the PED or the new routine? We have seen Steve Finley jump HR totals 200-300% with a new routine.
Why not these guys?
A guy like Melky Cabrera, to look at him in Atlanta you know he wasnt living in the gym, get to KC and SF, body is transformed, he puts up monster years, he is also caught for PED. Was it the new workout routine and commitment or was it the PED? We will never know. And that is the frustrating part, especially when trying to equate performance for these guys.
By steve on Feb 8, 2013
look at this poor grasp of the english language
“there is no direct link to players in the majority of these cases accept in testimony from shady characters”
ACCEPT??? REALLY? try EXCEPT LOL
not even close to the right word
fire your editor ray
By Ray Flowers on Feb 9, 2013
Steve – Well have a happy day yourself.
By Dave on Feb 9, 2013
911-Grammar-Police.
*Bangs head on wall Emoticon*