|
By Sara Normand
I’ve got some problems. I’m going to go ahead and vent them to my Sportsrant therapists because I’m sure I could find someone who agrees even just a little.
So on Monday night I’m lying in bed with my laptop on my stomach, ESPN on in the background, and I’m rummaging through my fantasy players’ stats and those of the free agents in my AL-only league. This is my first problem. At the beginning of the year, I thought I was joining a league with both AL and NL players, but apparently the commissioner can change it to however he wants before the draft. And I guess I didn’t get the memo until I had two minutes to draft a player and I couldn’t find Dontrelle Willis’ name. So naturally my whole draft strategy was thrown off and I was scrambling. But my second problem is the fact that I am not a fan of the American League. I would have much rather chosen an NL-only league instead, merely because the pitchers can bat and my own team, the Reds, are in that league. But after spending $40 on sportsline I decided I’d just go along with it for a different experience. Yet I have a problem with the fact that American League managers have it a lot easier because of the designated hitter rule, or what I like to call, the “steroid in disguise” rule. Players turned to steroids for power, which drew in fans and attendance. The DH rule was installed in 1973 similarly to draw more attendance and run production as well, but the DH is less appealing to baseball purists like me. AL managers don’t have to worry about when to pinch-hit for a pitcher, how to do a double-switch, and whether to let a pitcher sacrifice bunt to keep him in the game. Just imagine if the DH were in place in 1927 for pitcher Babe Ruth. His 60 home runs would be sitting on the bench. His career 714 home runs would be ashes because someone would have to bat in his place. We might have not known any Great Bambinos or Sultans of Swat today. I don’t even want to see a career designated hitter get to the Hall of Fame. When did he ever miss time for getting hurt while making a diving grab? The DH needs to go.
My third problem is that ESPN has started to make a huge hullabaloo about something. I put it on mute because my mind is fixed on Brian Roberts’ .190 batting average over his last 14 games (11 for 58) and whether or not I should trade him for pitching. But out of the corner of my eye I noticed two things. One, the word “STEROIDS” and the other, Rafael Palmeiro’s name. So I’m thinking, you gotta be kidding me. I turn the volume back up and believe it or not, Palmeiro was the latest player invited to the 10-game suspension party for steroids. Palmeiro has now also booked himself as the latest player who will now be remembered for this incident instead of what he’s done for the game. Palmeiro rarely got credit for what he did. His 3,000+ hits and 500+ home runs aren’t a big deal. It doesn’t matter if only three players have accomplished that in baseball history. It doesn’t matter if those players were Hall of Famers Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, and Eddie Murray. He shouldn’t even be mentioned in the same sentence as those guys anymore because this is a disgrace. Though I want to be surprised, I’m really not. Steroids became a baseball culture. It doesn’t matter if Palmeiro says he didn’t “knowingly” take steroids. What does “knowingly” mean? Does it mean that he knew he was injected with “something” but he didn’t want to know the specifics of what drug it was, what it would do? Does that mean he knew he was being injected with something illegal but just didn’t want to know what it was called so he could use the term “knowingly”? He’s beating around the bush here, and he lied four months ago before Congress. He lied in the same way that Bill Clinton lied. He lied in the same way that Mark McGwire lied by simply not telling the truth. But nice try, Rafael, by pointing your finger at the judge for emphasis while you were lying. It was a good ploy at the time. Palmeiro could have just lost his ticket to the Hall of Fame. I don’t see the point in taking steroids to have a more productive year and career than the average Joe, but in the end to have not a better legacy but maybe even a worse one than the average Joe because of cheating.
My last problem (for the moment anyway) is that while sports are entering into a new era of contract disputes and steroid suspensions, fantasy sports, especially those keeper leagues where teams have the same players from the year before, are entering into a new era as well. Strategies have started evolving from picking the most consistent player to drafting players who will likely not get suspended for steroids and who will likely not hold out the entire season because they are demanding a more lucrative contract. I sure will not be looking to draft Terrell Owens or Chad Johnson or any of Drew Rosenhaus’ guinea pigs, as they all have threatened with a 2006 holdout or maybe a surprise strike at some point during the season. Instead, I’ll take Muhsin Muhammad or LaDainian Tomlinson. I won’t be keeping Barry Bonds or Jason Giambi. Instead, I’ll take Miguel Tejada or Alex Rodriguez. I don’t care how good you are, but if you’re going to hurt my team by not playing for financial or legal reasons, then there are plenty of other players who would love to take your place on my fantasy team. Though the whole reason for steroids was that it was survival of the fittest in baseball. Ironically, those that are surviving are the smartest.
|
|
|
10 comments - join this discussion...
|
|
|
|
|
|
