So Sammy Sosa is on the list of those who were caught cheating back when they knew they might get tested. Another victory for the player's union! Way to protect your guys!
But really, the saddest part is that nobody is surprised. And if you think Sammy was likable even back then, there are those who beg to differ.
And remember back in 2002 when Rick Reilly approached Sammy and tried to take him up on his offer that he'd be "the first one in line" to take drug tests if and when it ever came to pass? And how Sammy got all mad at Reilly? (Also, can someone explain to me how Reilly zeroing in on Sosa like this in 2002 was acceptable and yet when a blogger questions Raul Ibanez' whacko stats at age 37 in 2009 he's in the wrong? Shut up, Ken Rosenthal.)
Howard Bryant is one of many who has a sanctimonious column up today that's actually a good read, but still... come on, mainstream media. You've all been complicit in this and just as we all (kind of) agree that the whole era of baseball is tainted by PEDs, I'd have to argue that the whole era of sportswriting is tainted by a-holes like Mike Lupica sitting around lionizing guys who were obviously cheating. And yet they still write articles about how we've all been betrayed. Get off our side of the line, sportswriters -- you're over there with the players. You had access to locker rooms, you heard the whispers, etc. But you feared if you dared comment on it, you'd be expelled from the boy's club and your access would go away. And it probably would have. But that doesn't change the fact that mainstream media missed the boat -- COMPLETELY -- and probably hastened the success, power and acceptance of sports blogs. Chew on that.
And not to quote myself, but I am fairly awesome, as you know... but here's what I said in late 2007 about this topic:
"Unfortunately, I think we're all going to be talking about steroids and other illegal performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) for a while now ... And all the sanctimonious pricks like Mike Lupica who slurped at the altar of McGwire and Sosa back in '98 and then acted all shocked when it turned out they were doped up enough to kill a horse will write condemning articles about baseball players and the sanctity of the game."
So as it turns out, Sammy was a cheater, and he was a liar. When he was caught corking his bat, he quickly did both -- cheated with the cork and lied that it was his... batting practice bat? Seriously, and people sort of wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Add Sammy to the list of known cheaters. And if baseball had any sense, they'd somehow hasten the release of the remaining names on this not-so-anonymous list. I used to think they shouldn't be released because, hey, it was supposed to be anonymous. But that horse has left the barn. In fact, that horse has left the barn, crossed the pasture and his ass his rapidly disappearing over the horizon. Those names are going to come out, one way or another. Obviously, someone has access to them and they're going to be leaked at interesting times. I almost wonder if Sammy's remarks just two weeks ago about his wholesomeness pissed someone off who had the names. Point is, the names should be released, or we're just going to keep hearing about them. Let's just hear 'em all and move on. Oh, and who would shock you at this point? Jeter? Ichiro? Griffey?
In the end, this was a mess that baseball and mainstream media helped create. Everyone was complicit in this, including fans. However, fans questioned much, much more than those who had access questioned -- you just couldn't hear them because blogs weren't much in the late '90s and early '00s. So today we're left with really no way to fix things. Some clowns suggest you eradicate records from the record books. Hall of Fame voters -- yes, those same sportswriters who put Mac and Sosa on the cover of SI in togas -- will be pissy and not let in the current/next crop of suspected/confirmed cheaters. And then there are those who just chalk it up to an "era" and leave it at that. There's no good solution -- baseball is forever changed and not in a good way.
Thanks for "saving" the game, Sammy.