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The Time of the singing of birds is come
After a week of news that ranged from utterly depressing to downright infuriating, it is with a pointedly American brand of optimism that I turn my attention to Lakeland, Florida, where Spring Training officially started for the Tigers today.
It is not only the eternal optimism of a sports fan; the conviction that this year will be successful, even if last season, or even a century’s worth of seasons, was a disappointment. That this year, your team will stay healthy and achieve at the level they’re capable of. No, it’s not just that. Not this year.
This year, the words that Ernie Harwell recited at each of his over forty opening Spring Training games seem a little more poignant:
For, lo, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the dove is heard on our land. (Song of Solomon 2:11-12)
Mr. Harwell was referring to a season without baseball, but I’m hoping that this year the winter that passes is not about improving weather, but about restoring integrity. Hopefully, the latest developments in the various steroid scandals will teach young players that if you cheat, you will get caught. Perhaps the management of the league and the teams will realize that they can no longer turn a blind eye in the interest of profit. Maybe we will be able say, happily, that an era has come to an end. That excellence will be bred from talent and skill. That players will once again be role models to our children; they’ll understand that they have a responsibility.
My hope is that we can enjoy baseball this season without squinting suspiciously at every player that excels. Yes, we should be optimistic that our game can recover. We should believe that people can be great and honest at the same time. We should cheer, sing, jump, laugh and cry. We should act like idiots in ecstasy. We should not forget that our game, like our country , can change, grow, heal, and flourish again. We should never lose hope.
So, as A-Rod prepares to attempt to win back the trust of his fans and Barry Bonds prepares for trial, we prepare for the 2009 Major League Baseball season. We prepare to look to the future.
Because that, my friends, is what we do.
Innocent Until Bud Says So
Now I know why they pay him so much. Apparently 18.5 million dollars a year makes you judge, jury and executioner. Bud Selig mentioned this afternoon that he was contemplating disciplinary action against A-Rod (I will not say A-roid, I will not say A-roid), given that, though MLB had not actually made it against the rules to use steroids yet (hey, give them a break, it only took them 10 or 15 years to acknowledge the problem) it was against the law. Never mind that Rodriguez’s name was leaked off a list that was supposed to be confidential. Never mind that the tests were to determine how many players were using in order to determine whether there should be a punishment at all. He apparently doesn’t care about any of that. He needs to do something to make it seem like he actually cares about the health of the players or the integrity of the game, so why not discipline A-Rod for something he did 6 years ago when it wasn’t against the rules? Oh, and in this same article, Ole Buddy also mentioned casually that he was thinking of reinstating Hank Aaron as the all-time Home Run leader.
What?
Last time I checked, Bonds had not been convicted of any crime. He had also not admitted to
using performance enhancing drugs. Don’t get me wrong. I believe whole-heartedly that Barry Bonds used steroids and frankly, I don’t think he would’ve surpassed Hammerin’ Hank without them, but there’s no way to prove that. He hasn’t been proven guilty in a court of law and last time I checked, in America one is innocent until proven guilty. Not only would erasing Bonds’ records probably cause rioting in San Francisco, it could very well lead to a Players’ strike. The MLBPA is already crying collusion since a man who broke the most coveted record in the game couldn’t get a job the very next season and I hate to think what would happen if they started striking records from the books.
That would be wonderful for the game, right, Buddy?
And what about Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa? After all, their fight over the single season home run record practically saved baseball after the 1994 strike. They were most likely juiced out of their minds, but it hasn’t been proven. But who needs proof? Does that mean that 61 is the number to beat?
This sounds an awful lot like Selig trying desperately to cover his own ***. The use of Steroids in baseball has been a problem for a very long time; there were half-arsed measures to curtail the problem in ’91 and ’97. You know, to curtail the problem that they didn’t know about until the testing took place in 2003. Right. Meanwhile, Goodyear blimps were playing the game and breaking records left and right. Fact is, Selig has grown fat off of the use of steroids in baseball and the only reason that he’s so “shocked” and “saddened” now is because his bluff has been called, perhaps even more than A-Rod’s. Now he’s trying to use a knee jerk over correction which will only continue the damage he’s already done to the game.
I’m really, really glad this guy isn’t the President. He makes George W. Bush look capable.
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