Today, George Will has an excellent commentary on the steroid "scandal" is dead on. I don't always agree with Will's politics, but no can argue against the elegance of his prose and his love of The Game. Money quote:
"Athletes chemically propelled to victory do not merely overvalue winning, they misunderstand why winning is properly valued. Professional athletes stand at an apex of achievement because they have paid a price in disciplined exertion -- a manifestation of good character. They should try to perform unusually well. But not unnaturally well. Drugs that make sport exotic drain it of its exemplary power by making it a display of chemistry rather than character -- actually, a display of chemistry and bad character."
Like vaseline on the cap and corked bats, steroid use is cheating. Where are the pundits who crucified Pete Rose for betting on baseball? Should Bonds, Giambi, Sheffield, et al be banned for life? It is hard for me to see a difference between Pete Rose and the 'Roid Boys.
Of course, it won't happen. Pete Rose did not have a players' union at his side. He had set his record already, his impact on the game, if not recognized by the HoF, will still be remembered by any fan of baseball. Bonds, with 703 home runs, is too close to the record to throw the book at him. The symbol that Bud Selig cares about is not the "*", but the "$." Make no mistake, the countdown to 755 will be a big money maker for the sports machine. (And, with eBay, some lucky fans who can snag the right home run balls.)
George Will is right, baseball is about character and that character is Benjamin Franklin. The more of that character you get, the better.
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