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CTG Partner
Just a cautionary note for tomorrow's circus...
This report pretty much means nothing!
Why? Many reasons...
First, tomorrow. It'll be a complete and total circus...and with all the talk radio/tv/espn pundits/etc, they'll make it a complete joke with all the over-dramatization. After all, by definition of what they do, they are all drama queens. (The entire media, i mean.) I'd suggest letting the smoke settle a bit tomorrow, digesting all the information, and remembering that this is merely a fraction of the users/cheaters/information.
Second, nothing should be taken as gospel...just because it's either written or spoken. Also, consider the source. Mitchell had basically nothing...before the Mutt's clubhouse guy got busted, and rolled in a plea agreement. So 60-80 players get named...big deal. It was the steroid era, and the large majority of players used something to some extent at one or more points in time during this era...bottom line. The ones that happen to get named tomorrow are only the unlucky ones, who happened to be associated with the criminal that rolled.
What if mostly only NL players get named, because the rat came from the Mutt's clubhouse? Then what about the AL?
What if only players on east coast teams get named? Then what about the west?
Or what if this guy had an axe to grind with someone, and threw him under the bus with the rest getting named as some type of revenge? Like if say Tom Glavine slept with the dude's girlfriend or something?
I know...completely assinine thinking. But considering the source, and his criminal history, nothing's really out of the question...and nothing (in the report, or left off the report) should be taken as gospel.
Basically the only aspect of this report that we can realistically stand behind and believe is pretty much what we already knew. That everyone involved was at fault, at all levels of the game...and that there was indeed a steriod era.
All the rest doesn't matter. Partly because these 60-80 unlucky players are jsut a fraction of the total problem. (See the shit that comes out on Paul Byrd, or some minor leaguer struggling to make it to the bigs. It's everyone...hitters, pitchers, old and young...regardless of size/appearance...regardless of productivity/success...and regardless if it's steroids, HGH, or even amphetimines. There are tons of them. Tomorrow's casualties are jsut the one's associated with this one particular source.)
Now i'm not trying to diminish the fact that there was indeed a major problem...that became the steroid era as we know it...or even that there still may be (is) a big problem. I jsut think the system and this report are both very flawed.
IMO, they should've focused on moving forward...really cleaning up the game, and putting an end to the steroid era. All this report does is dredge up a portion...a portion...of the past. Doesn't solve a thing. Just creates even more drama...just hurts the game, and certain players...while others escape, and nothing really changes. (MLB isn't forced to do anything, &/or change, as a result.)
And after tomorrow...do you really think there'll be another informant to this issue, short of a new bust/plea agreement? This might be it...which would be yet another crime.
Anyways...i'm dreading tomorrow. As a fan of the game, i don't want to see it get hurt...like it most definitely will tomorrow. And i don't think it's right that only a small percentage are gonna get raked over the coals, while others skate free.
IMHO...it was always a level playing field, so i'm ok with jsut leaving it as the steroid era...IF we can move forward from a certain point in time with a clean slate...and a cleaned up game.
Most used something, until proven otherwise. Just look at all who've been caught over the years, and how it runs compeltely scross the board...of positions, age, race, size, producivity, success, etc. There is no more presumed innocent nowadays in baseball, that's jsut how it is...how it became.
So rather than create more drama/problems, by digging up merely a portion of the past (from one main source, who can't be really trusted either)...why not spend the time/energy in fixing the problem instead?
But that's what has unfortunately become the American Way...
Throw money and resources at a problem, just to push it off to another time/generation/etc. That way no one gets too hurt, everyone keeps their jobs, and nothing ever gets solved.
(See social security, health care, immigration, or any other major political issue. Even though this is baseball...it's also very political right now...thus a former Senator being behind this report/partial investigation.)
Oh well...i'll get off my soapbox. It's jsut going to be such a sad day for baseball tomorrow. I guess i'm jsut hoping that people will think for themselves, not overreact or fall into the over-dramatic trap the media will set, and that common sense will prevail (for once) in the end...because this completely blows.
This report pretty much means nothing!
Why? Many reasons...
First, tomorrow. It'll be a complete and total circus...and with all the talk radio/tv/espn pundits/etc, they'll make it a complete joke with all the over-dramatization. After all, by definition of what they do, they are all drama queens. (The entire media, i mean.) I'd suggest letting the smoke settle a bit tomorrow, digesting all the information, and remembering that this is merely a fraction of the users/cheaters/information.
Second, nothing should be taken as gospel...just because it's either written or spoken. Also, consider the source. Mitchell had basically nothing...before the Mutt's clubhouse guy got busted, and rolled in a plea agreement. So 60-80 players get named...big deal. It was the steroid era, and the large majority of players used something to some extent at one or more points in time during this era...bottom line. The ones that happen to get named tomorrow are only the unlucky ones, who happened to be associated with the criminal that rolled.
What if mostly only NL players get named, because the rat came from the Mutt's clubhouse? Then what about the AL?
What if only players on east coast teams get named? Then what about the west?
Or what if this guy had an axe to grind with someone, and threw him under the bus with the rest getting named as some type of revenge? Like if say Tom Glavine slept with the dude's girlfriend or something?
I know...completely assinine thinking. But considering the source, and his criminal history, nothing's really out of the question...and nothing (in the report, or left off the report) should be taken as gospel.
Basically the only aspect of this report that we can realistically stand behind and believe is pretty much what we already knew. That everyone involved was at fault, at all levels of the game...and that there was indeed a steriod era.
All the rest doesn't matter. Partly because these 60-80 unlucky players are jsut a fraction of the total problem. (See the shit that comes out on Paul Byrd, or some minor leaguer struggling to make it to the bigs. It's everyone...hitters, pitchers, old and young...regardless of size/appearance...regardless of productivity/success...and regardless if it's steroids, HGH, or even amphetimines. There are tons of them. Tomorrow's casualties are jsut the one's associated with this one particular source.)
Now i'm not trying to diminish the fact that there was indeed a major problem...that became the steroid era as we know it...or even that there still may be (is) a big problem. I jsut think the system and this report are both very flawed.
IMO, they should've focused on moving forward...really cleaning up the game, and putting an end to the steroid era. All this report does is dredge up a portion...a portion...of the past. Doesn't solve a thing. Just creates even more drama...just hurts the game, and certain players...while others escape, and nothing really changes. (MLB isn't forced to do anything, &/or change, as a result.)
And after tomorrow...do you really think there'll be another informant to this issue, short of a new bust/plea agreement? This might be it...which would be yet another crime.
Anyways...i'm dreading tomorrow. As a fan of the game, i don't want to see it get hurt...like it most definitely will tomorrow. And i don't think it's right that only a small percentage are gonna get raked over the coals, while others skate free.
IMHO...it was always a level playing field, so i'm ok with jsut leaving it as the steroid era...IF we can move forward from a certain point in time with a clean slate...and a cleaned up game.
Most used something, until proven otherwise. Just look at all who've been caught over the years, and how it runs compeltely scross the board...of positions, age, race, size, producivity, success, etc. There is no more presumed innocent nowadays in baseball, that's jsut how it is...how it became.
So rather than create more drama/problems, by digging up merely a portion of the past (from one main source, who can't be really trusted either)...why not spend the time/energy in fixing the problem instead?
But that's what has unfortunately become the American Way...
Throw money and resources at a problem, just to push it off to another time/generation/etc. That way no one gets too hurt, everyone keeps their jobs, and nothing ever gets solved.
(See social security, health care, immigration, or any other major political issue. Even though this is baseball...it's also very political right now...thus a former Senator being behind this report/partial investigation.)
Oh well...i'll get off my soapbox. It's jsut going to be such a sad day for baseball tomorrow. I guess i'm jsut hoping that people will think for themselves, not overreact or fall into the over-dramatic trap the media will set, and that common sense will prevail (for once) in the end...because this completely blows.
