Say It Ain't Sosa

We all knew he was on it, but its still a sad day for me and baseball one one of its preeminent sluggers gets named to the PED list. If you live under a rock but have the electronic wherewithal to read this I'm talking about Sammy Sosa.

For all you 'post 1961ers' out there (myself included), you don't know how the nation or world reacted when Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle duked it out daily in the batter's box. I do know that every time I throw in the brilliantly Billy Crystal directed film 61* I get goosebumps. I was 10-years-old when the 'Amazing Home Run Chase' was going on. Not only did it captivate the United States but children everywhere.

Big-Mac and 'Slammin' Sammy were icons, no they were more than that. They were baseball gods. They were single handedly bringing baseball back from the depths of Hell the 1994 strike shortened season left it in. America's Pastime was back and fans were white knuckled with excitement.

But at what price? Feigning to the fans that this race was completely authentic? Being disingenuous to Congress? Tarnishing all of sports' most hallowed records?

To be honest I'm not sure how I feel. I realize that what these players did was immoral but what would you do for a million? 5? 10?

Here's my alpha quandary: Do we allow these players into the Hall of Fame? I have two answers for this, Yes and No.

Yes, if you make it known that they played/were involved in the Steroid Era. Whether that means a new wing built in Cooperstown or specific specification on said players plaque that they were caught or believed to be impure in some semblance of better wording than I just put together. But what does this mean for the players that I deem clean: Griffey Jr., Maddux, Glavine? I don't know. I don't have a guess I don't want to even speculate because they don't deserve to be lumped into the same category.

No, and not so much for reasons so much as for people. Pete Rose (all-time hits leader) and "Shoeless" Joe Jackson (career .356 BA). These two people NEVER did ANYTHING to enhance their performance on the baseball field. Which is what the Hall of Fame criteria should be judged upon. If these guys don't get inducted, either do the dopers, as far as I'm concerned.

My last point is about that goddamn anonymous test from 2003 that continues to leak the names off of it. I try not to use profanity in my blog but I can't get around it on this issue Bud Selig. SHIT OR GET OFF THE POT. Release all the names or shred the document. This is getting ridiculous. I don't care either way but pick an option. Now (rightly so) Sosa will get maligned, slandered, libeled, and lambasted but in fairness to him he doesn't need to be the only scapegoat.

So, you see, it's hard to process your boyhood heroes being a fake (see: Hollywoodland) But I guess that's what life is: Sugar coating the bad so that deep down you think it's good.

Stay Tuned

Ryan