McClelland is wrong: Past steroid users deserve harsh punishment
Manny Ramirez disagreed with McClelland on a bad call, while I disagree with him on the serious issue of steroids.
Major League Baseball Umpire Tim McClelland has the right to an opinion on steroid use, but his was inexplicable. The veteran umpire, who is known for his deliberate slowness in calling balls and strikes, said on Dan Patrick’s radio show that those who took steroids should not be punished. He doesn’t consider steroids a unethical offense nor an act of cheating. Though scuffing a baseball, throwing spit balls, or grooving a bat is illegal, they should not be compared, as McClelland does, to something as serious as steroids.
McClelland also said that Alex Rodriguez is not a cheater “because he did this before steroids were illegal in baseball.” McClelland is right in the sense that Rodriguez’s usage was legal at the time, but the Yankees star should not be let off the hook simply based on this fact. The umpire followed by saying that he “can’t chastise somebody trying to make themselves better.” Why not? Since when has relying on a hard work ethic not been enough?
For the first 100 years of the sport, players played because of their undying love of the game, and are hallowed and respected for their efforts. Baseball was a sport of grace, but once drugs were introduced in the late 80′s and early 90′s, the game turned dirty. It was no longer about the “thrill of the grass” (as W.P. Kinsella once wrote), nor about the grace, elegance, and mind games between teams. The term ‘performance-enhancing’ once meant hot dogs and beer, but transitioned into Human Growth Hormone and anabolic steroids.
Now, there is a dark cloud over baseball, a cloud that could’ve easily been averted with fewer opinions like McClelland’s. If Rodriguez is not a cheater, than who is? If he wasn’t, then his steroid use wouldn’t be a big story. If it wasn’t a big deal, then why was Miguel Tejada compelled to lie in front of Congress? Why are Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens in the middle of messy court battles, and Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmiero, and Sammy Sosa’s career accomplishments completely tarnished? This is what McClelland doesn’t understand. It was the era, yes, but it had such a negative effect that it continues to take the joy out of an otherwise magnificent game.
As Dan Patrick said, “you can’t go to prison for scuffing balls.” But, if there is some justice, those who are deserving may go there for steroid use.
