The Mitchell Report. The Mitchell Report on steroid use in baseball came out yesterday, and already we have polls out of Hall of Fame voters and whether they'll vote for anyone named. Of course the biggest questions swirl around Barry Bonds, baseball's greatest hitter, and Roger Clemens, its greatest pitcher. And what I don't understand is, WHY?! For the love of all that's holy, give it a rest already! Steroids or not, these guys deserve to be in the Hall. What's the case against them? They cheated? Assuming for a minute that that's true (the report rests on personal testimony, not the most reliable form of evidence), SO WHAT?! THIS IS BASEBALL! EVERYBODY CHEATS! Pitchers threw juiced balls with their juiced arms to juiced hitters with juiced bats, and the game still got played. In fact, in the court of public opinion, I'd say fans voted with their wallets in attending more games than ever over the past decade, and the verdict is--WE LOVE STEROIDS! We love 100 mph fastballs and monster home-runs, and we don't give a squirt of Yoo-Hoo whether players juice or not. In fact, since baseball pays bigger money to better players, and steroids clearly make players better (if not, then we need to all shut the heck up and pretend not to be so stupidly fixated on this thing), the argument can be made that we the fans actually want players to juice up. Heck, if steroids will guarantee greater viewing pleasure for my favorite players, then of course I want them to juice! And if steroids will give my favorite team a better chance to win, then of course I want their team trainers all have pharmacology degrees!
Listen, am I advocating steroids in sports? Actually no. I'd love nothing more than a pure game with pure athletes. But the reality is that every pro in every sport is looking for every edge he or she can get. Punishing them after their playing careers are over is ridiculous. If they've broken the law, let the government mete out just punishment after a fair trial. If they are caught by the governing bodies of their respective sports, let them be banned form playing. But let's not pretend the games weren't played, the records weren't set, the results weren't recorded in history. I mean, c'mon. Let's say Clemons did juice. Are YOU going to be the one to take the World Series away from the Yankees for cheating? I didn't think so. SO, if by some miracle you happen to be reading this and you happen to be a HOF voter, sit down, shut up, and vote YES. Keeping guys like McGwire, Clemens, Palmiero and Bonds out of the Hall isn't just, but it is stupid. This isn't the first time I've written about 'roids in baseball, I hope it is the last. As a fan, I'm tired of hearing about it, but I have the common sense to know that the best players, regardless of how they got to be the best players, deserve their place among the game's greats.
