The fans loves Nelson Cruz in Texas. After serving a 50-game suspension for his role
in the Biogenesis scandal, Rangers fans gave him a standing ovation when he came to the
plate in Monday night's game against Tampa Bay.
They love Marlon Byrd in Pittsburgh. When he was acquired by the Pirates from the Mets
for their post-season run, the fans gave Byrd, who was suspended more than a year for testing
positive for PED's, a standing ovation after he belted a home run in his first game wearing
the black and gold.
They love Jason Giambi in Cleveland. Once a poster boy for steroids and someone who
juiced up to win an MVP and get a $120 million contract, Giambi has been practically
worshipped by Indians fans and his teammates. When he belted a walk-off home run during
the Indians incredible run to the playoffs, Giambi was mobbed by his teammates and given
a standing ovation by the fans.
This just in: Fans don't care really care about steroid-fueled players. As long as those players
help their team win, they could care less who takes a needle in the ass. The media makes
sure that the cheaters wear the scarlet letter for life, but when it comes down to it, nobody
else really gives a hoot.
Nearly every team in the playoffs has players that have been stained in steroid scandals.
Bartolo Colon? Yeah, he got suspended at the end of last year, but the A's re-signed him
and he went 18-6 to help Oakland, which has a tiny payroll win big in AL West. Do you
really think the fans in Oakland care about Colon "tainting" their division title? Hell, no.
Johny Peralta will return to the line-up when Detroit takes the field for the playoffs. He
got outed in the Biogenesis scandal and served a 50-game suspension. If the Tigers go on
to win the World Series, the media will say that the title is "tainted", but do you really think
the Detroit fans, who've been waiting forever for another World Series title, give a flip
about what Peralta did? Yeah, right.
By this point, there have been so many steroid scandals in baseball, fans have become
immune to all the fallout. It's become like the NFL where it's pretty much a given that
everybody outside of quarterbacks and kickers are on something. No defensive lineman
who looks like Arnold Schwarzneggar in his prime and runs a 4.6 forty got that way by
eating steak and eggs for breakfast. Fans don't care. It's a gladiator sport where only the
strong survive.
Thanks to the steroid era in baseball every significant record was shattered by players
juiced up. All the records in the game are meaningless and the fans don't really care about
who is juice up anymore and who is not. And if their team has a player who is and it gives
the team a better chance to win the whole thing, then good for them. It's no skin off the
fans back.
Going back to the late 1980's, nearly every team who won the World Series, from the
Oakland A's to the New York Yankees to the Boston Red Sox, had players who were
on the juice. I've often heard that all the championships those teams have won are "tainted."
People tried to say the same thing about the New England Patriots after the "Spygate"
scandal. Whatever. It's all media driven.
Nobody is tainting a title or taking it away from those who are winning or have won with
players who have cheated.
It professional sports, it's all about winning. For the fans, it always has been and always
will be, no matter who is cheating. And if they are and they can help their team win, the
cheaters will most likely get a standing ovation.
0 comments:
Post a Comment