Heels On The Field: A Baseball Blog

Say It Or Suffer

Alex Rodriguez did the right thing. Maybe not in 2001-03, but he did the right thing today. Sitting down for a full interview with one of the keepers of baseball's spirit, Peter Gammons, and admitting he was both "stupid" and "selfish" was extremely important in regards to his future. While the longterm effects can't be predicted, it can only help him to be honest about his past steroid use.

He took the Andy Pettitte road, not the Rafael Palmiero road. It is the only road these guys can take now. Secrecy is no longer on their side. People are finding ways of finding out. Close confidantes and teammates are revealing clubhouse truths. And Major League Baseball has opened the flood gates and is now taking names. It's a new era. Adapting is the only way to survive- that's what Alex Rodriguez did today.

Though Rodriguez is going to have to deal with the question of whether his image is tarnished forever (most likely, yes), he did himself and baseball a huge favor. Most importantly was the wording: he identified "the culture", the "everybody's doing it" mentality that went on in earlier days. It's crucial to put that on the table, because Rodriguez is a man among many who used and made to feel it was acceptable.

You may be feeling things can only get worse from here (103 other players anyone?), but it can only get better in many ways. We should not crucify those players, anymore than we crucify Josh Hamilton for his past drug use. We embraced his comeback. And why? Because the drugs he used weren't "performance enhancers"? These are men with terrible problems and their biggest addiction isn't anything they can inject or snort, it's their egos and the culture MLB fosters, allowing them to be arrogant and carefree. It's no longer acceptable. But it's also no reason to cast them out of baseball and say they have no place in it's history.

What we have to do, to steal a line from Rodriguez, is move forward. We must. And maybe we're just starting to figure out how. I have gone on record about how little good I think Jose Canseco did for baseball by revealing what he did (see: personal agenda). I think what Alex Rodriguez did today, did a world of good. Don't hate the player. Reject the culture, wipe the slate clean, blame those who need blaming. And begin again. Afterall, looking forward is at the very core of this game we love so much.

Spring Awareness

Truck Day arrives just as an audio recording possibly incriminating Barry Bonds hits the streets, and it's a real shame. Spring Training is near and baseball beckons. While the issue regarding Bonds is serious, I'd hate to see it damper our baseball spirits.

So how do we teach kids about baseball in this climate, without showing the really dark side?

We could sugarcoat it when asked about Bonds or Mark Mcgwire or Canseco, not to mention the guys who came clean, like Andy Pettitte and (sort of) Jason Giambi. It'd be nice to keep the purity of the game alive for them. It's also, basically, unrealistic. But hopefully, those who've become disenchanted with the game because of all these confessions and cover-ups, don't pass their bitterness on to their kids. We can keep the game alive, in it's purest form, while also facing the reality: drugs have been a part of baseball and many guys have used things to enhance their performance. We can teach them to love baseball, while also teaching them to beware drugs and their consequences. Our disappointments don't have to be theirs. They'll know better. They won't feel fooled.

It's possible to love this game as an adult, as well, even knowing what we do. You have to blur your focus a bit, but in doing that the picture becomes clearer, like one of those trick paintings.

So with this latest Bonds revelation, don't feel gloomy about Spring Training. Baseball season will begin. And you can love it as always.