Steroids, baseball and children
Today the Mitchell Report on Steroids in Baseball was released, inlcuding names of many of the most accomplished players of the last two decades. McGuire, Bonds, Roger C, and countless others were cited as having taken advantage of the quick edge in the use of Steroids and Human Growth Hormones...SO WHAT? Why should we care, and what is wrong with this edge verse using contact lenses, or just lifting weights?
Consider the lunacy to compare Drug Use to gain an advantage, that is harmful to the person, but provides a competitive edge with the commonalities of lifting weights, contact lenses or sun glasses. Silly, stupid and hardly worth of a response, but they will come in droves. Suffice it to say, they are not comparable and are not harmfull to the individual.
Well, Integrity comes to mind, Fairness comes to mind and Health comes to mind, along with Right and Wrong...oh and the kids.
First, Ingrity is the key to long term success. Once lost it will be difficult to gain back. Baseball and statistics have been an inseparable element of joy to millions. Being able to compare Ruth, to Mays to Whomever has been the basis of a great amount of love for the game. Comparing Cy Young with Bob Gibson or Koufax with Carlton has been the fodder over beer and coffee tables for decades...today it is lost. Hopefully not for good.
The Intgrity of the game goes to the value of the records, but not this alone. It goes to the veracity of honesty of competition and the value of effort over drugs.
The Culture of Corruption and Relativity that lives by the creed--'Whatever it takes' diminishes not only the games we play and watch but the values we draw from it.
We have not grown up to beleive in the Americana belief of Baseball as the All-American Game to have it so carelessly and cavalierly maligned by those who seek only personal glory.
Second, Fairness is a consideration. We enter the field of play, whether in T-ball, High School or the Pro's with a basic belief that we come with our shoes, gloves, bats and balls, along with our natural and practiced ability. Today, we cannot be sure that is all that is brought to the playing fields.
The lessons of youth include competition and these have been a building block of our society, or why does it(baseball and sports) belong in our Public School System. If Fairness and Integrity are not cornerstones of our Character Education, why is that we allow for Public Education to use presious funds on Sports, and baseball in particular.
Third, Health is a consideration in this matter. Perhaps the most import issue legal-wise for the League. Consider for a moment if the role of pressure placed upon the player by Management surfaced. The Players would rightfully have the argument that 'undue influence and pressure' has been exerted by Management to use preformance enhancing drugs to acheive franchise goals, placing and putting the players at risk.
This may or may not have occured, but the league needs and needed to address the Steroid/HGH issue for no other reason than to protect the individual teams and league, as awhole, from removing this potential threat to the Health of the players, and the game.
The Health of the player is a crucial consideration by the employer. Consider a Steel Mill allowing employees to not wear helmuts so they can be more productive, it is crazy.
In Baseball, when we look at contracts of 10 years 275 million is some extreme circumstances, isn't it an important consideration to view the health of the player.
But also consider the impact on the Youth and the reality of idol worship. Kids will wear there uniform number, the type of shoes Jordan wore, and would likely include the type of preformance enhancing drugs they use to hit 700 plus homeruns or 5500 plus stikeouts.
Fouth, Right and Wrong...This may be too obvious to have to discuss, but listening to the cadre of journalists and apologists for the conduct of players and the import of the usage, it has to be stated.
Life is not about doing whatever it takes to win or succeed. It is to do whatever is rightful and just to do to succeed and win. This lesson has been lost in much of our Character Education. Whether it is Bill Billicek, Bill Romanoski or Barry Bonds, they do all of us as parents and intermural coaches a disservice by living the me-first and win at all costs mentality.
Competition teaches kids, youth and adults a valuable life lesson---you will win and you will lose, but what matters is doing your best, or as a friend of mine likes to say, "Finish Strong", in all that you do!
Lastly, Baseball is just as cupable as the players who took these enhancing drugs and hormones. Far more inportant than gambling, this is an issue that challenges the believality of the game as an institution. Gambling cannot change a players abilities, only his input to results.
Let us hope this begins the National Healing and Cleansing of the Great American Game. I understand that Apple Pie is under scrutiny for its fat content.
Consider the lunacy to compare Drug Use to gain an advantage, that is harmful to the person, but provides a competitive edge with the commonalities of lifting weights, contact lenses or sun glasses. Silly, stupid and hardly worth of a response, but they will come in droves. Suffice it to say, they are not comparable and are not harmfull to the individual.
Well, Integrity comes to mind, Fairness comes to mind and Health comes to mind, along with Right and Wrong...oh and the kids.
First, Ingrity is the key to long term success. Once lost it will be difficult to gain back. Baseball and statistics have been an inseparable element of joy to millions. Being able to compare Ruth, to Mays to Whomever has been the basis of a great amount of love for the game. Comparing Cy Young with Bob Gibson or Koufax with Carlton has been the fodder over beer and coffee tables for decades...today it is lost. Hopefully not for good.
The Intgrity of the game goes to the value of the records, but not this alone. It goes to the veracity of honesty of competition and the value of effort over drugs.
The Culture of Corruption and Relativity that lives by the creed--'Whatever it takes' diminishes not only the games we play and watch but the values we draw from it.
We have not grown up to beleive in the Americana belief of Baseball as the All-American Game to have it so carelessly and cavalierly maligned by those who seek only personal glory.
Second, Fairness is a consideration. We enter the field of play, whether in T-ball, High School or the Pro's with a basic belief that we come with our shoes, gloves, bats and balls, along with our natural and practiced ability. Today, we cannot be sure that is all that is brought to the playing fields.
The lessons of youth include competition and these have been a building block of our society, or why does it(baseball and sports) belong in our Public School System. If Fairness and Integrity are not cornerstones of our Character Education, why is that we allow for Public Education to use presious funds on Sports, and baseball in particular.
Third, Health is a consideration in this matter. Perhaps the most import issue legal-wise for the League. Consider for a moment if the role of pressure placed upon the player by Management surfaced. The Players would rightfully have the argument that 'undue influence and pressure' has been exerted by Management to use preformance enhancing drugs to acheive franchise goals, placing and putting the players at risk.
This may or may not have occured, but the league needs and needed to address the Steroid/HGH issue for no other reason than to protect the individual teams and league, as awhole, from removing this potential threat to the Health of the players, and the game.
The Health of the player is a crucial consideration by the employer. Consider a Steel Mill allowing employees to not wear helmuts so they can be more productive, it is crazy.
In Baseball, when we look at contracts of 10 years 275 million is some extreme circumstances, isn't it an important consideration to view the health of the player.
But also consider the impact on the Youth and the reality of idol worship. Kids will wear there uniform number, the type of shoes Jordan wore, and would likely include the type of preformance enhancing drugs they use to hit 700 plus homeruns or 5500 plus stikeouts.
Fouth, Right and Wrong...This may be too obvious to have to discuss, but listening to the cadre of journalists and apologists for the conduct of players and the import of the usage, it has to be stated.
Life is not about doing whatever it takes to win or succeed. It is to do whatever is rightful and just to do to succeed and win. This lesson has been lost in much of our Character Education. Whether it is Bill Billicek, Bill Romanoski or Barry Bonds, they do all of us as parents and intermural coaches a disservice by living the me-first and win at all costs mentality.
Competition teaches kids, youth and adults a valuable life lesson---you will win and you will lose, but what matters is doing your best, or as a friend of mine likes to say, "Finish Strong", in all that you do!
Lastly, Baseball is just as cupable as the players who took these enhancing drugs and hormones. Far more inportant than gambling, this is an issue that challenges the believality of the game as an institution. Gambling cannot change a players abilities, only his input to results.
Let us hope this begins the National Healing and Cleansing of the Great American Game. I understand that Apple Pie is under scrutiny for its fat content.
posted by Tom Gaitens at 12:55 PM
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