Major League Baseball Is In Trouble When It Celebrates Cheating

presents the

Ashlandia Gazette

                   All editorial   —   All social commentary   —   All for the common good

T.G. Buckley-Dockter – Founder; Publisher; Editor-in-Chief; Distribution Manager; Intrepid Reporter; IT Guy; Coffee Girl

MOTTO: Presenting our Truth with a capital ‘T.’  Whether it is pretty or not.

Issue No. 14   August 15, 2018

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Publisher’s Note – This is the AG‘s first sports editorial. It is written with love and respect for the Great Game of Baseball.

Editor’s Note – My qualifications for commenting on baseball: Life-long fan. Pardon my reminiscing, I’ll try to keep it short. (But anybody who knows anything about baseball knows baseball fans love to talk shop!)

As a little kid growing up in Southern California, I listened religiously to the L.A. Dodgers‘ night games on a transistor radio tucked next to my pillow. I was besotted with the game–courtesy of the mellifluous voice of Vince Scully–the greatest announcer in the history of the game. I didn’t need to see the game with my eyes. I could see it in my mind. (Thank you, Vinnie.)

Lucky for me my mom married a chap named Alfred Frederick–a huge baseball fan. (Thank you, HB.) I called him “Fred-Fred.” (My younger brother asked me why I didn’t call him “Al-Rick.” To which I replied, “Because that’s not funny.”)

Fred-Fred gave me his Rawlings glove with  a Johnny Pesky autograph. I was thrilled–even though at the time I had no idea who he was. The glove was too big for my hand (to play first base). We drove in Fred-Fred’s Cadillac DeVille to Big 5 Sporting Goods and he bought me a new one made by Wilson–the brand of my favorite Dodger, Willie Davis. (Thank you, Fred-Fred.)

Fred-Fred worked for Bethlehem Steel. He had access to his company’s baseball tickets at Dodger Stadium (Chavez Ravine back then). The seats were awesome–behind the dugout on the third base side. We always went early to watch the pregame warm-up. I used to hang over the rail and holler at Willie. He would wave to me while practicing. Thank you, Willie.

Several years ago I wrote a blog about why I loved baseball and told a story about Willie Davis. One of his daughters read it and thanked me for writing about her dad. Sweet.

My dad could never understand my fascination with baseball. He thought the game was terribly boring. He tried valiantly to interest me in golf. Mild success. (Favorite player: Tom Lehman and Payne Stewart’s outfits.)  I tried without success to interest my dad in baseball. I tried to explain that even though it looks like there is absolutely nothing going on on the field, there is so much going on. It was my dad who won that transistor radio in a golf tournament and gave it to me. (Thank-you, Dr. Bill.)

My baseball adoration continued throughout my life–later with the Anaheim Angels (favorite player: Reggie Jackson) and for the last 20+ years with the San Francisco Giants (favorite player of all-time: Timmy Lincecum).

Lastly, back then I used to think that the best thing about Fred-Fred was the baseball connection. Later I realized that it was Fred-Fred’s level of integrity and being a terrific human being that are the important components of a person’s life.

And speaking of good guys, Johnny Pesky (born in Oregon–a state close to my heart) had a whale of a baseball career with the Boston Red Sox that lasted 60+ years–as a player, manager, coach, announcer, special instructor, and assistant to the g.m. So beloved by fans he earned the nickname “Mr. Red Sox.” A foul pole in Fenway Park is named for him. When he died in 2012 the Boston Globe said the BoSox lost their “Guiding Soul.” Fans felt they lost their Grandfather. MLB said it lost one of the greatest ambassadors of goodwill in the game.

In 2008 Johnny‘s jersey, Number 6, was retired by the Red Sox–deservedly so. Which brings me (in a long-winded way) to the point of this article: The San Francisco Giants retiring Number 25, the jersey of Barry Bonds–who in my opinion is not a man of integrity–and is no Johnny Pesky!

Why is retiring his jersey not a good thing? Because instead of being one of baseball’s greatest ambassadors, he is one of baseball’s greatest cheaters. (He finishes near or at the top of any g00gled list.)

The evidence that Bonds (herein referred to as *25–the asterisk designating tainted stats) used PEDs (performance enhancing drugs) is well-documented. Credible sources:

– the Mitchell Report (an investigation commissioned by the U.S. Congress to stop drug use in MLB); 2007.

– Game of Shadows: Barry Bonds, BALCO, and the Steroids Scandal the Rocked Professional Sports, by Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams (reporters for the San Francisco Chronicle); 2006.

– Federal trial testimony: U.S. vs. *25, 07-00732, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California; 2007.

– Articles by Tom Verducci in Sports Illustrated (2017); Tim Garrity in The Bleacher Report (2011); and Thom Loverro in the Washington Times (2018).

*25 admitted to using two substances: one of which he said was flax seed oil. It defies credulity that *25 thought it was the flax seed oil that produced such a dramatic physical change: bigger body; bigger feet; bigger head; loss of hair; gain of power to hit far more home runs than any other player ever.

In 2001 at the age of 37, *25 set the single-season record for most home runs: 73. Last year in 2017, the home run leader, Giancarlo Stanton, hit 59 dingers (age 27). In second place, Aaron Judge hit 52 (age 25). When *25 was 25 years old, he hit 19; and at age 27 he hit 25.

At the end of his career in opposing MLB stadiums, *25 was roundly booed and serenaded with chants of “cheater;” “BALCO;” and “steroids.” But not in San Francisco.  I think most SF Giants fans have figured out doping was involved but either don’t care or don’t want to say anything negative about their beloved team. I get that. That’s their prerogative. But pretending the cheating didn’t happen is a slam on the Great Game of Baseball and the hundreds of honest players who gave their all–only to have their stats diminished by comparison to those produced unnaturally by drugged-up performances. Baseball players don’t operate in a vacuum. A pitcher’s ERA or a team’s W-L record can be skewed by PED influence.

I have a low tolerance for dishonesty. I prefer not to reward bad behavior–like robbing an honest player of baseball’s most coveted title: Home Run King. I am in favor of the asterisk on every *25 stat during the doping years. The argument that “everyone was using PED’s so you can’t penalize one guy unless you penalize all of them” is not logical or justified. There are 89 PED players named in the Mitchell Report. MLB has approximately 40 players per team (or more?). There are 30 teams. Eighty-nine cheaters is 7.4% of that population–hardly “everyone.”

The two main professionals in this snow job of a scenario who won’t acknowledge *25’s blatant steroid use and apologize are *25 himself and his chief enabler: SF Giants Managing Partner Larry “I am not a warm and fuzzy” Baer. Both have their egos/reputations/wallets on the line pretending *25 is the GOAT (Greatest of all Time). What these two fail to realize is that one player does not make a team. Likewise, one team does not make Major League Baseball.

This was apparent in a recent article in USA Today by Bob Nightengale (8/09/18) about last Saturday’s retirement ceremony. As an average American, baseball believer, and fervent SF Giants fan, reading the article was an exercise in cringing, laughing, and gastrointestinal distress. It is so over-the-top in its slant that cheating is fine and dandy because everyone inside the 415 Area Code has  a “love affair” with the cheater “that never waned.'” (Oh brother. Is there such thing as Journalism Police? Can they arrest bad sentences? Because if they can, this article is going to Alcatraz!)

From Mr. Nightengale:

“…adulation and glorification from a passionate fan base that always embraced him…” Plenty of “passionate” fans can’t stomach jerks who cause asterisks to be inserted into the purity of baseball statistics.

“This will be the night when the outpouring of gratitude and affection may resonate forever.” Vomitous.

“…unadulterated love…” For a cheater? Sickening.

“The writers couldn’t punish him as a player…but he’s being punished now.” Cheaters deserve to be punished.

“Baer can recite his (Bonds) response (25 years later) like his own child’s first words.” Gag.

“…linking…” *25 to the “three World Series banners this decade.” Idiotic/misleading assumption. *25 got the boot by the SF Giants in 2007. (Somebody get sick of his act?) He wanted to play another year but no organizations in MLB would touch him (even after his offer to play for the minimum salary). *25 sued MLB for collusion. He lost the case.

The SF Giants won the WS in 2010, 2012, 2014. What do the players from these winning teams think of the assessment that they owe any of it to *25?

“He is their Golden Gate Bridge to greatness…” Puke.

And by the way, it was Fred-Fred’s company, Bethlehem Steel, who provided the steel to build the Golden Gate Bridge. It is the efforts of honest Americans who contribute to greatness; not an  indulged, whiny “where’s my statue?” prima dopa.

To Mr. Nightengale:

All those other cheaters who are “openly welcomed”? They confessed. They’re contrite. And that’s how you get absolution. “The sinner has to be penitent.” (Encyclopedia Britannica)

Not like Anne Killion of the San Francisco Chronicle seems to think that *25 has miraculously achieved it: Through faux-ignorance of drugs inserted? Or through a bogus celebration at AT&T Park?

*25 is not “the greatest player” of anything. He is, however, the greatest of cheaters. Kindly relinquish your journalism badge. Your advertisement endorsing lying, cheating, and stealing in the Great Game of Baseball is a discredit to your fine newspaper. It adds to the already saturated culture of mendacity in this country.

From Mr. Baer:

About *25’s Hall of Fame chances: “…but when you step back and look at it unemotionally, how can he not be with his home run record, his seven MVPs, and everything he’s done in the game?” Because the Hall of Fame has an integrity clause. Because the Hall of Fame cares about not inducting players who have harmed the game. Because *25 knowingly and purposely cheated. You do the math.

“…tough times, challenging and contentious times…” Is that code for a repellent personality that alienated his teammates; dissed sportswriters; threw his friends under the bus; and behaved in a dishonorable manner? The guy wouldn’t share his Barcalounger! Or his three personal trainers who hung out in the clubhouse–in violation of MLB rules.

“But if something happens with somebody in your family, you don’t disown him…” How about Benito Santiago? Melky Cabrera? Where’s the ‘unconditional love’ for them? Or are they not part of the SF Giants’ family because they are not “royalty?”

“What Saturday will do is remind people of his accomplishments.” What’s important is how those accomplishment were achieved: based on skill and heart; teamwork and sacrifice; not pharmaceuticals and self-interest. Not by cheating.

To Mr. Baer:

Someone needs his brain fumigated and a new backbone with a moral fiber running through it. I wonder if gaslighting SF Giants fans (personnel, coaches, players, announcers, too?) into believing the bunk in this article and the cavalcade of chicanery at the retirement celebration is a criminal act. Anyone have Joseph Cotchett’s phone number at Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy?

Also, at the next MLB Owners Shindig, before handing out the USA Today tainted article for bragging purposes–don’t forget to distribute barf bags first.

No matter how many times a lie is repeated (“greatest of all time” — “deserves to be in Hall of Fame”– etc.) does not make it true. Please stop hyping a cheater. Please stop forcing players and coaches to drink your Kool-Aid. (Condition of employment?) Please stop making all SF Giants fans complicit in this psychodrama.

And if the Managing Partner gig doesn’t work out–cuz maybe your bromance with a cheater becomes bad for business (and it’s always about the money, isn’t it?)–cuz having owner/management that gushes and swoons over the “I am not a crook” player grosses out the current players–which harms morale which harms the W-L column which harms the number of tickets sold which harms the bottom line–you’ll be dumped as fast as the SF Giants dumped *25 in 2007. Time to update the resume and add Spin Doctor.

Baseball is a game of emotions. For die-hard fans it’s an identity. And that quality makes it easier to manipulate people. The honest way would have been for *25 to say “I’m sorry” and for the SF Giants Emperor to say, “Hey, he made a mistake. He may be a scoundrel. But he’s our scoundrel.” Or something like that. How long can this organization pretend cheating never happened?

I hope not for long…as the City of San Francisco deserves better; the players and coaches deserve better; the fans deserve better. And most certainly so does the Great Game of Baseball.

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Up next, our friend Kickurassmus (Son of Zeus; God of Tweet Storms) takes a break from his harrowing job in our nation’s capital (deflecting tweets from one particular Stable Genius) and is headed our way. He’s bringing a barrage of tweets to combat the propaganda (and bad smell) emanating from AT&T.

His text to us: “Arrival delayed. Ran into a cool red car named Tesla and decided to take another spin around the universe. Wheee…so fun!”

He attached a sample tweet:

“Gasbags at #SFGiants attempt to gaslight public into thinking that cheating is acceptable. The problem with gas? It’s ignitable. Time to drain the gas swamp before someone or something explodes.”

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Stay tuned…

Thanks for reading.

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