cabbagedad posted:A disturbing continuation of integrity issues with our game the last 25 years -
... exciting record-breaking season HR battle between Sosa and McGuire... oh wait, never mind. They both cheated. Yet, the numbers stand. A few years later, Bonds shatters that HR record as well as the all time career HR record... oh wait, he cheated too.. but the numbers stand. Last year, HR's hit at record pace... oh wait, the balls are different. The Astro's show signs of a modern day dynasty... oh wait... and the world series trophies remain in the case.
Of course, go back a little ways further... All time hits leader Pete Rose took amphetamines and had a major gambling problem, including betting on MLB baseball games while managing MLB baseball games. And on and on... It's starting to become more difficult for even us most ardent supporters of the game to see it as America's Pastime.
I think if you went back to the very beginning of the game you could find reference to the moral decay within baseball written in some paper at any given point in history. Some of the games most prominent heros from the past were drunks, adulterers, criminals and just down right mean people. The Black Sox scandal was 100 years ago and there has been plenty of good and bad both before and since. There are players from every possible walk of American life throughout the game's history and they all bring their own moral compass to the ballpark. You can't get much more American than that......