Sports Commentary August 8, 2005
B & G Imagination Junction
Trust Strikes Out Again ……………………..
It was just three weeks ago that this column was dedicated to a number of feel-good stories in sports. As a preamble, to the tales, I said that with all the less than favorable things that occur it was high time to spin some positive thoughts.
Also, I said that in time more disturbing headlines would be made so this was brief rest from the aggravation.
Then, just last week, was the telling of Lance Armstrong winning his seventh and final Tour de France--what better feel good story could there be?
I felt-in my bones-the need to get these upbeat sagas told, as doom seemed to be just around the bend because in sports it always seems to be.
Sadly, I have been proven so right.
This spring Major League Baseball at last instituted a get-tough drug testing policy after years of accusations and innuendos about drug usage by many of its players—the main focus was the use of performance enhancing drugs meaning steroids.
All sports have been wrought with illicit drug and steroid usage for decades. The other major North American professional sports leagues and the American colleges began to implement various versions of testing and policing but baseball resisted.
The death of Ken Camanniti and the tell-all book, by former player Jose Canseco, made it impossible for MLB to continue to hide its head in the sand.
In his 2004 State Of The Union address US President George W. Bush made an impassioned call for all sports to clean up its act.
Baseball, through its powerful player’s association, continued to be defiant. Finally, this past winter, a drug-testing plan was implemented for major league players that went into effect during spring training.
The United States Congress still wanted answers, on drugs in professional sports, beginning with the defiance of baseball.
On March 17 a number of past and current major league players testified before a congressional hearing.
Congress was ridiculed for putting on such a show as baseball had already made a move to clean up.
Yet, Mark McGuire soiled a spotless reputation by refusing to answer any questions. Sammy Sosa hid behind his attorney and said little.
Two players, with clean reputations, spoke for themselves and others saying that not only were they clean but most of their brothers were as well and they wanted the rest of baseball shined up—Curt Schilling and Rafael Palmeiro sounded very convincing.
Drug testing has worked as, up to last weekend, six major league players had been caught with positive tests for drugs and steroids. All, though, were basically unknown young athletes that only those that follow their clubs would know.
An eighth, Ryan Franklin of the Seattle Mariners, was nabbed on Tuesday and was suspended for ten-games as were the other basic unknowns.
It seemed inevitable that, sooner or later, a star player would test positive and number seven was indeed a star.
If one were to predict whom it might be many would come to mind but the star, caught in the net, was a total shock—it was clean as a whistle Palmeiro.
Earlier this season, sometime after appearing on Capitol Hill Rafael Palmeiro failed a random drug test and on Monday was suspended for the same ten-games as the other seven violators.
It has sent shock waves through not just sports but the whole of America.
At the March 17 hearing Palmeiro was, clearly, the most outspoken athlete about eradicating steroids and other illegal drugs from baseball. A few weeks ago Palmeiro appeared in a national conference call, of professional athletes, again strongly supporting doing away with drugs on the field.
At the hearing-at one point-Palmeiro angrily shook his finger at his inquisitors and said, “I have never used steroids. Period.”
In Canseco’s book the former slugger and ex-teammate says different of Palmeiro claiming that while with the Texas Rangers he injected a steroid into Palmeiro.
When Canseco’s book hit the shelves many thought the volume pages full of fabrications as, for years, Canseco denied his own steroid use until in the safety of retirement and in need of cash. Canseco also implicated McGuire and now after recent events the never to be trusted Canseco is looking a lot more credible.
Rafael Palmeiro is a highly accomplished long-time star of baseball. Last year he hit his five-hundredth-career home run and on July 15 stroked his three-thousandth hit—only a small handful of players have ever achieved this double.
Until Monday, the only question regarding Palmeiro was his worthiness for the Hall of Fame. He had successfully risen above the steroid accusations and was thought one of the true good guys of the game.
On Monday, Palmeiro said that yes he took a steroid but had no idea how. Former teammate, Mark Grace, said that every player is responsible for knowing what he puts into his body—though he considers Palmeiro a friend Grace was not buying the plea.
On Tuesday, reporters asked President Bush his reaction to the Palmeiro situation. The president is also a friend (he called Palmeiro to congratulate him after the three-thousandth hit) and his former boss when the then-future president owned the Rangers in the early 1990’s.
Mr. Bush said, *I don’t believe it.” Drug and steroid use could not have been as rampant without owners that knew what was in the locker rooms but looked the other way. Also, admitted steroid user, Canseco, also was employed with the Rangers at the same time.
President Bush’s 2004 words, in the State Of The Union, rang true and this column praised his stating them. Perhaps they were not just spoken sincerely and because of the prevailing mood but from first-hand knowledge of what some of his employees were doing back in the early 90’s.
On Wednesday, Palmeiro’s defense was shattered when an anonymous source revealed that the steroid found in Palmeiro’s positive test was stanozolol. Stanozolol is considered a very powerful steroid and here is the crushing fact, it can only be applied by injection.
So baseball is again dirtied though it is dirtied this time by doing something right—the testing is working and down the line will clean up the game.
Palmeiro’s reputation is, likely, permanently ruined. His suspension ends this coming week—will he even return to his current club, the Baltimore Orioles? The Orioles, after leading the American League East for most of the first half of the season, have fallen apart and on Thursday fired manager Lee Mazilli.
Will Palmeiro want to endure the media crush? The Orioles would have a hard time keeping him away as the player’s association would interfere.
As if things are not bad enough, for Palmeiro, Congress is involved again wanting data from the positive test and MLB’s investigation to determine if Palmeiro should be charged with perjury.
In light of all this it again presents the questions of who can we trust and why did Palmeiro take steroids at all and certainly after testifying?
In all sincerity I have always claimed to be 99.9% honest because there is not a living soul that is 100% honest. If you debate different, even about yourself, deduct .1 from your score.
Sadly, though way too many are far less than 99.9 and when it is someone we have and want so much to trust it stings even more—Rafael Palmeiro is just one more that has burst our bubble. Whether it is athletes, actors, politicians, educators or even friends and family it hurts more each time.
It happens so often that we ask, “Whom can we really trust” and find ourselves answering, “No one.”
Why did Palmeiro do it? I do not know for sure but I think that I might have a clue and it is a story heard and told way too often. Be aware that this is my sole theory and not even one that I have heard from anyone else in this week of shock.
Rafael Palmeiro was born in Havana, Cuba in September of 1964. As with thousands of others, his family defected to the US and settled in Miami. Palmeiro was only three years old, at the time, so grew up a South Floridian.
Yet, being both a baseball player and a Cuban put Rafael in the position of privilege in his community. Baseball is the national sport and passion of Cuba. Every father wants their son not just to play baseball but also to live and breathe it and attain all that they could not achieve.
Yes, there are over-protective fathers that push their kids into sports or other pursuits in every town on earth—recently, I wrote the story of golfer Shawn O’Hair. Yet, there might be no father like a Cuban father of a baseball player.
I lived in Miami for twenty-five years and announced hundreds of high school and college baseball games—thus I saw hundreds of fathers of baseball players.
I never announced a high school game, of Rafael Palmeiro, but the reputation of his father is legendary even in a community full of over bearing fathers. This week I heard a quote that Palmeiro’s father was “a typical Cuban Father turned up 100 degrees.”
Palmeiro signed with the Chicago Cubs after a stellar career first at Miami Jackson High School then Mississippi State University where, in 1985, he played on one of the best collegiate teams ever.
It was well known that Palmeiro went to MSU as much to get away from his father as anything—he even was known as Ralph Palmeiro, at MSU, to try to Americanize himself.
After Palmeiro reached Chicago, in 1987, his father ordered him to return to being called Rafael as you see the father never really was far away.
Every single day, whether during the season or not, papa was on the phone having his son dissect every move that he made rarely praising.
This has continued throughout what is now a nearly twenty-year major league career. That is right, though he will be forty-one years old next month the paternal pressure remains.
Despite the stellar career it is still thought that Rafael has never been good enough for his father.
I see it as the reason that he started on steroids whenever that might have been and the only reason that I can surmise why he continued after the MLB policy went into effect and after he appeared before Congress shaking that finger.
Despite all, to him, father knows best. I am not saying that papa told him to do steroids but the influence has to be part of the reason.
Note that I have called this a reason and not an excuse—whether it is Ryan Franklin or Rafael Palmeiro there can be no excuse.
The Palmeiro suspension is huge news as much for the questions as for the hard facts—in the days ahead more hard facts should surface and I am not so sure we will really want to know.
Trust is such a fragile thing and to me this is what has taken another direct hit from Mr. Palmeiro.
So, think about and ask yourself, “Whom can I really trust?”
If you think that you know of anyone I hope that you are right as in my mind trust has struck out again.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
If you would like the commentary to arrive in your email inbox every week, please email to subscribe@bgimagination.com
Remember that no purchase from B&G is necessary to receive these inspired thoughts of mine.
Still, though, do tell all that have eyes about our website.
These thoughts are B’s and are not necessarily shared by G
Trust Strikes Out Again ……………………..
It was just three weeks ago that this column was dedicated to a number of feel-good stories in sports. As a preamble, to the tales, I said that with all the less than favorable things that occur it was high time to spin some positive thoughts.
Also, I said that in time more disturbing headlines would be made so this was brief rest from the aggravation.
Then, just last week, was the telling of Lance Armstrong winning his seventh and final Tour de France--what better feel good story could there be?
I felt-in my bones-the need to get these upbeat sagas told, as doom seemed to be just around the bend because in sports it always seems to be.
Sadly, I have been proven so right.
This spring Major League Baseball at last instituted a get-tough drug testing policy after years of accusations and innuendos about drug usage by many of its players—the main focus was the use of performance enhancing drugs meaning steroids.
All sports have been wrought with illicit drug and steroid usage for decades. The other major North American professional sports leagues and the American colleges began to implement various versions of testing and policing but baseball resisted.
The death of Ken Camanniti and the tell-all book, by former player Jose Canseco, made it impossible for MLB to continue to hide its head in the sand.
In his 2004 State Of The Union address US President George W. Bush made an impassioned call for all sports to clean up its act.
Baseball, through its powerful player’s association, continued to be defiant. Finally, this past winter, a drug-testing plan was implemented for major league players that went into effect during spring training.
The United States Congress still wanted answers, on drugs in professional sports, beginning with the defiance of baseball.
On March 17 a number of past and current major league players testified before a congressional hearing.
Congress was ridiculed for putting on such a show as baseball had already made a move to clean up.
Yet, Mark McGuire soiled a spotless reputation by refusing to answer any questions. Sammy Sosa hid behind his attorney and said little.
Two players, with clean reputations, spoke for themselves and others saying that not only were they clean but most of their brothers were as well and they wanted the rest of baseball shined up—Curt Schilling and Rafael Palmeiro sounded very convincing.
Drug testing has worked as, up to last weekend, six major league players had been caught with positive tests for drugs and steroids. All, though, were basically unknown young athletes that only those that follow their clubs would know.
An eighth, Ryan Franklin of the Seattle Mariners, was nabbed on Tuesday and was suspended for ten-games as were the other basic unknowns.
It seemed inevitable that, sooner or later, a star player would test positive and number seven was indeed a star.
If one were to predict whom it might be many would come to mind but the star, caught in the net, was a total shock—it was clean as a whistle Palmeiro.
Earlier this season, sometime after appearing on Capitol Hill Rafael Palmeiro failed a random drug test and on Monday was suspended for the same ten-games as the other seven violators.
It has sent shock waves through not just sports but the whole of America.
At the March 17 hearing Palmeiro was, clearly, the most outspoken athlete about eradicating steroids and other illegal drugs from baseball. A few weeks ago Palmeiro appeared in a national conference call, of professional athletes, again strongly supporting doing away with drugs on the field.
At the hearing-at one point-Palmeiro angrily shook his finger at his inquisitors and said, “I have never used steroids. Period.”
In Canseco’s book the former slugger and ex-teammate says different of Palmeiro claiming that while with the Texas Rangers he injected a steroid into Palmeiro.
When Canseco’s book hit the shelves many thought the volume pages full of fabrications as, for years, Canseco denied his own steroid use until in the safety of retirement and in need of cash. Canseco also implicated McGuire and now after recent events the never to be trusted Canseco is looking a lot more credible.
Rafael Palmeiro is a highly accomplished long-time star of baseball. Last year he hit his five-hundredth-career home run and on July 15 stroked his three-thousandth hit—only a small handful of players have ever achieved this double.
Until Monday, the only question regarding Palmeiro was his worthiness for the Hall of Fame. He had successfully risen above the steroid accusations and was thought one of the true good guys of the game.
On Monday, Palmeiro said that yes he took a steroid but had no idea how. Former teammate, Mark Grace, said that every player is responsible for knowing what he puts into his body—though he considers Palmeiro a friend Grace was not buying the plea.
On Tuesday, reporters asked President Bush his reaction to the Palmeiro situation. The president is also a friend (he called Palmeiro to congratulate him after the three-thousandth hit) and his former boss when the then-future president owned the Rangers in the early 1990’s.
Mr. Bush said, *I don’t believe it.” Drug and steroid use could not have been as rampant without owners that knew what was in the locker rooms but looked the other way. Also, admitted steroid user, Canseco, also was employed with the Rangers at the same time.
President Bush’s 2004 words, in the State Of The Union, rang true and this column praised his stating them. Perhaps they were not just spoken sincerely and because of the prevailing mood but from first-hand knowledge of what some of his employees were doing back in the early 90’s.
On Wednesday, Palmeiro’s defense was shattered when an anonymous source revealed that the steroid found in Palmeiro’s positive test was stanozolol. Stanozolol is considered a very powerful steroid and here is the crushing fact, it can only be applied by injection.
So baseball is again dirtied though it is dirtied this time by doing something right—the testing is working and down the line will clean up the game.
Palmeiro’s reputation is, likely, permanently ruined. His suspension ends this coming week—will he even return to his current club, the Baltimore Orioles? The Orioles, after leading the American League East for most of the first half of the season, have fallen apart and on Thursday fired manager Lee Mazilli.
Will Palmeiro want to endure the media crush? The Orioles would have a hard time keeping him away as the player’s association would interfere.
As if things are not bad enough, for Palmeiro, Congress is involved again wanting data from the positive test and MLB’s investigation to determine if Palmeiro should be charged with perjury.
In light of all this it again presents the questions of who can we trust and why did Palmeiro take steroids at all and certainly after testifying?
In all sincerity I have always claimed to be 99.9% honest because there is not a living soul that is 100% honest. If you debate different, even about yourself, deduct .1 from your score.
Sadly, though way too many are far less than 99.9 and when it is someone we have and want so much to trust it stings even more—Rafael Palmeiro is just one more that has burst our bubble. Whether it is athletes, actors, politicians, educators or even friends and family it hurts more each time.
It happens so often that we ask, “Whom can we really trust” and find ourselves answering, “No one.”
Why did Palmeiro do it? I do not know for sure but I think that I might have a clue and it is a story heard and told way too often. Be aware that this is my sole theory and not even one that I have heard from anyone else in this week of shock.
Rafael Palmeiro was born in Havana, Cuba in September of 1964. As with thousands of others, his family defected to the US and settled in Miami. Palmeiro was only three years old, at the time, so grew up a South Floridian.
Yet, being both a baseball player and a Cuban put Rafael in the position of privilege in his community. Baseball is the national sport and passion of Cuba. Every father wants their son not just to play baseball but also to live and breathe it and attain all that they could not achieve.
Yes, there are over-protective fathers that push their kids into sports or other pursuits in every town on earth—recently, I wrote the story of golfer Shawn O’Hair. Yet, there might be no father like a Cuban father of a baseball player.
I lived in Miami for twenty-five years and announced hundreds of high school and college baseball games—thus I saw hundreds of fathers of baseball players.
I never announced a high school game, of Rafael Palmeiro, but the reputation of his father is legendary even in a community full of over bearing fathers. This week I heard a quote that Palmeiro’s father was “a typical Cuban Father turned up 100 degrees.”
Palmeiro signed with the Chicago Cubs after a stellar career first at Miami Jackson High School then Mississippi State University where, in 1985, he played on one of the best collegiate teams ever.
It was well known that Palmeiro went to MSU as much to get away from his father as anything—he even was known as Ralph Palmeiro, at MSU, to try to Americanize himself.
After Palmeiro reached Chicago, in 1987, his father ordered him to return to being called Rafael as you see the father never really was far away.
Every single day, whether during the season or not, papa was on the phone having his son dissect every move that he made rarely praising.
This has continued throughout what is now a nearly twenty-year major league career. That is right, though he will be forty-one years old next month the paternal pressure remains.
Despite the stellar career it is still thought that Rafael has never been good enough for his father.
I see it as the reason that he started on steroids whenever that might have been and the only reason that I can surmise why he continued after the MLB policy went into effect and after he appeared before Congress shaking that finger.
Despite all, to him, father knows best. I am not saying that papa told him to do steroids but the influence has to be part of the reason.
Note that I have called this a reason and not an excuse—whether it is Ryan Franklin or Rafael Palmeiro there can be no excuse.
The Palmeiro suspension is huge news as much for the questions as for the hard facts—in the days ahead more hard facts should surface and I am not so sure we will really want to know.
Trust is such a fragile thing and to me this is what has taken another direct hit from Mr. Palmeiro.
So, think about and ask yourself, “Whom can I really trust?”
If you think that you know of anyone I hope that you are right as in my mind trust has struck out again.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
If you would like the commentary to arrive in your email inbox every week, please email to subscribe@bgimagination.com
Remember that no purchase from B&G is necessary to receive these inspired thoughts of mine.
Still, though, do tell all that have eyes about our website.
These thoughts are B’s and are not necessarily shared by G
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