Cheating Re-Defined
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by user Chachi
Alot has been made of steroid use in baseball and how it relates to the other forms of "cheating" associated with the game. Many people have brought up the argument that taking steroids is no more flagrant an act than throwing a spitter or the shortstop not actually stepping on second when turning a double play. They point to admitted cheaters that adorn the record books and the Hall of Fame and say, "Hey, lay off Barry and the rest a bit. Baseball has a history of cheating. It's as much a part of the game as the double-switch and the seventh-inning stretch." Perhaps, today's baseball fans (and possibly many other sports) have a legitimate reason to be upset.
Unlike scuffing a baseball with a file or the "ghost-tag" of a runner, performance enhancing drugs were (are) something you couldn't get caught for. A player corks his bat or throws the old vaseline ball and he runs the risk of being caught by the umpire and facing public ridicule and humiliation. There is a risk of your actions being brought to light so most play it straight to avoid becoming a player associated with cheating. With performance enhancing drugs, the cheaters could run rampant with no fear of repercussions. We truly can't point to many of the players today and say, "That guys a cheater", because of the lack of evidence. A file comes out of a pitchers' back pocket...BAM! CHEATER! A player has a huge increase in batting production after the age of 36 and all we are left with is accusations and innuendo.
I honestly believe that this is one of the biggest reasons that baseball fans are up in arms about the steroid issue. Every player they have rooted for over the last 15 years is now a possible cheater. Today's players are now heaped with undo speculation and fans don't know who or what to believe. Atleast the player who traps a fly ball in the outfield or doctors a ball has the decency to do it in front of the umpires, the fans, and a national television audience and not in a stall in the men's locker room.
Date
Fri 06/30/06, 1:19 am EST
