DeeLuzon of Grandeur

the anti-Bonds (Barry, that is)

Is there really ANYone who doesn't believe that Barry Bonds has been juicing for the past half dozen years (ever since the Mark&Sammy Show)? Has that stopped most people from hoping that he'd hit one into McCovey Cove each and every time he comes to bat? Of course not, this is America where records and winning and being NUMBER ONE matter more than anything. Lost in the conversations about all those who took steriods (including all those who've denied it, against all reason), is mention of the greatest player of this generation of baseballers, a man who chose NOT to juice, despite the fact that this choice probably cost him a slew of records.

Ken Griffey, Jr., unquestionably the most talented player of them all, was well on his way to establishing himself as one of the greatest of all time, but a series of injuries have cost him several seasons worth of playing time. He could have juiced in the interest of speeding his recoveries (can't imagine he'd juice to increase speed or power - how much faster or more powerful could he be?!), but he didn't. And what did his decision NOT to break the law (if not the rules) cost him? Countless homeruns, doubles, stolen bases, RBIs and the goodwill of press and fans alike.

In the USA of the 21st Century, winning at all costs, whether in sports, politics or business, seems to be the only strategy worth rewarding, yet there are people in all of those fields who have chosen NOT to cheat in order to rack up the numbers that, one way or another, will enrich their pockets even as they diminish their souls. Ken Griffey, Jr., should be held up as a paragon of virtue and remembered as a truly great player as much for what he did NOT do as for the still-awesome stats he has managed to put together. I don't know how the Hall of Fame folks will treat Sosa and Bonds (Palmiero should just be forgotten as the most mediocre of all "great sluggers" who benefited from a hypodermic), but I sure hope that Griffey won't be penalized for not having quite the totals he would have, had he chosen to supplement his approved methods of rehabilitation with "juice" just to accelerate the process and, maybe, add a little something to his incredible arsenal of skills.

posted by peg @ 2:52 PM