Without Excuse

Grimsley Affidavit Shatters What Little Remained of Baseball's Integrity

By Clinton Riddle

Originally published on The Sporting News website by C. Riddle
sportingnews.com

Perhaps there's something inside of fans like me that wants to believe that MLB's steroid problem was isolated, localized. Most folks might call it simple naiveity. Some may say it's outright stupidity. I prefer to say that I wanted to believe that things were not as bad as I had heard. Either way, there was something at my core that desperately wanted the steroid issue to simply go away. My point of view bore a resemblance to that which Bud Selig seems to espouse: Close your eyes and it will go away. Though our reasons are distinctly different, we are both clearly mistaken.

Here's why.

First of all, Baseball does not have a steroid problem, as it were. Baseball has a DRUG problem. Yes, steroids are a major component of this. Yes, HGH and other similar drugs seem to be the point of most discussions related to this issue. However, amphetamines are far, far more prevalent than either HGH or steroids, and have been in use, according to Jason Grimsley, right out in the open: "'He stated "everybody had greenies (amphetamines). That's like aspirin". Grimsley stated that until last year, Major League clubhouses had coffee pots labeled "leaded" and "unleaded" for the players, indicating coffee with amphetamines and without." If we are to believe this statement, MLB has not only allowed the use of illicit substances, they have, in effect, ENCOURAGED it. And in this instance it is very easy to believe; one has only to look back to Jim Bouton's controversial Ball Four to note that "greenies" have been a welcome and accepted part of professional baseball for some time, now. Grimsley notes a number of current and former professional players as known users of performance-enhancing drugs. In the affidavit the names are redacted, no doubt to preserve the ongoing portion of this investigation, but the damage is already done. One has only to read the affidavit to understand, finally, just how great the damage to MLB will eventually become. Could it be that MLB has made an effort to keep the focus on steroids, in the hopes that the common fan could more easily overlook the reckless, indiscriminant use of amphetamines among what appears to be an even larger segment of players? Is it just that most fans are concerned only with what they perceive to be tainted records? Well, then, what does it take to 'taint' a record? So far, the only consistently discussed performance-enhancing substances are steroids or HGH, but what is a prescription-strength amphetamine if not a performance enhancer?? Don't you think that qualifies? If you don't, then perhaps you were deeper in denial than I had been. One thing is for sure; when the smoke clears, what baseball will have been shown to be will be nothing like what we had hoped it would be.

In other words, the days of baseball as a patriotic, American pursuit are OVER.

The only room for innocence in the game of baseball is in Little League. Perhaps that is how it should be, because this scandal has also exposed MLB fans for what they are: naive. I count myself among the most naive of all, because I had preconceived notions of who was involved in this disgusting business. The fact that someone like Jason Grimsley, a journeyman reliever with not a single noteworthy season to his credit, is hip-deep in this mess shows that if we are to base our judgement upon the players who show a noticible change in size or statistics only, then we have made ourselves blind to the truth: IT COULD BE ANYONE AT ALL. I can no longer look at baseball in the same, accepting manner. From now on, no matter what, noone is above suspicion. Perhaps it's better this way. MLB has the truth, regardless of how many players are involved, and whether or not it chooses to do what is right it is without excuse.

And as fans, from this point on, we also have the truth. We have seen what professional baseball has become, and if we choose to continue to support this travesty financially we also are without excuse.

And we now have noone to blame but ourselves.

C. Riddle