The Decline of Sport
As a boy I lived and died with the Montreal Canadiens and the Brooklyn Dodgers. As a young man I saw the great Maurice Richard, the Rocket, play in the forum. He was spectacular. I never got to Ebbets Field, home of the Dodgers, one of the disappointments of my life, although I did see the Dodgers play in Yankee Stadium in the '53 World Series. Carl Furillo, the Dodger's great right fielder, hit a home run which landed just feet in front of me. I would have treasured that ball. With the exception of Preacher Roe, Furillo was my favourite player.
Today another Rocket, Roger Clemens, is in the news. He stands accused of using human growth hormone and other performance enhancing drugs. This he vehemently denies, under oath. His accuser, also under oath, swears he injected Roger with HGH a number of times. Just who is lying is not the point here, as far as I'm concerned. The fact is that the sport is infected. So many players have been implicated. Some have openly admitted it. The home run feats of Mark McGwyer and Barrie Bonds are highly suspect. They won't allow Pete Rose, the all-time hits leader into the Hall of Fame due to gambling, but he looks like an angel alongside these guys.
Think of the Tour de France. Think of the Olympics. And think of this: how does a "clean" player feel when he's competing for a record, or even for his job, his place on the team, against the cheaters. Is he not tempted to "enhance" his own performance? He has to make a living, after all.
I'm not a hockey fan anymore; I can't recall who won the Stanley Cup last year. The great Montreal teams of the 60's and 70's are only a fond memory. I still love baseball, however, and I follow the Blue Jays faithfully, even though I'm more cynical now. Players come, players go, this year's team doesn't quite look like last year's team. How many of these guys are cheating? In the days of my beloved Dodgers, the same team was fielded every year. Well, almost, there were some trades, but the teams remained recognizable. Because of a legal anomaly known as the reserve clause, players could not come and go at will, consequently they didn't receive much more compensation than sports writers. After his playing days, Furillo was a construction worker with a lunch box. My favourite sports these days are tennis and curling, both of which I play and, of course, baseball. But I'm getting away from the subject, aren't I?
I sure hope Rocket Roger is vindicated. What a shame it would be for one of the greatest pitchers of all time to have a shadow cast over his record. But, like many falsely accused people who have been cleared, suspicion and doubt will remain.
Nothing is sacred anymore.
Today another Rocket, Roger Clemens, is in the news. He stands accused of using human growth hormone and other performance enhancing drugs. This he vehemently denies, under oath. His accuser, also under oath, swears he injected Roger with HGH a number of times. Just who is lying is not the point here, as far as I'm concerned. The fact is that the sport is infected. So many players have been implicated. Some have openly admitted it. The home run feats of Mark McGwyer and Barrie Bonds are highly suspect. They won't allow Pete Rose, the all-time hits leader into the Hall of Fame due to gambling, but he looks like an angel alongside these guys.
Think of the Tour de France. Think of the Olympics. And think of this: how does a "clean" player feel when he's competing for a record, or even for his job, his place on the team, against the cheaters. Is he not tempted to "enhance" his own performance? He has to make a living, after all.
I'm not a hockey fan anymore; I can't recall who won the Stanley Cup last year. The great Montreal teams of the 60's and 70's are only a fond memory. I still love baseball, however, and I follow the Blue Jays faithfully, even though I'm more cynical now. Players come, players go, this year's team doesn't quite look like last year's team. How many of these guys are cheating? In the days of my beloved Dodgers, the same team was fielded every year. Well, almost, there were some trades, but the teams remained recognizable. Because of a legal anomaly known as the reserve clause, players could not come and go at will, consequently they didn't receive much more compensation than sports writers. After his playing days, Furillo was a construction worker with a lunch box. My favourite sports these days are tennis and curling, both of which I play and, of course, baseball. But I'm getting away from the subject, aren't I?
I sure hope Rocket Roger is vindicated. What a shame it would be for one of the greatest pitchers of all time to have a shadow cast over his record. But, like many falsely accused people who have been cleared, suspicion and doubt will remain.
Nothing is sacred anymore.
posted by puzzled @ 7:20 AM
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