Baseball Loses its Innocence
John Ceravino
Issue date: 2/26/09 Section: Impact Staff Blogs
The topic of professional athletes being viewed as role models has long been in dispute. A role model is supposed to be someone whose behavior can be emulated. When you are a child it is hard not to look up to these seemingly invincible characters. They are larger than life and they can do amazing things no ordinary person can. They rival comic book heroes and a fantasy life that is unattainable to most. Whether or not they like it, they will always be in the limelight and will be treated as such.
I grew up a devoted Mets fan thanks to my father. He taught me all about baseball as a child and watching those games together will always be a fond memory of mine. Lately, my fond memories have been all over the news and not for my enjoyment. The list of players that have taken steroids is growing constantly and with each name being called out a piece of that mystique that baseball had over me is slowly dying. It was a slight relief that I never heard the likes of Piazza, Wright or any other prominent Mets players of the past being linked to steroids or HGH. It was shattering though, to see the smug Alex Rodriguez squirm through his press conference blaming a cousin for his mistakes. I was never under the impression that Rodriguez was a great guy and I am definitely not his biggest fan. He did represent hope for Major League Baseball's fading reputation though. Now that A-Rod will forever be linked to steroids, MLB has a huge mess on its hands. There are many era's in baseball. Usually they will refer to the prominence of either hitters or pitchers. This is our era. This is the Era of Steroids, Doubt and Disbelief.
I am, and will always be a devoted fan to the game of baseball. I enjoy playing it, watching it, debating, etc. It will now always be hard for me to look at what a player has accomplished and not wonder if it is a result of performance-enhancing drugs. There are so many promising young power hitters that are quickly rising to the top of the baseball food chain (Albert Pujols, Ryan Howard, Ryan Braun). How is a fan not supposed to question their ability? Thankfully, in this dramatic baseball world, there are a few players that can still claim that role model title.
Outspoken pitcher for the Houston Astros, Roy Oswalt, recently lashed out against all steroid users in an interview for The Houston Chronicle. While I am not too quick to jump on his idea of two separate record books, I do share his feelings on how "steroid users have stained all players." He is pained by the fact that just because he played in a certain time period, there is a cloud hanging over those numbers. It is unfortunate, but it is how this era is going to be viewed.
With the upcoming baseball season approaching I am still holding on to some of that childhood glorification of the sport and its athletes. If I am able to afford tickets to go see my beloved Metropolitans this year at their beautiful new stadium, CitiField (That is assuming they don't change the name); I will still root on my team. Only, this year I will do my best not to question every moon shot of a homerun or 100 MPH fastball and try and regain the image of baseball I used to have.
I grew up a devoted Mets fan thanks to my father. He taught me all about baseball as a child and watching those games together will always be a fond memory of mine. Lately, my fond memories have been all over the news and not for my enjoyment. The list of players that have taken steroids is growing constantly and with each name being called out a piece of that mystique that baseball had over me is slowly dying. It was a slight relief that I never heard the likes of Piazza, Wright or any other prominent Mets players of the past being linked to steroids or HGH. It was shattering though, to see the smug Alex Rodriguez squirm through his press conference blaming a cousin for his mistakes. I was never under the impression that Rodriguez was a great guy and I am definitely not his biggest fan. He did represent hope for Major League Baseball's fading reputation though. Now that A-Rod will forever be linked to steroids, MLB has a huge mess on its hands. There are many era's in baseball. Usually they will refer to the prominence of either hitters or pitchers. This is our era. This is the Era of Steroids, Doubt and Disbelief.
I am, and will always be a devoted fan to the game of baseball. I enjoy playing it, watching it, debating, etc. It will now always be hard for me to look at what a player has accomplished and not wonder if it is a result of performance-enhancing drugs. There are so many promising young power hitters that are quickly rising to the top of the baseball food chain (Albert Pujols, Ryan Howard, Ryan Braun). How is a fan not supposed to question their ability? Thankfully, in this dramatic baseball world, there are a few players that can still claim that role model title.
Outspoken pitcher for the Houston Astros, Roy Oswalt, recently lashed out against all steroid users in an interview for The Houston Chronicle. While I am not too quick to jump on his idea of two separate record books, I do share his feelings on how "steroid users have stained all players." He is pained by the fact that just because he played in a certain time period, there is a cloud hanging over those numbers. It is unfortunate, but it is how this era is going to be viewed.
With the upcoming baseball season approaching I am still holding on to some of that childhood glorification of the sport and its athletes. If I am able to afford tickets to go see my beloved Metropolitans this year at their beautiful new stadium, CitiField (That is assuming they don't change the name); I will still root on my team. Only, this year I will do my best not to question every moon shot of a homerun or 100 MPH fastball and try and regain the image of baseball I used to have.
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