There is but one reasonable answer:

Definitely.

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So A-Rod Took Steroids....Who Cares!

Let's be honest with ourselves. When Sports Illustrated "broke" the Alex Rodriguez story over the weekend, were you surprised by the findings? Were you shocked that the guy who has been anointed as the heir to Barry Bonds "dirty" Home Run King title was caught juicing? Were you bewildered, as I was, when some jackass reporter asked President Obama his opinion about this fracas when Obama was "attempting" (and I use this word very loosely) to explain his economic stimulus plan?

Baseball is argued to be a sport about professionalism, dignity, and honor. So when baseball's most talented player tests positive for Performance Enhancing Drugs, many expect the story to send shock-waves across the planes of the sports world. And boy has it. Turn on the television and you will undoubtedly find this breaking news steroid "scandal" from ESPN all the way to the Food Network. But I am asking, what is the big deal. So, Alex Rodriguez took PED's. Why is everyone so shocked and appalled? I am asking all of you to come off your high and mighty throne and listen to some common sense for once.

Why do performance enhancing drugs have this stigma? Saintly critics commonly state that it corrupts the sanctity of a sport that is above all others (theoretically). When a star football tests positive, it is expected. But when a star baseball player does similarly, we need to string him up by his toes and hurl tomatoes. People, it's either one way or no way! PED's like Human Growth Hormone and EPO have long been used to maximize and elongate the quality of life of cancer patients , arthritic joints, and general surgical procedures. It is a new way of life. But by placing these unfounded stigmas upon drugs in general, we are basically hindering and slowing a scientific movement.

Why do individuals believe that professional sports will not be the same if performance enhancing drugs were legalized? In fact, I would argue it would be better than ever. If steroids were legal, it would legitimately level the playing field (which is the primary argument of denouncer's), it would increase the available research and then in turn would keep all players healthier not just for their playing careers, but into retirement. This would be especially important for football players who need to walk with a cane in their early forties.  I don't want to get into the economic benefit legalization would provide, less medicare costs, etc, but if legalization actually occurred, it would be a profound scientific movement for all walks of life. 

So Alex Rodriguez took steroids. Big Deal! Some people want to say that he cheated the sport and it's fans, but I say he was just ahead of the curve. Performance enhancing drugs will be legalized in sports at some point partly because testing in itself will always be two steps behind. Drug testing will never be able to catch up with the numerous drug cocktails that are constructed monthly. For those that want to preserve "legendary" records (which is humorous on another level), then level the playing field and allow everyone to use if they choose. Is there any difference between a "clean" pitcher and hitter squaring off and a "dirty" pitcher and hitter doing the same? Absolutely not! It is a new age people. This isn't the roaring twenties despite what some believe. It is time to roll with the tide and get aboard, or you might be looking at becoming an old, crotchety man who yearns for the good ole' times....just like the select few who believe football should still be played with leather helmets. 

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Blatant violation of copyright law (I believe)

In the wake of A-Rod's public stoning, Joe Sheehan of Baseball Prospectus--and not the dude I went to high school with (a clarification / running joke specificially directed to Paul)--wrote a fantastic commentary today called "Stupid Media Tricks."

Because I believe the article is only available to subscribers--which, if you aren't already, you really should pay the $4/month to subscribe since it's well worth it--I wanted to copy and paste a few snippets because the article has some fantastic observations.

For instance, there's this great bit of sarcasm:

This is a big story, in the sense that it involves a famous person, a bad act, and America's true favorite pastime of tearing down people of achievement. It allows the media to rend their garments over baseball's lack of purity on the issue of PEDs, substances which only began to affect the sport in the mid-1990s, which made a mockery of the record book all by themselves, and the rampant use of which makes baseball unique in American sports.

[...]

Some people continue to be surprised that highly competitive young men fighting for fame, honor, and a cut of $6 billion would do everything they could to beat the guy next to them, which is a pretty good way to make the Olympic team in Naive.

On the baseball media:

Take your pick: they missed the story, or they were too chicken-shit to report it. In either case, the piling-on now is disgusting. [...] I propose that for as long as a clearly qualified Hall of Famer remains on the ballot solely because of steroid allegations—or for that matter, proven use—there should be no J.G. Taylor Spink Award given out to writers. If we're going to allow failures during the "Steroid Era" to affect eligibility for honors, let's make sure we catch everyone who acted shamefully.

On the testing process:

The players agreed to be tested in 2003 on the condition that the testing be anonymous and no individual results would be tabulated. [...] For reasons that the MLBPA and the testers have yet to explain, the samples were labeled in a manner that allowed the results to be traced to individuals.

In summary:

In 2002, the players agreed to anonymous testing in an effort to eradicate a problem, part of a process that created the first CBA arrived at without a work stoppage in decades. This should have been an absolute good. Instead, because of a failure of the MLBPA to tend to details, an out-of-control investigation and prosecution led by an IRS agent, and the government's inability to protect the sanctity of information, 104 players will have their promised anonymity taken away with nothing given in return.
[...]

Even cheaters have rights to see their agreements honored, and these 104 men have been violated by their representatives and their government, complicit with a media that repeatedly asks the easy questions and takes on the soft targets while avoiding the real work of uncovering not just names, but truth. The story is bigger than Alex Rodriguez. It's more interesting than Alex Rodriguez. It has more depth and more nuance than the failure of one man to play by the rules.

Tell that story, in a measured voice that embraces complexity, and I'll listen. Until then, it's all just screaming.

If you can read the entire thing, please do. It's ex-cell-ent.

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Alternate headline:

Jeter outshines A-Rod yet again
Selfish Rodriguez goes 0-4, bangs Madonna, is reprehensible

The subtler version that made it through editing:

Jeter clutch as Pettitte, Yanks blank Rays

Playing smartly, and perhaps with a sense of urgency, the third-place Yankees avoided falling 9½ games behind Tampa Bay.

Message loud and clear: Because darling Derek played well, the Yankees' performance was "smart."

Jeter lined an early go-ahead double off All-Star Scott Kazmir, then made a stellar, spinning play in the seventh inning that preserved a two-run lead and prompted a sellout crowd to chant his name.

Hold the shit up. EARLY GO-AHEAD DOUBLE. STELLAR PLAY IN THE SEVENTH INNING. If anyone can cite an instance when A-Rod had a third-inning double or seventh-inning defensive play called "clutch" on camera, in an audio recording, or in print, I will give you a hundred rubles. Also, if A-Rod ever had a slugging percentage below .400, like The Captain currently does, Yankees fans would have him captured, quartered, and braised in a giant pot in the middle of Times Square.

Also, I haven't seen the replay, but I'm guessing Jeter's backhanded stop in the hole--like all of Jeter's backhanded stops in the hole--was really overrated.

(Side note: Look! A "Spanky" LaValliere mention!

Yankees C Jose Molina had thrown out 12 straight runners trying to steal until Upton swiped second in the seventh inning. Molina's streak was the longest in the majors since Mike LaValliere also caught 12 in 1993 ... )

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