The arrival of spring for me never comes on the prescribed date of March 21. No, usually about a week after that, I can mark the beginning of spring by the convergence of baseball’s opening day, the NCAA Championship and golf’s Masters tournament. You can imagine my nausea at seeing the first of these annual events tarnished by the s-word.
I’m tired of writing the s-word and you’re all tired of reading about the s-word. I feel confident that everyone is in agreement that the s-word should have no place in sports and every measure should be taken to make sure that this is the case. There truly is nothing left to say on the issue.
And then Johnny Miller and Joe Morgan entered my living room for what was supposed to be the most intriguing opening day in years, if only because it was played on American soil. Baseball finally got it right on opening day eschewing lame Mets-Cubs matchups from Tokyo for the Sox and Yanks. Major League Baseball was so sure that they had gotten it right, so sure that people would be watching that they turned it into a three-ring circus.
The announcement earlier in the day that Tampa Bay Devil Rays’ outfielder Alex Sanchez would be the first player suspended under the new drug testing policy was more of an aftershock than an actual earthquake. Baseball, eager to show that the policy was more bite than bark, actually waited several weeks to make the announcement on Sanchez, conveniently releasing the news the morning of opening day.
Shame on Major League Baseball for such manipulation. Obviously, Miller and Morgan wasted a solid seven innings of conversation on just what the Sanchez suspension would mean for baseball. Red Sox General Manager Theo Epstein, interviewed in the middle of the game, looked about ready to use Miller’s bald crown as a mop. Later that night, Peter Gammons actually suggested that Major League Baseball would probably prefer a bigger star test positive if only to prove that the testing program was working. Major League Baseball threw the bait and Miller, Morgan and company took it, big time.
If one thing was clear on Sunday night, it was that the steroids issue had jumped the shark. While there is always a fresh story to write about, the sheer magnitude of the issue has been its biggest downfall. Major League Baseball faced a problem and has taken steps to address it. Rather than second-guess about whether it will work or whether Sanchez is simply a scapegoat, it is time to let the people who say that they have this under control, actually get it under control.
