http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/
Jun. 8, 2006 12:00 AM
Bravo, Jason Grimsley. Really.
Just when the Suns' magic carpet ran out of fuel, just when the Diamondbacks - the first-place Diamondbacks - had an opportunity to grab the Valley's attention, you caused these two words to be in the lead headline of The Arizona Republic on Wednesday: "D-Back" and "steroid."
It's guilt by association, even though nothing suggests team culpability. While some on the club are applauding you for instigating the request for your unconditional release, the rest of us can't stop thinking how you knew about this federal investigation since mid-April, when you were nailed at home for receiving a package containing two kits of human growth hormone.How you walked into a clubhouse for the subsequent 43 games and pretended nothing was wrong. What a trouper.
Grim Reaper. Now I get the nickname.
The scariest thing about all of this? Grimsley is the anti-Barry Bonds. He's a pitcher, not a high-profile slugger in pursuit of a record. He's considered the ultimate player's player - a vocal Major League Baseball Players Association representative, a guy who would do anything for his teammates - not a surly superstar who makes his peers feel uncomfortable around him. He's a once-a-week guy, not an everyday guy.
If this isn't a statement about the far reach of performance-enhancing drugs, what is? Here's hoping fans express enough outrage to keep the fire lit under Major League Baseball. Too many shrug this off as a non-story.
"It's just entertainment," a radio caller said Wednesday.
Yes, and the reason it's entertainment to me is because of the promise that everyone is starting on a level playing field, that the players and teams who thrive are ones with the best work ethic, not the best pharmacist.
Think about how ugly this has become. Federal agents watched on April 19 as a package from the U.S. Postal Service arrived at Grimsley's house, according to documents obtained by The Republic. How his wife must have felt as she answered the door and saw three agents asking for her husband. How his wife must have felt considering the Grimsleys had houseguests at the time. He accepted the agents' offer to move to another location because he "desired (the houseguests) know as little as possible."
It's depressing. One can't help but feel the chemists and bad guys will always be a step ahead of the drug-testers. That shouldn't dissuade Major League Baseball from the chase, because fighting a losing battle is better than not fighting at all.
Here's the biggest lesson every major league player should take from this fiasco: The ramifications of cheating can be devastating.
The Diamondbacks were 15-6 in the 21 games before news broke Tuesday, 0-2 after it. Is Grimsley to blame? Maybe not, but if the Diamondbacks suddenly plunge into a tailspin, the implication will be there.
"It's a huge distraction for our team, but it is what it is," Luis Gonzalez said after Wednesday's 7-3 loss to Philadelphia.
During interviews with federal agents, Grimsley mentioned that Latin players are a major source of amphetamines in baseball. How does that make teammates Miguel Batista and Enrique Gonzalez feel?
During Dan Patrick's radio show on ESPN Wednesday, Keith Olbermann mentioned names of many players who have been on the same team as journeyman Grimsley - not implicating them, just stating how he has cast a shadow on all of them. How does that make them feel?
It's only going to get worse. The players' names that were blacked out of the federal document will surface - they always do - and this story will turn into a bigger monster.
"You hate to see anything dragged through the mud," manager Bob Melvin said.
The Diamondbacks know that better than anyone.
Reach Boivin at paola.boivin@arizonarepublic.com or (602) 444-8956.
No comments:
Post a Comment