If only fans could dump all that’s bad in baseball (our discretion) down the shitter then flush. The sport would be so much better off.
In a way, I’m not sure that’s not exactly what is happening.
MLB can try as it may to convince itself that fans love the game despite its cheating, but rest assured, the sport will take a BIG hit. Teaching kids that cheating to win is acceptable is where parents and professional sports have finally disconnected.
There will be hell to pay on this one.
Speaking of which, it amazes how some prominent sports journalists now argue that Roger Clemens shouldn’t go to jail for lying under oath.
Strike one!
What makes Roger Clemens better than any other American citizen who lies under oath?
Hell, Marion Jones is halfway to prison for the same indiscretion.
Had Roger not gotten beaned by McNamee, his arse would be HOF bound and self-righteously judging others who ‘did’ get caught, like Bonds. Then folks would be screaming for Bonds’ arse even more than they already are -- and have been for years
During my first year blogging at Fox Blogs the hate for, and persecution of Bonds was merciless, and borderline racist. It was all about him being a cheat and a worthless piece of feces.
But now that Roger has been exposed, it’s “Wait, let’s think about this a minute.”
If Marion Jones goes to jail for perjury, then so does Roger.
You know, this may sound like an ego trip, but it’s not.
Simply put, MLB had better hope like hell I don’t dedicate my pen to the hypocrisy and double standard of this steroids and perjury thing.
Please know that I have a mighty pen — one that will kick Mitch Albom’s, “I report stories with conclusions that haven’t happened yet”,#### under the table.
If Barry goes to prison, then so does Roger.
If folks want a pass for Roger, then take Marion and Barry off the table too.
But the fact is, Roger lied like a Persian rug. And got caught.
Now, to save his reputation, we're telling our youth that lying under oath is a negligible offense?
Strike three!!!
And with that ...
BALL GAME!
... MLB, you're out!
[Originallly posted in respone to a post written by thedan at RSB.com]
DOVINE: WELL SAID AND YOUR RIGHT IF THE OTHERS GO SO SHOULD ROGER DOGER HE HAS AN EGO RIGHT UP THERE WITH BONDS MAYBE THEY CAN SHARE A CELL.. WELL WRITTEN POST ..JW
Last edited by JOKERSWILD on March 1st at 5:41 PM.
Mean,
First let me say it's been awhile and it's great to see you around. Secondly well thought out and put together post you have here and I agree. WTF is wrong with people. There is this double standard with fans and media people alike when we talk of these cases between Bonds,Jones and Clemens. You say it's boarderline racist, I say it's blatant racism and I am ashamed for those people. #### Clemens he lied and continues to lie so lock his arrogant and egotistical arse up and throw away the key! Take care mon'ami hope to read more from you in the near future.
Mean......amen! Don't forget Vick! Why is it that when a player like Clemens (read into that anyway you like) lies, suddenly it's OK, but when athletes like Bonds, Jones and Vick lie (read into that anyway you like), it's NOT OK? I'm not about anything but fair, and equitable punishment. Regardless of anything else, when you put your hand on the bible and swear to tell the truth, and you don't, your tush goes to the big house. No ifs, ands or buts about it.
NICE TO SEE YOU HERE......you are one of the best writers on this site. My heart skips a beat when I see your name on the boards-all is good on Fox when the the General Mean is in town. (applause!)
First let me say, I love you all and miss you dearly.
I hate to say this over and over again, but while this country was still in denial about what work still needed to done where racial hatred, bigotry, sexism, misogyny, and intolerence were concerned, I was beating the drum of multiculturalism and equality of all people.
And I aint talking 60s and 70s: I’m talking 80s, 90s, and beyond.
It’s recorded.
The fact is, Congress (Republicans most notably) tried to use its influence (at the cost of millions) to get Roger off by convincing the American people that he was inncoent of all charges, while McNamee was portrayed as a lying, scum of the earth drug dealer.
And it backfired.
As a result, those lawmakers who once sided with Roger are now distancing themselves to save their jobs. Perhaps they finally realize that status quo America aint as gullable as it used to be.
What took 'em so long, regarding the realization that is ...
Now certain sectors of the sports media are using their influence to beg for restraint where Clemens is concerned?
I named Kornheiser as one culprit. After all, I saw and heard him do so with my own eyes and ears.
Answer me this …
Am I the only one who found it absolutely shameful that Roger’s attorney’s actually controlled his answers to Congress every time it looked as if a truthful answer might incriminate him?
Since when does it require the advice and counsel of one’s attorney’s to tell the truth?
More than McNamee, and more than hearsay, this is what implicated Clemens the most ...
Last edited by MeanDovine on March 1st at 9:02 AM.
The truth doesn’t require an attorney’s whispers in one’s ear.
As a former sports editor, current broadcast media person, and erstwhile broadcast news person, I can certifiably say, Roger Clemens has been treated with kid gloves compared to both Barry Bonds and Marion Jones.
I’ve seen and know the tricks of the trade up close and personal. And on this one they stink to high heaven.
In my mind, both Roger and Barry deserve to be pilloried.
Mean,
We miss you to buddy. You are absolutly beyond any shadow of a doubt 100% correct.
p.s. I sometimes visit my boy moondog at his website and found a link he provided to yours. I visited it but was somewhat confused on it. I shall return though. I just have one request please. How about some love for my boy CP3 is that young man good or what! You know he has the opportunity to be thye first player in history to avg. 20pts, 10 asst. and 3 stls for a season.
Hey Mean, great to see you back. Now that the Feds are investigating Clemens, he SHOULD be given the Bonds treatment. There should be consistency across the board. I agree with you that if Marion Jones is serving time for lying to the Feds, then so should Clemens. The BIG difference being that Jones is and will do her best to be sincere in paying her debt to society. There is not a bone of sincerity in Clemens' body and soul.
The avatar is that of Jackie Robinson when he signed with the Dodgers. Robinson represented what was/is right about baseball and sports in general.
I hope you're keeping things on lock around the old joint.
Thanks for the balance in opinion, bro. Yours represents the best of the American people.
I am somewhat of an aficionado when it comes to Jackie Robinson. I even sent my kid brother to the same high school Jackie attended. Therefore, your avatar holds special significance for me.
Thank you for welcoming an old friend back, even if but briefly.
Love ya, man!
Last edited by MeanDovine on March 1st at 11:18 AM.
Here's Marion's situation as reported by the AP on 1/12/08:
Marion Jones sentenced to 6 months for lying about steroids
... Her attorney quoted the bard in asking a judge to be merciful, but the former Olympic track gold medalist was sentenced Friday to six months in prison for lying to investigators about using performance-enhancing drugs and about her role in a check-fraud scam.
The judge further added:
The check-fraud scheme was a major crime, and the wide use of steroids "affects the integrity of athletic competition," the judge said. If Jones had told the truth from the start, he said, it would have been a great help to the ongoing investigation into the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative, the lab at the center of the steroids scandal in professional sports.
The use of performance-enhancing drugs "sends all the wrong messages to all who follow the athlete's every move," Karas said, apparently referring to children. "Athletes in society have an elevated status. They entertain, they inspire and, perhaps most important, they serve as role models."
Wow, Mean really did post this on Fox. Bro you have been unleashed.
Each scenario is pretty complex. Complex as in each of these athletes have been brought down differently. Nonetheless, one isn't better than the other. They have failed us and the next generation of athletes who look up to these people.
I really believe Clemens will get burned in the coming months. If I were him I'd retire and not show my face for a while. That will diffuse any flack he'll get when he pitches on the road. But if he slides, I'll be very disappointed in the media, the bloggers and the fans for the different treatment of two separate drug users.
Welcome back Mr.MD...
Nice to see you again...
We missed you a lot.
You are 100% correct and if they get one they should get them all to do time...
No if's & no but's period.
If Roger does go to jail it surely didn't have to be that way.
My mother always taught me, "Tell one lie, you've got to tell a thousand more to cleaan it up ... And it'll still be a lie. But the truth never changes."
----------------
Wow, Dana Stubblefield! I grew up with one of his closest cousins.
its great to see you here. i hope theres more to come. your blog is great. sorry i dont comment more, but know that i am reading!
"Dana Stubblefield, a former San Francisco 49ers All-Pro defensive lineman whose career ended under a steroid cloud, pleaded guilty Friday to lying to a federal agent in 2003 about his use of performance-enhancing drugs."
Last edited by JoshQPublic on March 1st at 7:02 PM.
i think its getting better. there will always be cheaters. the cheaters will always beat the testers. what i find odd(not really right word) about the whole process is, usually when drug dealers are caught(mcnamee), they roll on bigger dealers, here they are rolling on the users. why isnt donald fehr and the players association being investigated. why aren't owners being investigated. everybody was using. everybody knew. forget mitchell. let this Jeff Novitzky cat run rampant. give him carte blanche. into EVERYTHING. then lets what turns up.
Last edited by JoshQPublic on March 1st at 7:43 PM.
Mean, you know where I stand on the issue of drugs not just in sports but in this country in general, so I won't foray into that sector. I did want to stop by and say that it's good to see a familiar face around here again, and commend you for an entertaining read, even if I disagree with it.
The thing that irks me, though, is that Congress is involved with this in the first place. I'm sure I'm not the first person you've heard this from, but it's true: Congress has a thousand more important things they could be focusing on instead of which baseball players are putting substances in their bodies. You know, like the misguided War on Iraq that was based on lies and false evidence; the sliding economy due to the back-patting of big business and the wrist-slapping of the less fortunate; the quickening erasure of our Bill of Rights and the complete disappearance of the Geneva Conventions supported by an authoritarian Bush presidency; and the mudslide of the reputation of the United States -- no one else in the world likes us anymore.
And Congress chooses to waste not just their time, but our time, and, more importantly, taxpayer money on steroid and HGH use in professional sports?
People wonder why I don't stand for the national anthem. This is a prime example of just why I don't.
Although this is but a drive-by post for me, it's great to visit our old stomping grounds, Fox Blogs. I actually thought about you a few days ago, in a positve way. I don't know why but you popped into my head.
You and I had a couple of very memorable and intelligent debates. Matched one another point for point. You're a skillful and exhaustive debater.
But, you know, I have to stand down on this one. You make some powerful points on the state of the Grand Ole U, S of A.
Please tell me where the hell we're headed? And who's really steering the ship?
-------------
Look, feel free to stop by my new blog home anytime at:
http://www.thel.tv
You are always welcome, be it for a simple cup of Joe, or some heavy conversation.
Thanks for hollerin' at a playa, Ultra.
Much love.
LOL! Leave it to you to lure me into deep thought.
Some things never change ...
Last edited by MeanDovine on March 1st at 11:24 PM.
By the way, "catharsis" has to be one of my favorite words. I don't know why, though.
Hardly anyone uses it, even in a proper dialogue such as pseudo-professional writing (in layman's terms, blogging). I think the last time I saw it used was when I last watched Kevin Smith's movie, Clerks.
Look, we're not perfect. We're human, which makes us fallable. But some things simply reek of bias and impropriety. It is in these matters that we must challenge ourselves to be better.
MeanD - if and when you sign back on I got to this late. Kind of a different world for some of the old voices here as a lot of new ones abound. However, it is always good to read you here. I have no problem with jail time if and when they are proven guilty of using and then lying about it. I have major issues with major players who hold themselves above it all when immediate action on their part could have stymied this whole steroid mess. I speak of Bud Selig and Donald Fehr among others. Instead of action their initial stand of inaction set the table for where we find ourselves now. In a 2007 statement on record attendance in MLB Selig calls this "a golden age for Major League Baseball." He wants to take the credit but is trying to absolve himself of any reponsibilty in, arguably, the darkest scandal in sport. He, in many ways, is as responsible as the players accused. You are, and always were, the man here. Take care.
There are too many 'punishments' (or lack there of) for the same 'crime'.
And not just in one or two sports.
(The racing world is approaching a debacle of its own)
Mixed messages like these don't teach anyone much of anything, except that not everyone gets punished, and, apparently it is ok 'sometimes' to break the rules.
Mean Dovine
That's what the Justice System is supposedly here for. But unfortunately there are ways in which this miscreants are allowed to circumvent it.
No one wants to be accountable for their actions anymore but yet we've got a bunch of as&sholes wanting to escape justice when it's meted out.
Sorry that it has taken me this long to get back to you, but I wasn't planning on making anymore comments on this post until I saw that three of my best blogger buddies had stopped by.
Fehr and Selig are at the head of the proverbial snake. Unfortunate for them, they've yet to find a fall guy to hold the carnage on this one. In my mind, it is as you say, "The darkest scnadal to hit any sport. And it's a shame. There was a time when baseball was my favorite pasttime.
I'll always love the sport, but I find it difficult to embrace as long as this wave of denials and partial acceptances of responsibility continue to be tossed about.
Boy am I thankful to gcoach for spotting this post. Not only is it great to hear from you, but it is even more wonderful to read your thoughts on the matter.
Your statement is so on point. What's good for the goose is good for the gander. Do the time, you gotta do the time. No free passes.
Again, thank you for visiting. Please feel free to holler at me anytime. I'd love to continue to hear from you.
I say they should all pay fines and serve mandatory community service and work with youth about integrity and honesty, and impart their real wisdom and skills to the next generations.
So much gifted talent not to be used for the better...
MeanD I am back after a year away the first thing I read was this blog. MeanD this is great stuff and should be required reading in school LOL! Hey, I want to add my two cents to this discussion. The Michael Vick case was pure racial BS. Vicks crime was fighting dogs that has been going on for centuries in other countries. I feel if Vick was white are not a well known athelete he would have gotten probation not PRISON. MeanD if you see this comment please respond hope to see more of your blogs. Lakers are back now that they have another legit allstar bye hope to hear from you.
Last edited by lakersfan987 on May 3rd at 8:21 PM.
