In light of all of the steroid/HGH revelations floating around MLB and the fact that Congress has to get down and dirty with it, a new revelation was revealed (ha, ha) from the Minnesota Twins first day of training camp. Now I don't know about you all but I'm sure there are some who might say this guy is a cheater. You might say that he took a performance enhancing drug so that he could get back into the swing of things sooner. Some of you might think he did it to give himself an edge on his opponents. Some of you probably couldn't give a rats a $ $ why he did it...he just shouldn't have done it. I say he ain't cheatin' he's just really competitive.
It was reported in today's issue of the Minneapolis Star Tribune that the first injury from camp was to Manager Ron Gardenhire. Apparently Gardenhire showed up to camp with a sore shoulder. Out of the line-up and not able to throw batting practice, unable to swing his golf clubs effectively and therefore not be ready for his scheduled golf outings this week and possibly not being able to compete in his annual spring bowling spree prompted an outrageous act by Gardenhire.
Gardenhire is said to have sought out a fast cure remedy to get himself back into action. A cortizone shot! Freakin' cheater! Oh, my God...how could Gardy do this to us?" Call it in and get congressional help...NOW. Gardenhire is trying to get healthy so he can clean up on all those golfing bets and bowling wagers. He's looking for an upper hand. Soon all of his opponents will know that he cheated. His golfing buddies and bowling buds will be turning their backs on him. He took a steroid to gain an advantage. OK, so it ain't HGH but who cares...he's cheating.
Or, maybe he just wants to be able to do all the things he wants to do and is used to doing in Fort Myers. Maybe he wants to just be as pain free as he can while he does these activities. And maybe Gardy is old school and remembers when athletes were regularly injected with things like cortizone to get them back on the field very quickly after injury. Maybe he remembers when this was common practice in baseball, football, hockey, basketball, badmitten, tennis, soccer, parchise, backgammon, etc., etc.! Maybe he remembers when this accepted and common practice was blamed for ruining many careers of prominent and not so prominent athletes because it only masked symptons of the injury and created further injury. Please, someone remind me as I haven't taken my daily supplement of memory restorer...did Congress ever get involved in that debate?
It's all so ridiculous now. People throwing stones and accusations and ruining legacies and reputations over what? An age old practice that at one time was as acceptable as summer time and mom's apple pie. Only the players have changed and the stakes are higher. But, alas, I ask you all...are they? To some of us it simply doesn't matter and we, at least I, have been castigated for my lack of caring about it. These are grown men. This practice was accepted forever. When did it change? When did it become sooo freakin' important to throw stones and make these outrageous accusations and put so much on the player's shoulders? When did the court of public opinion become so self important that everyone needed to know who, when, where and why these things were happening? I still remember when the star of the team would get injured and the comments from the fans in the stands would be, "Ah, hell, they'll shoot him up and get him on the field soon." When did we all become roving police with the right to just accuse without any evidence to actually support what we were accusing people of? And then convict without same! I don't know. I try not to think that I am living in the dark ages and I try not to act like it as well. But if the old days are called the "Dark Ages" maybe that is where I belong.
Gardy...give 'em hell throwing BP and golfing and bowling! I'm with you, dude! After all...a little old cortizone never really hurt anybody. At least not like this steroid/HGH thing seems to be hurting people...in a whole lot ways.
As for me...tonight I think it will be "Leave it to Beaver" reruns on the Nostalgia Channel.
I am an educator and a coach. I was a goaltender in hockey until my playing days finished but now coach hockey and soccer. Once a goaltender always a goaltender. I am an Oklahoma Sooners fan, hold most professional athletes in low regard and have no time for prima donna athletes who think they are better than others who were not fortunate enough to get where these guys, or girls, are. I don't think celebrity puts anyone higher than anyone else in any capacity which, I think, is contrary to our society perception.
