Tipping: Cows-Fun, Pitches-Bad

A-Rod, A-Rod, A-Rod…

What the heck happened to you when you went to Texas?  Sure, you were accused of be a sell-out for scooping up all that cash, but did you sell your soul too?  I mean, sheesh, if this latest accusation of you tipping pitches to your opponents is true, then you are the Devil!

Seriously…wait a second.

Baseball has become a multi-billion dollar business, right?  Players are rewarded for their individual stats, right?  And WE, the fans/media, are outraged that a player would be using “performance-enhancing drugs” and colluding with another player(s) to benefit each other’s stats?

Hrmmm…

Maybe, we’re being a little too naive here?  I know we want desperately to believe in our heroes, but they are people like us.  Yes, I’m talking about the same “us” that is likely to fudge on their taxes, embelish their resumes and perhaps peek at our neighbors during SATs.  At the very least, we edge over that posted speed limit, snag a few extra plastic forks at the local burger joint and don’t even get me started with hotel rooms.

I know we all think that we are soooo good, but there is — at the very least — a smidge of evilness lurking somewhere just below the surface.  In our worlds though, we rationalize our little indescretions by thinking “everyone else is doing it” so it must be okay.  Right?  C’mon, we can be honest here, nobody is around.

So, let’s put ourselves in A-Rod’s world.  A very, very competitive enviroment where it must have seemed like “everybody” was using ‘roids or HGH.  Then in a 10-2 game he accidentally gives his teammates the signals of the next pitch — which is common, so the defense can prepare — a little early and it occurs to him that the batter noticed what he was doing.  He ponders, so what if the opposing player ripped a double?  It’s not like the game’s outcome was altered.  Plus, that opposing player is really a good guy and, as everyone knows, has been mired in a deep slump.

And, boom, 3 years later you have two or three players on every team that you “help out”, but of course, ONLY if the game is out of hand.  And there within lies the rub, who determines when a game is “out of hand”?

I am in no way condoning what A-Rod has done or what he may still be doing when he returns to the game in a week or so.  I’m just trying to step off the soapbox and look realistically at how he could get to the point where he would think these things are somehow acceptable behavior from a professional athlete and role model.

Not only am I willing to look below the surface at A-Rod’s thinking, but I’m even open to the possibility that my beloved fantasy baseball might actually contribute to the landscape that excuses any action, ethical or not, that enhances a player’s stat line.

Amazing, just look at the names that have been associated with or torn down and destroyed by ‘Roids in past few years; Rafeal Palmeiro, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco, Andy Pettitte, Jason Giambi and of course Alex Rodriguez.  They’re all elite players…or at least were.

Have a great weekend!  And catch my podcast at BlogTalkradio.com this Sunday at 5-7pm ET!

-Johnny Archive