The Anti-Pujols

Let me quote a few things from a recent article I read about Pujols while researching just exactly what he had said over the issue of steroids (parsed down for brevity's sake):

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"I can understand people being disappointed with A-Rod and Manny. But just because Manny made a mistake, now I have to pay? Just because A-Rod made a mistake, now I have to pay? Oh, guilt by association? That's wrong. For people to be suspicious of me because of the year I'm having and for people to say I just haven't been caught, that makes me angry and disappointed. I would never do any of that crap. You think I'm going to ruin my relationship with God just because I want to get better in this game? You think I'm going to ruin everything because of steroids? Come test me every day if you want. Everything I ever made in this game I would give back to the Cardinals if I got caught. I can understand why people don't know who they can trust or their hero was caught. I want to be the guy people look up to. But I want to be the person who represents God, represents my family and represents the Cardinals the right way. So many people can't wait until I do something negative. I can't understand it. That's sad, because I want to be that poster boy in baseball. Just give me the chance."

Pujols, who has three children with his wife, Deidre, and another baby on the way, goes to great lengths to maintain his untarnished image and uphold his deep religious beliefs. He doesn't drink or smoke. He doesn't have a tattoo or wear earrings. He doesn't go to bars, nightclubs or any place where his character could be assaulted.

"If we're in a hotel and a woman gets on the elevator by herself, I'll wait for the next one," Pujols says. "People have their agenda. You have to be careful who you can trust."

Says Giant Randy Johnson, a five-time Cy Young Award winner, "I think Albert is the one guy in our game who could go to the opposition, say something, and they'd listen. That's how highly people regard him."

And the 6-3, 230-pounder is saying things more often, especially when it comes to showing respect for the game. The baseball cap should be worn properly. The jersey tucked. The back pockets in.

"I see teams take their jerseys out when the game is over," he says. "To me, that's not professional. I don't care what you do when you get off the field, but don't do it on the field. You don't want kids to see negative things."

"Just because you make $100 million, just because people say you're one of the best, doesn't mean you don't work hard."

"It's as if he wants to not only be the best player today," Cardinals outfielder Chris Duncan says, "but the greatest player who ever played."

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I'm glad that Pujols is so intensely vocal on the issue of steroids, as 1.) It makes me actually believe that he isn't on them and 2.) It's the sort of thing that helps people get past any disillusionment caused by steroids. I know there are a lot of people, like my father, who are incredibly cynical about the whole thing, but they still follow baseball closely because "At least Albert isn't juicing." A lot of people think Placido Polanco, because of his body type, uses steroids; I don't, because Pujols is close friends with Polanco and godfather to one of his kids. I don't think Pujols would associate himself with someone if they used (Polanco and Pujols were teammates from 2000-2002). Additionally, I think Pujols' willingness to stand up and act as a figurehead gives people a symbol to rally around; imagine if Hank Aaron and Albert Pujols publicly worked together to get the 2003 drug test results revealed. How could anyone say no?

What I found particularly interesting was the second half of the article, the part about professionalism. I was reminded of one specific player: Prince Fielder.

Fielder was eating up headlines the other day for his confrontation with Guillermo Mota. For those who missed it, Mota, a former teammate of Fielder's, beaned Fielder on the fat part of his thigh in the ninth inning of a 17-4 Dodger win. Mota got tossed; Fielder lifted himself to his feet and seemed to be saying something along the lines of 'Why the hell would he do that?' He looked more perturbed than anything else; he didn't rush the mound, that's for certain. After the game, though, a furious Fielder tried to enter the Dodgers lockerroom, presumably to confront Mota. He tried repeatedly to get past a Dodger-hired usher watching the door and several Brewers, including Ryan Braun, before relenting and turning back.

I don't know exactly what was going through Fielder's mind, either before, during, and after the beaning; what I do know is that his actions in the Dodger Stadium hallways were those of an idiotic child. If Fielder actually felt like he was being thrown at, he should have rushed the mound. Once he didn't, though, the ship had sailed on his chance to personally retaliate--maybe the Brewers could have thrown at Russell Martin or James Loney the next game, but Fielder's opportunity to take matters into his own hands was over. I don't know exactly how I feel about his on-field reaction: I am a huge believer in protecting your teammates and retaliatory beanings (though only if they are retaliatory), so I guess by extension I ought to support Fielder if he tries to protect himself. However, HBPs are just a natural part of the game, while trying to punch a guy in the face is not. I'm not sure how exactly I would feel about the situation if Fielder had charged Mota.

What I am certain of is that Fielder embarassed himself after the game. His actions were ridiculous: Did he really think he was going to gain entrance to the Dogder lockerroom and choke slam Mota? His actions were unprofessional: You're a grown man that a lot of kids look up to. Try and act like it, not throw rock-stars-trashing-their-hotel-room temper tantrums while screaming obscenities. His actions, most of all, were stupid: As anyone knows, and as I mentioned in my last post, the MLB polices itself, and the front offices have made it clear that, even though rushing the mound and punching a guy in the face technically constitutes assault (after all, if you did that on the street you'd be criminally liable and could go to prison), you can get away with it. What you CAN'T get away with is trying to fight people away from the field. Fielder was uncomfortably close to opening a particularly dangerous can of worms.

Note how Pujols wishes players would treat the game with more respect and, amongst other things, maintain a decent appearance on the field. What's the first thing Fielder does after the 27th out is recorded? Untuck his jersey. Pujols tries to set a decent example and doesn't drink or smoke. Fielder (in Pujols' backyard, no less) went through the entire Home Run Derby award ceremony with chaw in his lip and his jersey untucked, and spent the whole night dipping. And now this.

I was actually a fan of Fielder's last year, as his brief friendship with CC Sabathia was great entertainment. The two seemed to feed off the passion of the other, and it was a lot of fun to watch. After his display of a total lack of respect for himself and the game, though, you can count me out.

Hank Aaron, etc.

The topic that's burning up everyone up lately is the issue of the 2003 steroid user list. Some people want it revealed, some don't.

I think context is a little important. Back in 2003, the Player's Association, headed by the soon-to-be-retried Donald Fehr, agreed to have random drug testing. If 7% or more of the players tested positive, then mandatory, regulated drug testing would be enacted the following year. It was also agreed that, no matter what, the results of the test would be absolutely secret and would not be revealed to anyone.

Well, I think we know how that worked out.

Now, Hank Aaron is giving his opinion on the matter. In an interview with the AP: "I wish for once and forever that we could come out and say we have 100 and some names, name them all and get it over and let baseball go on," Aaron said. "I don't know how they keep leaking out. I just wish that they would name them all and get it over with." Link to the story here.

So what to do? Release the list? Destroy it forever? Release the list - and punish the players on it?

I had a very spirited argument with a fellow baseball fan for whom I have a deep respect, and he argued that the list should not be released on the grounds that it would be illegal. There was a contract agreement between the PA and the MLB front offices, and releasing it would violate the letter of the law.

And...he's right. It would be illegal if the list were revealed, as the players who consented to the tests in 2003 did it on the condition of absolute anonimity. Some have pointed out how a lot of players (most notably Albert Pujols) have been extremely vocal in their condemnation of steroids and would likely support the revelation of the complete list; and, after all, if the players themselves (or a large portion) want the list revealed, how can the Association say no? The problem, of course, is that so many of the players who were tested in 2003, whether they tested positive or negative for steroids, are no longer playing and the Association no longer represents their interests.

The elephant-in-the-room for the PA is that the front offices can do whatever they feel like, and they know it. The front offices of the NFL, MLB, and other pro sports leagues have routinely been empowered by the US legal system to police themselves and do whatever they feel like. The MLB is a legal monopoly, and if Selig and company decide that releasing the list is the way to go, then the list is going to get released. Maybe they won't just come out and say "This is what we're doing, anyone who doesn't like it can jump off a cliff"; there will probably be some business with 'anonymous sources', but in the end the list will get revealed.

Regardless of whether or not you like the hazy ethical standards employed, I think most people feel that the publication of the hundred or so remaining names would be good for baseball. There is a huge amount of cynicism surrounding baseball, and rightly so: The game turned a blind eye to performance-enhancing drugs for a decade. There are Hall of Fame voters who didn't vote for Tony Gwynn or Cal Ripken, Jr. because 'everyone from that era is tainted'; and, while that is idiotic logic, I think it reflects the intense disillusionment that has been sweeping over baseball for a long time.

We live in an era in which there are no suprises. Mark McGwire was one of the most popular players to ever put on a uniform and hit well over 500 home runs; as I write this, he has failed three times to reach the Hall of Fame. Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz, the Lennon and McCartney of Boston, each test positive and we shrug. For God's sake, every one on the planet is convinced Barry Bonds took steroids and he's the all-time home run king!

If we really want to write the epilogue for The Steroid Era and then close the book, letting us see the lists will allow us to finally get a real handle on the situation. After all these years, we can lay all the paranoia and suspicion to rest and see just who was using.

Of course, the PA may still vehemently oppose the release of the list. There job is not to appease fans, but to protect the players, and allowing the list to reach the public eye, while good for the careers of many, would likely be ruinous in some form or another. Some might disagree with me, and point to Manny Ramirez's sustained popularity in Los Angeles in spite of his fifty-game suspension; I would refer them to McGwire, and remind them that most players would be devastated if they knew they were never going to reach the Hall of Fame, even if no other punishment was meted out.

Anyone with an eye for history knows that the eventual leaking of the complete list is likely inevitable. The PA can sit on their hands (I'll let you guess where their thumbs will be) and pretend the bell can be un-rung, or they can make sure that when the list is released, the players named aren't utterly trampled over. A lot of sportswriters and fans have been calling for lifetime bans of any player that tests positive for steroids; while this is a horrible idea that clearly hasn't been well thought through (someone explain to me how banning Alex Rodriguez or Manny Ramirez for life from the game is good for baseball), anything can happen when people convince themselves of the righteousness of their cause. If the PA embraced the publication of the list instead of fighting it, they could help guide the raging flood.

And yet...even if they did, my statement that it would 'write the epilogue' for the Steroid Era is really just a pipe dream. We won't really be able to put it behind us until twenty years have gone by since the last known PED user has retired, and those that were associated with steroids have either seen themselves elected to Cooperstown or snubbed fifteen times in a row and had their names fallen off the ballot.

Either way, we're paying for the sins of the past.