If you're paying much attention to the news these days, you've probably heard about allegations that Alex-Rodriguez (aka. A-Rod, Pay-Rod, A-Roids...) would "tip" pitches. Specifically, that he would see the sign from the catcher and relay information about upcoming pitchers to opposition players during blowout games. This would be done in order to help them improve their numbers, with the implicit understanding that the favour would be returned another day so he could improve his.
The allegation comes in a Sports Illustrated article, and the reporter is standing by her story, insisting that she has corroboration from multiple sources. See this interview with Bob Costas. On the other hand, Harold Reynolds makes the case that this would have been pretty hard to pull off, for a number of reasons. Major League Baseball has said it will investigate, but the burden of proof will be high.
If they get it, it would be explosive. In my opinion (which Ken Burns seems to share), if that's true, he should be out of baseball - for life. So, too, should anyone who collaborated with him. The difference between these allegations, and Shoeless Joe of the 1919 "Black Sox", is narrow: Shoeless Joe is alleged to taken money immediately for the purpose of betraying his team, while A-Rod would have done so in the name of longer-term financial gain.
Steroids are one thing. This is a whole 'nother ball game. There's no place for it, whatsoever, in baseball. Or for anyone who would ever do it.
Ahh, yes. The anonymous sources game. Honestly, even if the names were revealed, I will have trouble believing them. There are many reasons someone would create a story, especially in a sport like baseball. Jealousy, opposing teams, general dislike etc etc etc.
And I'm someone who doesn't even like A-Rod. (As a mariners fan, we've hated A-Rod from waaaay back). But until they've got videotaped evidence, it seems like a heresay sort of thing.
The interesting thing is, with so many of the games televised, they OUGHT to have videotaped evidence. The combinatorial search de novo would be daunting, but once anyone steps forward it should be "fire up the tapes and see".
Whatever one may think of the "sportsmanship" of such a scheme, the effect would be to narrow average victory margins, artificially boosting the "suspense" and "drama" of a typical game.
It's interesting that another major professional sport, NASCAR, is quite upfront about its ceaseless efforts to do exactly this to car races by mandating ever more equality of inputs to its racing teams - to the point where every car is now essentially identical under the skin panels.
The key difference is that what is alleged about baseball is unsanctioned by the governing body of the sport and the product - if real - of informal collusion by the rank and file competitors. In NASCAR's case, it is the organizing/sanctioning body itself that is the source of such efforts. Perhaps MLB is simply annoyed that A-Rod and some other players might be usurping what it regards as its own prerogative.
Dick,
The difference is that A-Rod's claimed acts involve active betrayal of one's team and team-mates.
The NASCAR example involves a governing body taking steps to ensure that human skill remains the main source of difference behind achievement. In that sense, if you're looking for a valid comparison, baseball steroids policy is an obvious fit.
And no, they are absolutely not even remotely the same thing.
It's one thing to sacrifice our country, our future, and our children to the vanity and selfishness of arrogant individuals, and something else to destroy things we really care about, like sports.
But that grave was dug long ago. I know there are decent, dedicated, hard-working men in pro ball. But it's not worth putting up with the mercenary superstar assholes anymore. And it's a cancer on our colleges, too.
Though A-Rod apparently skipped the farcical college education. They just gave him an honorary degree instead.
I never got over Pete Rose.
Meh. I dislike A-Rod, but Selena Roberts is easily the least rigorous reporter at SI. Probably in sports journalism anywhere, and that includes the guy who writes the articles about Kim Jong Il's holes-in-one.