So there's another drug scandal in the world of baseball - surprise surprise. What is it with baseball players and performance-enhancing substances? How is that no other sport is so riddled with drug abuse as the one that requires probably the least physical exertion (sorry, baseball fans, but running around the bases doesn't quite amount to the cardio workout involved in a basketball or soccer game).
Anyway, this time it's Manny Ramirez of the Dodgers who's busted. According to The New York Times, he wasn't using steroids but a prescription drug for personal health reasons that violated the MLB's substance policy. He'll be out until July 3rd and will lose one-third of his salary. Boo-hoo - he'll only get $16 million this year.
As for the article itself, Michael S. Schmidt did a pretty good job. It's short, sweet, and to the point - how it should be. The way Schmidt presented the information also did not create any bias towards or against Ramirez, which isn't easy in this case. People generally think that he either got a rough break for an honest mistake while players like Mark McGuire, Alex Rodriguez, and Barry Bonds got off without a suspension pre-2004, or they're of the opinion that his "personal health problem" isn't legit and that he's been trying to trick the system with a prescription drug. Either way, both sides are pretty charged, and Schmidt does a good job walking the line.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/08/sports/baseball/08ramirez.html?_r=1&hp
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2 comments:
"How is that no other sport is so riddled with drug abuse as the one that requires probably the least physical exertion (sorry, baseball fans, but running around the bases doesn't quite amount to the cardio workout involved in a basketball or soccer game)."
No, that would be golf you're thinking of.
I have to agree that in cases like these, it is quite difficult to present an unbiased opinion. You are right in saying that most people either tend to be wholly in favour of the punishment, or wholly against it. Schmidt does do a good job in presenting the facts without leaning to one side, not an easy feat and quite an underappreciated one these days.
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