The Post I Didn't Want to Write

I was going to title this post, "The Hypocrisy of Outrage," but my hatred of Alex Rodriguez and my concomitant need to defend him made me change my mind.

Let's go back to 2000. Everyone knew that McGwire, Sosa, Bonds, and these other sluggers were on the roids. Their arms were as big as my leg. No one really thought they were doing it through working out and eating well. Maybe people fooled themselves into thinking they were just taking the right supplements. But rumors abounded about steroids.

No one cared. No one investigated this. The owners didn't bat an eyelash. Players were hitting lots of home runs. People came to the ballpark and watched the game on TV. Everyone made a ton of money.

But now we find out that these guys were doing it unfairly. And we are outraged by this! How dare they blaspheme the sanctity of the game!!!

Give me a break. You knew A-Rod and everyone else was juicing. I knew it. Everyone knew it. We all chose to look the other way. To say that Clemens, Bonds, and Rodriguez shouldn't go to the Hall of Fame is a joke. First, who are we going to be voting for in say 2015? Anyone? Second, these guys are all three clear Hall of Fame players even without the drugs. I can see not voting for McGwire. He was finished before the drugs. He was Richie Sexson before he became Babe Ruth. Sammy Sosa and Rafael Palmeiro may be somewhat more marginal cases. But Clemens, Bonds, and Rodriguez are three of the best players to ever play the game. They were before the drugs and they still are. Anyone who doesn't vote for these guys is crazy.

I really loathe A-Rod on so many levels. Probably unreasonably so. But give the guy a break. While he created this problem, he's no different than hundreds of other guys. If we are going to crucify him, shouldn't we also know the names of the other 103 players who tested positive. That's the equivalent of over 4 teams.

There, now I've written a post defending Alex Rodriguez. I have to shower the filth off.