Geez...

Just as questions have been asked both off and online about Alex Rodriguez's alleged, then admitted use of performance-enhancers, Marc Rasbury, the sports editor for the New York Beacon asked for a piece about the player's mea culpa.

The reply to the request: How many words? I already want the baseball season to be over with.

Obviously, the 500-word piece was done and will be available in select newsstands this Thursday. The world awaits. Yet, not to get on the high horse (again), but America's kind of broke right now. If this is Rodriguez's or Major League Baseball's way of getting our minds off of the doldrums, they need to register for a Tony Robbins seminar immediately.

Yet, until then, it's wishful thinking. Unlike most of you, I sincerely believe that Rodriguez wants to get to spring training already as the rest of us, just so that we can enjoy the actual game.

That being said, we're going to hear about players' alleged use of steroids and PEDs (there is a difference between the two as you can infer from the links) until the end of time. However, the silence coming from the owners is especially damning. As written for the Beacon:

What has yet to happen on a grand scale is an admission of knowledge from the team owners themselves. They have been relatively silent on the issue, even though they are responsible for signing players, hiring team executives and promoting a game that is believed to be tainted. Tom Hicks, owner of the Rangers since 1998, said that he felt personally betrayed by Rodriguez’s admission. However, to think that Rodriguez took these drugs beyond Hicks’ eye is hard to believe, especially knowing that ten players from those Rangers teams have been linked to using enhancers, including Jose Canseco, Ivan Rodriguez and the late Ken Caminiti.

When a current owner steps up to the plate and discusses what he (or she, on behalf of the estate of former Cincinnati Reds owner, the 'lovely' Marge Schott) knew about what players did or did not do, then the potential for real teeth behind PED and steroids testing can truly become reality. As the Mitchell Report stated back in 2007, the always-looming macroeconomics, however, trumped one of the facets of the game's finances:

The onset of mandatory drug testing, the single most important step taken so far to combat the problem, was delayed for years by the opposition of the Players Association. However, there is validity to the assertion by the Players Association that, prior to 2002, the owners did not push hard for mandatory random drug testing because they were much more concerned about the serious economic issues facing baseball.

Personally, as crazy as this may sound, I couldn't care less. It's not because of any favoritism or even exhaustion of this entire drama, though the latter drives this train most of the way. It's because while it hasn't been said or proven with these players, it's not as if any of these athletes who have been linked to using these substances have turned into 'Steve Lattimer'... yet (WARNING: It may be from a movie, but I recognize how serious the subject matter is).



Say What?!?!: With this fiasco, Chris Brown (allegedly) deciding to beat on Rhianna and Bong-gate, can we enjoy something good in the sports and entertainment world this week?