I find it ironic that a personality like Sammy Sosa would be caught in a pinch like this. He’s garnered “role model” status because of his own admirable, voluntary behavior. In a society were athletic renegades get rewarded and “good guys” get thumbed, I’ve found Sammy Sosa to be a breath of fresh air. It takes guts and dedication to be a pleasant and ethical personality in this world. I’m sure he lacks perfection in many ways – as we all do – and is as open to temptation as any one of us. What’s he doing with a corked bat in the first place? Beats me. I do know shot putters who work out with heavier and lighter shots; they have their good reasons. Does a corked bat serve any similar advantage in batting practice / training? Perhaps Sammy only knows that one. In the end, I think we can all learn some lessons from this. I’m all for rules and upholding pre-defined consequences for illegal conduct, but there must also be some room for reasonable interpretation. As much as Black & White seems appropriate, it’s not always the best perspective. How can we make the most of this ordeal for the kids? We all make mistakes, yet we don’t want to simultaneously and inadvertently provide the message that imperfect people are unaccountable for their actions.
I think this Sammy Sosa ordeal is unfortunate for all; but it can also be an opportunity to dig deeper and find ways to grow … both for baseball and every fan. Wanna bet other players use corked bats without getting caught? Tons of 'em. Sammy gets nailed in what could be an unintentional event. Who really knows. I just feel we can get creative by using his positive past, combine it with this present mess, and somehow make it work in a positive direction. It’s been done with others before. Dig deep. It can happen.
Well, ultimately – and if Sammy’s the positive character he’s thus far proven to be – he’ll step up and rectify the situation even more honorably than a mandated punishment possibly could.
What’s baseball’s policy on handling infractions of the corky nature? I’m not up-to-date on that one. But anyway, Sam should first openly accept a reasonable punishment, regardless of original intent or possible accidental use of the bat. [How far does honesty really go in our bloodthirsty trivia-crazed society anyway. Hmm. Hard to tell sometimes.] He should follow up by publicly addressing this ordeal … and the subsequent importance of accepting reasonable punishments that accompany infractions. He can still preserve much of his image and also turn this into a working, positive experience for all. Will he do it? Will the powers that BE even allow such a response on his part? Not sure. But that’s how I see something positive coming from all this.
Yeah. It’ll be interesting to see how he and baseball handles it from here on out.
Suspension for 10 games is MORE than reasonable, IMHO. There’s still no denying the importance of establishing good rules and then sticking by them … granted the policy makers and enforcers work from a compassionate and firm perspective. Sometimes it’s a delicate and challenging balance – especially since unique circumstances always seem to play into the mix. I wish they didn’t, but they usually do. I’m speaking from experience. High school principal. We taste this stuff every day. It’s never easy. A strict “black and white” mentality comes naturally for me, but it’s not always appropriate. People are a complex bunch, often requiring tailored mechanisms to improve their lives. sigh But I do understand your views, Rev. I really do.
Sorry to bring this back up but I reminded me of the whole situation
Remember when Alomar spit in the umps face. That doesnt make him a bad person, he just got fired up. Spitting in the umps face isnt legal (i think) and he didnt get banned for life.
I used to love this guy - he was like my 2nd or 3rd favorite player in the Majors, then he spit on the Ump. After that you couldnt pay me to take his autograph. I think he is scum because of that - fit of rage or not, you dont disgrace someone like that on national TV.
As for Sammy - his punishment was fair, if you compare it with all others caught doing the same. If you compare it with real life, than I agree with Rev - he should be kicked out. But as we all know by now… Sports are not real life and it doesnt look to change anytime soon. Sammy has to live with the fact that we all think he’s a cheater now. Although he does have Millions and prolly doesnt care
Yeah. I think appealing is a bad move. Bad choice on his part.
I remember seeing Bill Romanowski (when with the Broncos) spit on another player. In my mind, there’s a substantial difference between “infractions within the game” and the spitting thang. It’s hard to get any lower than spitting on someone. Low man, low. I’m talkin’ Limbo Low. Here’s a case where “an eye for an eye” might be good. 14 points awarded to the other team AND all players and refs get to spit on the guy. Not sure I could do that myself, but it almost seems fair? :-\
Another possible resolution to the cork bat thing … perhaps the other team should get to use a corked bat for the remainder of the game? And if you’re in the 7, 8, or 9th inning, every run scored counts double for the offended team. (-:
a lot of big atheletes say they dont care that much about the money, but that’s usually bs. i think making someone who cheats be paid the league minimum is a good idea, except that someone who is paid squat and sucks is a more probable cheater than someone who doesn’t need to cheat.:-\
if you made 3 million a year, and someone cut your sallery down to like 200,000 a year, that would hurt your lifestyle, but…
if you made 230,000 a year, and someone cut your sallery down to 200,000 a year, it wouldn’t make much difference.
IMO, cheating in sports or anything else is like drug use. people do it, and they know that there’s consequences, but those consequences dont scare them enough, so they do it anyways.
just a thought.
Low man, low. I’m talkin’ Limbo Low. Here’s a case where “an eye for an eye” might be good. 14 points awarded to the other team AND all players and refs get to spit on the guy. Not sure I could do that myself, but it almost seems fair? :-\
