I've been totally underwater the last two weeks and this will continue at least thru the end of next week. I'm fighting to keep current and produce some worthwhile reading here every day. Somedays I am more successful than others, depending on my workload. (But staying employed is a good idea so that has to come first.)
I am belatedly getting to probably the best thing I have read in quite some time from the blogosphere, this from my good friend and FOTB, Shysterball. It's a long piece but it's more than worth the time as Craig really flexes his legal background to build and present an interesting case why he is skeptical of Selena Roberts' ARod book. Whether you agree with him or not, it's a compelling read.What I do care about -- and the reason I have quoted all of this stuff by and about Selena Roberts -- is the culture of character assassination that has become inextricably linked to the subject of steroids in baseball. Every big name who has tested positive has not only been branded a cheater by the media, but a dirty cheater with evil and chicanery in his heart. Every assertion of innocence -- even to subordinate allegations -- has been met with scorn. In addition to censuring players under the rules of baseball, the media (and the public at large following the media's lead) has further demanded that high-profile steroids users be ostracized, and that the historical record be expunged, as best it can be, of their very existence. It has been a shameful few years in this regard, and I hope and pray that one day some semblance of perspective on the subject of performance enhancing drugs in baseball prevails. But we're certainly not there yet.
Great work, Craig. Reading this only makes me want to work that much harder to become better at what I do. Unfortunately for me, a post like that looks like Bob Beamon's 1968 long jump.
Enter Selena Roberts. The same Selena Roberts who has already demonstrated a clear interest in making Alex Rodriguez into a villain. The same Selena Roberts who smeared the Duke lacrosse players. Even if we concede that she gets the facts right in her upcoming book, can we have any faith that she presents them with even a semblance of balance, as opposed to surrounding them with innuendo, rumor, conjecture, and false sanctimony?
Friday, May 1, 2009
The best thing I have read in some time
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4 comments:
While going through the Shysterball post's comments I followed the link below. Another superbly written piece.
http://theyankeesrepublic.blogspot.com/2009/04/selena-roberts.html
This "book" will be nothing more than a very expensive supermarket tabloid with a hardcover.
Like any other rag magazine, it'll be filled with blind items and 2nd/3rd hand comments from "unknown teammates". This is the definition of a hit piece.
I can't even begin to express my distaste for Selena Roberts. The mere fact that I now know her name bugs the crap outta me because that's the whole point. It doesn't matter that she's actively seeking out a way to destroy someone's career (and even his very life) - she just wants the recognition and the chance to be on TV (which, BTW, would never happen normally given her, shall we say, run-of-the-mill appearance).
I'm not a big fan of Arod but he is not the only one who should be shamed in this situation.
Just because it's tabloid trash doesn't mean it's not true. The accusations seem entirely likely to me.
Aside from Shysterball's (and a handful of others')response, many of the hysterical denials going around the sports media remind me quite a bit of the anguished, head-in-the-sand reponse to when Canseco's book first came out: i.e., kill the messenger! And even Shysterball's sensible argument isn't necessarily relevant to the case to hand.
So far, this looks to me like another case of deny and suppress. Scapegoating Selena Roberts (and Shane Spencer, et al) is just so much easier and more comforting then actually probing the seamier side of the game, isn't it?
-Tom
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