Conflict

When IDB version 2.0 started, I had once said that writing is feast or famine. Sometimes, it’s a bit more than being prolific and quick-witted, but a matter of clearing out the clutter. Not to say that I have done that completely, but the recent Duke-UNC love fest on top of the potential greatness of the New York Diddy Knicks have prompted the scribe to return to the roots. Of course, the thing about clearing out the clutter is that most of the mess comes from incomplete thoughts. Something pops into mind like “why the hell is Joacqim Noah suddenly the greatest defensive basketball player in NCAA history?” and you can’t finish lambasting Jay Bilas and Billy Packer’s adulation because… those damn spreadsheets are due before lunch. “The Mavericks are looking like last year’s White Sox; they look like they’re imploding at the end, but suddenly, they run through the Clippers, Spurs and Suns en route to the meeting at 3:00 in the conference room.” S%$*! That’s been the sportswriting life as of late. Finally, I bring to you my first complete thought since… crap, I can’t even complete that sentence.

So it’s been a week, but to those of us that “Live For This”, there has been an interesting start to the baseball regular season. While I had been working on predictions and things to look out for during the 2006 campaign (such as the White Sox repeating this year and Carl Pavano pitching twenty games… okay, I made myself laugh at that one, too), I had been unable to shake the talks about this impending steroids investigation. It has little to do with the cries of this being a witch hunt or wondering if there is any purpose to this investigation at all. It has to do with George Mitchell himself. As of late, there have been a mention or two about Mitchell as part owner of the Boston Red Sox, which would make any actions against the Yankees’ Gary Sheffield or Jason Giambi very interesting. Yet, even before his role with the pride of Beantown was mentioned, the fact that he happens to be the chairman for the Walt Disney Company had me going. Who here finds it interesting that Mitchell is spearheading the steroids investigation for reasons other than his “unmatched integrity”? So it may not seem like such a big deal, but there is a conflict of interest at play. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

You can look at Bud Selig and wonder if he has decided to bring in some help or if he has run clear from any possible guilt as this so-called steroid era took place in his watch. You could look at team owners and think that they may stand behind this investigation only to avoid public scrutiny or to protect their investments (players). While there are guys like Kevin Towers who admitted knowledge of Ken Caminiti’s use of performance-enhancers, there won’t be much heard from past and current GMs, scouts, managers and coaches as they have to still manage their current rosters. And of course, monst fans won’t admit to actually enjoying the 1998 home run chase anymore. Yet, Mitchell is someone worth noting because as he reveals information about the investigation, the ship that he captains will navigate some choppy waters. ESPN, despite its coverage and reach, is not exactly the most objective medium in the free world, even in such a “fantasy world” such as sports. I would look to see if the MTV of sports will treat the investigation as if it was CSPAN or Court TV, Fox News or CNN or even the Daily Show. Will ESPN become the propaganda voicebox of Major League Baseball or a muckraking nuisance for its own cause? Mitchell may not necessarily run the day-to-day operations of Disney, yet he is quite aware of the unchalleneged value the sports network brings to the company. How he decides to disseminate information will not only have an impact on how fans continue to perceive Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and others implicated, but it will probably make the evening SportsCenter even more of a soapbox than ever before. And you can only imagine what their chief personalities such as Mike Greenberg, Dan Patrick and even Stephen A. Smith will sound like with each passing day.

At the end of the day, there is a great season of baseball that will still be played. Regardless of where you may stand with the importance of steroids and the records, appreciate this season. Baseball, in all honesty, has much more to correct outside of a syringe or two, but that is another posting.

Say What?!?!: I wanted to mention something not often, if ever seen before. During the Nationals/Mets series these past few days, three different Nationals players had been hit by Mets pitchers. It happened to be that one of the three was Jose Guillen, an all-time favorite in Anaheim. Guillen was hit three times in the last two games, including hit by an inside elbow-level pitch by Pedro Martinez. Guillen decides to "calmly" remind Pedro that his elbow and the ball were not to meet. Points his bat and attempts to charge the mound. I say attempts because catcher Paul Lo Duca tried to stop Guillen, but it was actually home plate ump Tom Barrett that held him back by grabbing him at the shoulders and telling him to calm down. Of course, the benches clear for a lot of postering and "how's your wife and my kids?". Umps get shafted (many times deservingly), but in this case, Barrett didn't act like a typical umpire. He didn't want to bring more fuel to the fire nor did he make himself the show. He stepped in where others would have tried their best Jackie Gleason scream to throw both Martinez and Guillen out. Kudos.