Misplaced Anger and Selective Outrage Part 1 5/12/09

An open letter to Albert Pujols

Dear Mr. Pujols (being a Cards fan may I call you Albert?):

Your request of the media to be asked questions pertaining only to the St. Louis Cardinals is understandable, but you're dead friggin wrong about Manny Ramirez being a 'Dodger problem'. Manny is a baseball problem-players, owners, and, most importantly, the fans. Albert, you make a very nice living playing professional baseball. Have you ever wondered about the source of your income? The name in the corner of your paycheck might not be mine, or that of the hot dog guy in the bleachers, or the guy who directs traffic outside the stadium, but we're the folks who buy the tickets, the programs, the beers and sodas, and the Pujols jerseys that make it possible for the owner to pay you. We live in places like Russell, Kansas and Rapid City, SD and believe it or not Los Angeles. You know Albert, that town where Manny plays. That makes it your problem too.

I do realize that under normal circumstances the commissioner would be expected to manage the league image, but that position has been vacant for nearly seventeen years now. The owners can't be trusted to fix the situation either, since they haven't as yet figured out that they don't even have a coherent mouthpiece or wooden figurehead filling the commissioners' chair. This has to be the dumbest group of millionaires ever assembled. Even the ones in the NBA and NHL look like Mensa members in comparison. That leaves the players to police themselves Albert.

I also understand that being a professional baseball player is a small and select community and that its reflex to close ranks when your collective integrity is in question, but its also in your best interests to keep your individual reputations and good names clean-no pun intended. Weeding out the dirty among you would be a very big start toward restoring the public faith that has slowly eroded among the fan base.

Then again, maybe you're right Albert. You, and for that matter anyone else making a living in major league baseball, shouldn't be responsible for upholding the integrity of the game. You are simply a baseball player. The responsibility should fall on the fans. We are the ones who really control things.

Manny played for the Red Sox and Indians before he got caught with the Dodgers. McGwire played for the A's and Cardinals. Ster-Rod Seattle, Texas, and New York. Was there a team that between them Canseco or Palmeiro DIDN'T play for? Clemens followed the money to Texas to Boston to Canada to New York. The fact is its easy to point and laugh because the cheaters play or played for another fans' team. Its one hell of a lot tougher to look in the mirror and start considering the big picture. One fan walking away isn't going to affect the river of green feeding the baseball monster, but imagine what would happen if the Yankees or Dodgers came to town and Tigers Stadium or Coors Field was half full or (in my perfect fantasy world) completely empty? Think that'd draw some attention?

Truth is, we as fans are as spineless as many of us feel Commissioner Bud is. We bitch and whine about cheaters. We tease the fans of teams with cheaters on their rosters. But we still fall all over ourselves scrambling to get those good seats along the third base line. If the fans were as true to themselves (and each other) as they claim to be, and really gave a damn about abstract concepts like 'the integrity of the game', stadiums and arenas would be sitting half- or completely empty across the landscape of the big four sports. As long as we continue to blindly throw our money into their troughs all leagues will continue to carry that stench of dirty rotten cheaters. Think about that the next time your buddy calls about front row seats to the Lakers game. You can always go play catch with your kid in the backyard.

Sorry Albert, you're right. It isn't your problem. It's mine. It's ours. Thanks for your time.

Food for thought: The list of 104 got much publicity awhile back. Considering some of the latest revelations lets call the number of cheaters in major league baseball roughly 10%. My question to all of you is this-If the manager of your favorite grocery store told you that 10% of the product in his store was tainted would you continue to shop there? Think about it.