Don't Hate the Playa...

We like to see stars fall. It makes us feel better about ourselves. When someone climbs to a level of stardom we could only dream of, there's nothing more fun then to watch them fall off that cliff. We like to know that they're not untouchable. That despite the money, women (or men) and power, they are human just like us. That they still face trials and tribulations that keep them up at night. We just need a reason to hate on them, less one wants to risk appearing jealous of their good fortune. So we wait for them to screw up and then we bring the heat.

Hello A-Rod, Bonds, Clemens and McGwire (A,B,C &MG). You guys are through. Your names will be forever synonymous with steroids. You guys screwed up the game we loved. Enjoy the mansions, ferraris and yachts, because no matter how big your house is, or how fast your car is or how luxurious your boat is you will never be able to escape your sad legacy. And now we have the ultimate trump card in our hands; your Hall of Fame induction ballot. And we're going to dangle that in front of you but it will always be out of reach. We are going to put you on a public trial via your Hall of Fame ballot and ultimately, we will find you guilty and you will join the likes of Pete Rose and always be on the outside looking in.

If you subscribe to the thoughts above, you should know your a sucker. It's convenient to put A,B,C & MG on trial. But just like Harrison Ford in the Fugitive, we're putting the wrong people on trial. A,B,C & MG are the sacrificial lambs, the easy targets. There is something much more sinister going on. Someone is taking advantage of our predisposition to see stars fall, distracting us and future generations from discovering the truth. We've got to dig a little bit deeper and find the one-armed man.

Bud Selig and the owners were the ones entrusted with preserving the sanctity of the Game. Yet, they turned a blind eye to the usage of steroids. They knew exactly what was going on. And they could have put an end to it, but didn't, because they saw that steroids was good for the bottom line ($$$). And before you knew it, baseball and steroids became one. And that's it. Baseball from 1995-2005 = Steroids. Those who did Steroids (more than we'll ever know) were just playing Bud Selig's game.

Now, Bud Selig, the owners and the Game of Baseball have blood on their hands. They are going to offer you A,B,C & MG, prevent them from getting into the Hall of Fame and pretend like the Steroid era never happened. Bud Selig wants to wipe the slate clean. He wants historians to look back on this era and see that the players pulled a fast one over the Game of Baseball. But once the Game caught on, they punished the violators and condemned them from the game. You see, this is about the legacy of the Game and the legacy of Bud Selig. But we can't let them off that easy. I wont let them off that easy:

DLaz: I want the truth!!

Bud Selig: You cant handle the truth! Son, we live in a world that has Halls of Fame. And those Halls have to be guarded by writers with ballots. Who's gonna to do it? You? You, Bill Simmons? I have more responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for A-Rod and curse the Game of Baseball. You have the luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know: that A-Rod's public humiliation, while tragic, probably saved fans. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves fans. You don't want the truth. Because deep down, in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that Hall. You need me on that Hall. We use words like Homeruns, RBI's, Batting Average...we use these words as the backbone to a life spent defending something. You use 'em as a fantasy stat. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very Baseball I provide, then questions the manner in which I provide it! I'd rather you just said thank you and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a urine sample test and stand a post. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you're entitled to!

DLaz: Did you know about the Roids?

Selig: I did the job you sent me to do.

DLaz: Did you know about the Roids?

Selig: Your goddamn right I did!!!

We as the jury must condemn not the players, but the Game of Baseball and Bud Selig by disregarding any known or suspected involvement when considering one's Hall of Fame credentials. Doing anything else would be to hold the players to a higher standard than the Game was willing to hold itself to. So, let the Game and Selig take their rightful place in history and let the records reflect the reality of the Steroid era by voting A, B, C & MG into the Hall of Fame, no matter how much satisfaction it would give us to do otherwise.