There is a dangerous precedent being set by Major League Baseball this year. There were several players in MLB suspended by the league last year for their involvement in the Biogenesis scandal and taking Performance Enhancing Drugs. Players that have been suspended for PEDS should not be celebrated less than a year later in their All-Star Game.
In August of 2013, twelve players accepted 50-game suspensions for violating MLB’s drug policy. Nelson Cruz, Jhonny Peralta, Antonio Bastardo and Evereth Cabrera were among the count. In addition, Melky Cabrera and Bartolo Colon served previous suspensions from the same Biogenesis scandal that saw Ryan Braun (65 games) and Alex Rodriguez (entire 2014 season) lose millions of dollars and their good name.
We are a nation of second chances, but a price must be paid. The suspensions are not enough. In today’s modern world, short memories and attention spans tend to trule the roost. It is up to the powers that be to lay down a sufficient penalty when the rules are broken.
There should be a minimum of a one year suspension from the MLB All-Star Game. That suspension should start after the player comes back from their PED suspension. This is not just to punish the player, but to discourage future use by others. These guys are role models and the youth of America should know that the consequences of cheating are severe.
The MLB All-Star Game is by far the greatest all-star game there is. The winner gets home field advantage for the World Series. It’s the only game that resembles the every day game. Other all-star games are a joke and few watch intensely. The NBA’s game is usually a no defense 155-142 snore fest. You will see double digit goals in the NHL. As for the NFL, most guys don’t show, and they might as well be wearing flags on their hips for those that do. The MLB has got theirs right all the way down to the Home Run Derby the night before. It is an honor and a privilege to participate and should be treated as so.
I would never be in favor of never forgiving and forgetting their mistakes. Once an appropriate suspension has been passed down and they have to sit out an all-star show case with their peers, by all means they should be allowed to play. But, a bad message is sent when a player like Nelson Cruz is celebrated less than a calendar year after he was found guilty of using PEDs, and is allowed to maybe help his Baltimore Orioles gain a competitive advantage in this October’s World Series.
The very fabric of the game is being ripped apart from the seams. This great national pass time has prided itself on the virtues and values of those who have played the game, and those who have passed the torch through generations of what is right and wrong. This kind of accountability must continue.
Some will argue that they have served their time and be done with it. That in this day and age, it really is not that great of a crime. To let bygones be bygones, to forgive and forget . Be sure to pass that along to Shoeless Joe Jackson, Pete Rose, Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds.
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