By By Adam Robinson
Sports Editor
What is wrong with the world of sports these days?
First Michael Phelps and now Alex (A-Rod) Rodriguez.
The face of America during the 2008 Olympic games and the face of USA swimming and the face of Major League Baseball and the New York Yankees.
In case you have no idea what I am talking about right now, a couple of weeks ago, a photo broke press lines and then was seen and talked about forever with Michael Phelps smoking a bong at a party on the campus of the University of South Carolina.
After the photo was released Phelps admitted to doing it and has since been banned for three months and possibly could not swim in the 2012 Olympic games.
What I don’t understand and maybe I have this wrong, but I heard that they said smoking marijuana was not a banned substance during the off-season, so Phelps could do it as long as he did not get caught by the police and would not be counted as an illegal drug by the swimming folks.
About A-Rod, Rodriguez supposable has been named along with 103 other players about taken steroids during his 2003 season MVP season with the Texas Rangers.
While he was still named, during 2003, steroids were not banned by MLB.
So you’re telling me, its OK for an Olympic hero to smoke a bong and its OK as long as it’s during the “off-season” and that just six years ago, steroids were not illegal in baseball
Come on people!
I admit, I was pulling so hard for Phelps in the Olympics and like so many other people I imagine, my wife and me were glued to the TV during his races and cheering for him.
Especially the swim relay where we held off the French and he beat the other guy by half a second.
Why would a national hero want to go and do something like this?
Yes, I know he is only a 23-year-old kid, if you call a 23-year-old a kid. I am 25, and I know not to go out and smoke a bong at a college party, especially if I am an Olympic champion.
About A-Rod. I am not a Yankee fan, so that is already one strike against him, but as a fan of Major League Baseball, what are these people thinking?
Not just pointing all my fingers at Rodriguez, but do these people think they can cheat to “enhance their performances” by taking steroids¬—Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and plenty more. One thing I did like was that A-Rod did come clean on the matter and did admit that he used the drugs. (But only after he was brought out against the issue)
But what bothers me is that, it has not been but just recently that MLB has banned steroids.
We had a cartoon about it in the Brewton Standard on Sunday (Phelps, A-Rod and Brett Favre).
Did you see Tommy Hicks column in the Mobile Press-Register on Friday?
I like the part where he said, “all parties concerned—Major League Baseball official, owners, players’ union representatives and fans—should recognize something needs to be done and excuses ended. He goes on to say that “egos and beliefs on all sides need to be fashioned for the greater good of the game.”
I did not write this column because of Hicks. I had my mind already made up about writing about this when space was allotted to me in the sports section and just so happened it was this week and he wrote about this on Friday.
But something does need to be done. I don’t know what, but something.
I am sure players are in the minority if they DIDN’T take any kind of drugs. Fans and people know that drugs have been taken so we should start clean now.
I just don’t know why it took so long for MLB to recognize and do something about it.
If you fine these people, it would be like a drop in the bucket for them and their millions upon millions.
Well, enough of that. There are more important people than me that the decisions for punishment and what to do will be decided upon.
In other news, congrats to the T.R. Miller Lady Tigers on their advancement to Troy and the South Regional. Only four more wins and another state championship could be claimed for them.
I hope all have a great week and until we meet again here or out in the world of sports, God bless.