Josh Ravin broke my heart. He seemed like such a nice guy, posting nice things on Twitter and being open about his broken arm. He had a positive attitude, and I was happy to follow him. Key word WAS. Turns out the only thing positive about him was the PED test.
The storm is coming. More PED suspensions are on the way. When does it end? For the fan sitting on the couch with a baseball cap on her head and a pennant in her hand, it is unsettling. Will it be someone on my team, and who? I am taking the news to mean that it is going to be more than one player suspended. I am not wasting GOD’s time praying it’s not a Ranger. I have had that prayer broken before.
All this got me thinking, what about us, the fans. What are we supposed to do? You see, baseball needs us. Baseball needs the fans to spend the money. Major League Baseball talks about how it’s a business. Well, you know what? MLB, you may be a business, but I am a shareholder in the game of baseball, and I want to know what is going on.
I forgave Alex Rodriguez and Rafael Palmeiro. I had hoped the steroid era, a black mark on baseball’s past, was over. And I’m not surprised, and halfway expected, that some young minor leaguers would do it as a push to get in the big leagues. All this testing was supposed to get rid of all this. Now, as it turns out, it’s not a new steroid era. IT’S STILL GOING ON!
No, I take it all back. We cannot forgive until the problem comes to an end.
I got real lucky while in college. I got a $30,000-a-year job. The company had a drug policy. If you tested positive, you were out. I told my pot friends, sorry guys, I got this job. And they didn’t care. That meant more for them. When I went out, you better believe I didn’t eat the brownies. I mean, come on, it doesn’t take a genius to figure that one out. So for a 30,000-a-year job, I watched what I did and made sure there were no drugs in my system. Now, if I had a $500,000-a-year job, an amount that is the new league minimum, you better believe I would know what went into my body.
The list will be out. I don’t know if it’s going to have one or 100, but it is time for fans to take a stand. I cannot forgive past users. Not with the problem so great. So I take back any forgiveness I once had. Now is not the time to forgive. Now is the time to get mad.
PED: It Stops Now campaign starts now
I will boo any and all past or present steroid users
I will hold up an * sign
I will not buy products the steroid user endorses
I will not support any charity the steroid user supports.
I will go to one less game of the team the steroid user plays for.
I will buy one less product of the team the steroid user plays for.
Two of the greatest baseball players who ever played, Hank Aaron and Nolan Ryan, with some of the most phenomenal feats in baseball, never touched a PED. They did it, ballplayer, and you can, too.