Is it real?

Now that the 2007 baseball season is nearly over it is interesting to see that some real names have come up in the George Mitchell steroid investigations. Slugging comeback kid Rick Ankiel was the most sensational name, as his transformation from a pitcher to a mashing outfielder this season has been the stuff of a Disney film. Then there was former MVP Troy Glaus who has also been fingered as a recipient of steroids (or human growth hormone) from the Florida operation that looks to have been doing a brisk business in the major leagues. The real question now is if this becomes a foundation-shaking nightmare for baseball, or if this instead becomes the vehicle for bringing accountability and transparency to both MLB and the player’s union.

Of course, it seems like blood tests are in the players’ future no matter what.

As of today, baseball and the Mitchell investigation are only testing the urine of players. Substances like HGH require a blood test to trigger a positive. The baseball player’s union has fought tooth and nail to prevent blood testing for banned substances, and this is a fight that they continue to pursue vigorously. However, thanks to the Mitchell investigation and the fact that commissioner Bud Selig is doing all he can to keep the Federal government from stepping in to provide oversight on how baseball is run, it seems likely that the player’s union is fighting on borrowed time. The last thing that anyone in baseball should want – especially the players – is to see their sport become as tightly regulated as bicycle racing is. No one wants to see the World Series suffer as much scrutiny as the Tour de France, for example.

So, coming back to Rick Ankiel…is his feel-good story over? What is most important in this case, before any witch-hunts begin or anyone is crucified, is that a proper sense of perspective is maintained. Ankiel was a pitcher who struggled through all manner of injury and was expected to wash out of baseball completely thanks to his fragility. For a player who was faced with such adversity, as well as the possibility of seeing a lifelong dream fade away, the benefits of HGH would surely have seemed attractive. In addition to the conversion of body fat to muscle mass, the tissue healing and restorative effects of HGH would have been a match made in heaven from the perspective of Ankiel. What is also important to note is the fact that at the time – in 2004 – baseball did not have HGH on the banned substance list…so a baseball player could use it legally in the eyes of MLB. Ankiel and his agent – Scott Boras – maintain that the HGH taken in 2004 was at the direction of the medical professionals who were overseeing the recovery of the player. While the press has been quick to make Ankiel out to be some manner of fraud almost, what has not been touched on yet is the possibility that the players’ agent may well have had a hand in the process as well. Scott Boras is well known for micro-managing the careers of his clients, and it could well follow that he was involved in finding Ankiel the treatment that likely put his career back on track (a slightly different track, but at least it was heading to the same station). The bigger questions that will have to be asked sooner or later will encompass agents and representation – how far will these people go to make sure that any given client continues to earn for them? Considering how the best agents often nurture star clients from high school (or earlier) on, this kind of representation can lead to the agent (or manager) having tremendous influence in the life of young and impressionable players who are predisposed to be extremely grateful to the people who have made them rich – while taking care of them in all manner of other ways as well…helping to insulate many of them from the daily challenges and decisions that face the common man constantly. This trust often means that the players will do just about anything their agent wants them to do if it keeps them in the game.

We hear about players who have gone too far…how about agents?

The real point here is that this most recent revelation is merely the tip of the tip of the tip of the iceberg. Expect many more people to be named, questioned and probably vilified in the popular press. As was evidenced when Mark McGuire got sent to the lions, there seems to be nothing many current sports’ writers like more than tearing down an idol from their own “clear” moral high ground. The kid with the biggest name in this mess right now – Rick Ankiel – is unfortunate enough to have a huge target painted all over him. The huge power numbers he has delivered in the last month (nine homers and a boatload of runs batted in) made the converted pitcher a darling of the press and fans alike. Now, even though his last use of HGH was (apparently) nearly three years ago, the allegations and dispersions on his character are sure to fly fast and furious. Ideally, the man will meet with George Mitchell as soon as possible, with the happy result for all involved being that the Mitchell committee is content that Mr. Rick Ankiel has not violated any of the rules of baseball and is cleared of involvement.

Hope springs eternal.

Seriously though, it was nice to feel good about baseball by virtue of feeling good about Rick Ankiel and his wonderful comeback. Red Sox-Yankees will always be what it is, but it is nice to have the cynic in me quieted when a story like Ankiel’s – before the HGH story hit – to bring some basic joy back to the game.

Baseball needs that joy, and they need Rick Ankiel to get a clean bill of (legal) health.

Hope for the best baseball fans.

Excelsior!

Questions and comments may be sent to chrismeyer@sportsgrumblings.com