Manny being A-Rod......

and being Jose, and Roger, and Rafael........

So in case you haven't heard, Manny Ramirez got popped for using a banned substance and has been suspended for 50 games by Major League Baseball.

Manny is just another in a long line of once respected players that either been caught using banned substances or have had a lot of suspicion surrounding. Most people, like me, are desensitized to these reports by now. There is an entire era now tainted by steroids and we are no longer surprised to hear that anyone has used.

Although I am no longer surprised, I still feel like there is a small loss of innocence each time another name surfaces. I didn't grow up watching baseball. Football and basketball have always been my favorite sports. But there was always something about baseball that seemed a little more ethereal, more refined, more pure, than the other sports. Baseball and it's fans are more communal, more accepting. In many ways a sport's fans reflect the nature of that sport. Football is by nature a confrontational game and it's fans are very in your face and passionate. They are not very inclusive, unless you are a fan of the same team. Basketball is very fast moving and high energy and their fans are also high energy. Every basketball game I have ever been to had a buzz in the crowd. There was feeling of something brewing that every so often exploded. Baseball fans are very accepting, even if you are rooting for the other team. Everyone relaxes, enjoys the atmosphere, and enjoys the game.

Steriods taints baseball in a dark way that goes against the nature of the game. When you hear that a football player has used drugs, you aren't very surprised. Football is a rough, nasty, dog-eat-dog game and players, on average, have very short careers. It makes sense that a player would do whatever it takes to stay in the game. Baseball is supposed to be more fun, more intellectual, and steriod use is a very dark and seedy practice. Everytime someone is caught you realize that they spent considerable time and effort involved in illicit activities.

Now, I won't deny baseball's history of being accepting of cheating. The game has always had things like scuffed balls, corked bats, stealing signs, tipping pitches, etc. But these are amatuer and childish compared to steriods. Baseball accepted steriods because all of a sudden players were mashing the ball and teams were scoring lots of runs. Offense is what brings the casual fans to the stadium. Sure, fanatics of a sport appreciate tense defensive struggles, but high scoring, in any sport, is what puts butts in the seats.

Essentially, baseball sold out. They allowed the practices of the steriod era to occur because the teams were making money. Fans were coming to the stadium, watching on tv, buying jerseys, etc. Baseball has already paid a big price. Many fans have stopped watching and stopped coming to the stadiums. When baseball loses a fan today they lose more than just one person because baseball games, more than any other sport, are family friendly outings and the love for the game is passed down from generation to generation. Some fans have started coming back, but everytime another high profile player gets caught, baseball risks losing more fans, forever.

- Gabe