Philadelphia, PA – Unfortunately, we won't be celebrating what Los Angeles Dodgers phenom Yasiel Puig did on Tuesday.
Nope, instead we are again embroiled in a performance-enhancing drugs scandal, or as Major League Baseball fans call it, the gift that keeps on giving. And if you thought BALCO was a whole lot of fun, then sit back, relax and buckle in, because this whole Biogenesis situation is going to be a doozy.
And it's not going away anytime soon.
By now, we are all familiar with the particulars. Back in January, the Miami New Times reported it had obtained medical records of players who had purchased banned substances -- namely human growth hormone -- from the clinic
Some of the names that were associated with the anti-aging clinic founded by Anthony Bosch were Alex Rodriguez, Ryan Braun, Melky Cabrera, Bartolo Colon, Yasmani Grandal, Nelson Cruz, Francisco Cervelli, Jesus Montero, Jhonny Peralta, Cesar Puello, Fernando Martinez, Everth Cabrera, Fautino de los Santos and Jordan Norberto.
While it all seemed like circumstantial evidence at the time, it was learned on Tuesday that Bosh has agreed to speak to MLB and give it names, thus providing commissioner Bud Selig all the ammunition he needs to suspend suspected serial cheats like Braun and Rodriguez, both of whom could be staring at 100-game bans.
Color me skeptical, though.
While it's nice to throw the threat of 100-game suspensions out there, there is a little thing called due process. And MLB should well aware of it thanks to Mr. Braun. This is not something that is going to happen next week, or even next month. This is still a long way down the road.
"The Players Association has been in regular contact with the Commissioner���s Office regarding the Biogenesis investigation," MLBPA executive director Michael Weiner said in a statement on Wednesday. "They are in the process of interviewing players and every player has been or will be represented by an attorney from the Players Association.
"The Commissioner's Office has assured us that no decisions regarding discipline have been made or will be made until those interviews are completed. It would be unfortunate if anyone prejudged those investigations."
Somebody has to explain to me how MLB is in fact going to suspend Alex Rodriguez for 100 games as a first time offender when they couldn't even uphold a suspension stick on Braun even with a failed test.
Please, MLB, tell me you have more than just the word of a sleaze bag like Bosh. At what point will Major League Baseball actually do some sort of real investigation rather than just take the word from some glorified drug dealers.
Does Kirk Radomsky ring a bell? How about Brian McNamee?
By the time Rodriguez's lawyers are done with Bosh, he'll be guilty of everything short of the Kennedy assassination. Oh, and you better believe Rodriguez will fight this until the end.
Forget Rodriguez for a second. Even with the $115 million or so remaining on his contract, it was probably 60/40 that his playing days were over due to his recent hip surgeries. At least in New York anyway.
Plus we all know where he stands moral-wise. Let's be honest, we all stopped buying Rodriguez's act a long time ago. He's a fraud. Always has been, always will. He'll never get in the Hall of Fame and what was once a great career became a laughing stock a long time ago.
The guy I really want to see get his due is Braun. He was caught red-handed after the 2011 season and got off on a technicality, yet he still proclaimed his innocence, while sullying the reputation of the man who administered his initial failed test.
Braun's smugness was on full display Tuesday when he was approached about the possible suspension.
"I've already addressed everything related to the Miami situation," Braun said. "I addressed it in spring training. I will not make any further statements about it. The truth has not changed. I don't know the specifics of the story that came out today, but I've already addressed it, I've already commented on it, and I'll say nothing further about it."
Who knew? All MLB had to do to make A-Rod a sympathetic figure was to link him with Braun.
Anyone in Milwaukee perturbed that the organization put their money behind Braun rather than Prince Fielder?
And, by the way, for anyone who thinks this is a baseball problem, think again. Major League Baseball isn't the only dirty sport. There were a lot of nervous athletes out there now who have heard Bosh is going to talk.
You think David Stern might be placing a call his way sometime in the near future? Or maybe he's still in the bury-his-head-in-the-sand mode that Selig had been in for so long.
Either way, get your popcorn ready. This is going to be a long ride.