Fall of Heroes

Today, I wasn't feeling well, so I took off from work a few hours early. As I drove home, which is my custom to keep me from getting too tired, I listened to sports radio. I enjoy listening to the 3rd Shift on Fox Sports Radio because they are both entertaining and somewhat informative.

Since I had left early, I wasn't listening to them, but rather another program on that station. The callers were calling in and upset about the Clements hearing tomorrow in D.C. Now, don't get me started on that whole issue, let's stick with this. People were calling in saying how McNamee (sp might be wrong) was just an awful person because he wasn't loyal to Roger Clements. How dare he turn on Roger and tell that he took HGH, steroids, or whatever he shot in his ass.

The point isn't whether he did or didn't, because honestly I don't care. I don't care what any of them did. I just don't anymore . . . it's so disgraceful.

• Disgraceful that owners and GM's allowed players to inject themselves and turn a blind eye
• Disgraceful that the player's union worried about individual achievement instead of the players as a whole
• Disgraceful that for untold years, reporters, broadcasters, and fans turned blind eyes to what was going on in front of them
• All of it is disgraceful . . . all of it

However, the thing that disappoints me more is how people are outraged about the lack of loyalty the trainer had INSTEAD of the apparent lack of integrity among all these players! They put their goals, their desires, everything they wanted above the goals of their team. Playing sports since I was in second grade until I graduated HS, I can tell you I was NEVER taught that!

Then, there was conversaton on the radio about him being under oath. When did you have to be under oath to tell the truth?? Everyone was saying he shouldn't tell the truth unless they put him under oath!!! Are you kidding me??? What happened to honor? What happened to owning up to your mistakes. INTEGRITY is something that all people, of all walks of life, need a new lesson in.

The crux of the situation is that these so called sports heroes have put themselves above all others. They wanted to break the records, be the best. And in their drive to be stars, they were blinded by the fame. This isn't isolated to baseball. There are 'me' people all throughout professional sports. Free agency has a lot to do with this, as do commercial deals. It's sad really, that kids will no longer have the heroes I had growing up. Basically, it's come to this --

Congress: "What did he inject in your butt?"

Clements: "B12! I swear! And kids -- remember to play fair!"

What message are we sending our younger generations?? I'm soooooo glad I will never have kids!