Blogcritics Comments on Steroids In Baseball: ESPN.com's Jason Whitlock Plays The Race Card

Comment by sal m on Steroids In Baseball: ESPN.com's Jason Whitlock Plays The Race Card

Sat, 10 Jun 2006 14:22:27 EDT

i disagree...race is the reason whitlock wrote the column. even without race, he makes no sense. i think the entire column is a lesson in classic convoluted logic that crosses wires and is written from the perspective of someone who - despite being a journalist - has not been keeping up with the story. and what's wrong with demonizing people who have totally perverted sports by using drugs to break records or earn money that they couldn't do without the drugs? taking PEDs as an athletes is just as bad - and damnable - as plagerism is for a journalist or willful malpractice is for a doctor. nobody has gotten a pass here...mcqwire has been somewhat spared because the revelations with regards to his drug use came about after his peak and after he retired. bonds is getting the majority of the heat a) because he's still playing b) is chasing a hallowed record and c) is and always has been a dick. and it's easier to rip a guy when he's in the news everyday. the other guys like palmiero and sosa are out of the game and their legacy gets more tarnished as each day passes and with each new PED revelation. when their names are mentioned they are mentioned for their infamy. ]]>

Comment by Matthew T. Sussman on Steroids In Baseball: ESPN.com's Jason Whitlock Plays The Race Card

Sat, 10 Jun 2006 13:52:18 EDT

Take the race out of the equation, and Whitlock's column that makes sense. Actually the two lead paragraphs were airtight. Bonds was the posterboy for the steroids story, even if Giambi, Sosa, McGwire, Sheffield, Palmeiro, and Canseco are equally culpable. That wasn't the Race Card being played. It was the Best Player card. He's not only a member of the Roid Club for Men, he's also the president. Actually, I should take a step back. McGwire and Giambi get a pass for me because they are white. Same with Grimsley. Palmeiro? Well, he's Latino, so he gets a half pass. ]]>

Comment by sal m on Steroids In Baseball: ESPN.com's Jason Whitlock Plays The Race Card

Sat, 10 Jun 2006 11:47:00 EDT

knee-jerk people like whitlock never think things through, and apparenly are allowed to get away with it. maybe he meant willie horton the old detroit tiger? ]]>

Comment by Rebecca on Steroids In Baseball: ESPN.com's Jason Whitlock Plays The Race Card

Sat, 10 Jun 2006 11:46:17 EDT

Barry Bonds himself is exhibit A. Two years ago at 38, he was hitting home runs at an incredible rate. In the off season, he becomes embroiled in all this controversy, the next season the injuries start and he barely plays. This year, he comes to camp overweight and a physical mess. My first thought was, "He must have gotten off the juice." Now he's just praying for every single home run. I was annoyed when he was chasing Ruth and ESPN would cut in for Bonds every at bat. With the record in so much question, that didn't seem necessary. I've also noticed that Bonds head didn't turn into the size of a watermelon until 1999 or so. ]]>

Comment by Zach Baker on Steroids In Baseball: ESPN.com's Jason Whitlock Plays The Race Card

Sat, 10 Jun 2006 11:21:57 EDT

Whitlock even brings up Willie Horton. Maybe he can make a Marion Berry reference about how Marion was mistreated, and all mayors use drugs, and we focused on him for racist reasons. Why isn't this issue about itself? Barry Bonds breaking storied records while on the juice is a problem. It's not a symbol of a new racism. ]]>

Comment by sal m on Steroids In Baseball: ESPN.com's Jason Whitlock Plays The Race Card

Fri, 9 Jun 2006 23:26:59 EDT

good points rebecca...it's unfortunate that the clean players who really are good naturally will be tarnished or suspected of using PEDs...these guys have their union and the hierarchy in the league front office to blame for acting in a way that allowed PED use to flourish. and the fans who cheer for jason giambi and barry bonds are just as much to blame. ]]>

Comment by Rebecca on Steroids In Baseball: ESPN.com's Jason Whitlock Plays The Race Card

Fri, 9 Jun 2006 23:17:09 EDT

Oh, and it's not a race issue. It's an issue of using performance enhancing drugs. However, if we make it that simple and steriods are found to be rampant in baseball, I would think that might hurt ESPN's bottom line, so they need to find alternative issues to focus on. ]]>

Comment by Rebecca on Steroids In Baseball: ESPN.com's Jason Whitlock Plays The Race Card

Fri, 9 Jun 2006 23:13:12 EDT

I absolutely love baseball, but why do I have the feeling that the sport is just full of this stuff and it will never really get resolved? I think Selig would like to see the controversy go away as long as the money keeps flowing. That also goes for many owners, commentators and others involved in the game. In the first half of the season look how much everyone was talking Albert Pujols. Now he has gone down with an injury and rumors are rampant. His numbers up to this point are incredible. What are we to think? This whole sorry mess puts so much into question. ]]>

Comment by Matthew T. Sussman on Steroids In Baseball: ESPN.com's Jason Whitlock Plays The Race Card

Fri, 9 Jun 2006 16:38:39 EDT

The media is unfairly targeting Matt Lawton. (Runs away) ]]>

Comment by sal m on Steroids In Baseball: ESPN.com's Jason Whitlock Plays The Race Card

Fri, 9 Jun 2006 14:18:48 EDT

SHOCKING! what's next, the revelation that ballplayers visit go-go bars!???!! ]]>

Comment by Hairynipples on Steroids In Baseball: ESPN.com's Jason Whitlock Plays The Race Card

Fri, 9 Jun 2006 14:14:30 EDT

Ex-Yankee Leyritz admits to using amphetamines on espn No kidding. And the Pope take communion. All I know is after he (Leyritz, not the Pope) hit the homerun to tie up Game 5(4?) of the 1996 World Series I couldn't sleep till noon the next day - and all I ingested was some barbecue in Tenn. ]]>