Double standards concerning PEDs could ruin baseball forever
By Jake Misener
Let me just start off by saying, Andy Pettitte has been, and always will be, one of my favorite pitchers to watch. He’s the definition of consistent, and always played the game the right way.
Well, sort of.
There is a small, usually forgotten blemish on the resume of the left-hander. The ‘good ole’ Texan’ was an admitted PED-user.
Five years ago, in February 2008, Pettitte admitted to receiving injections of HGH (human growth hormone) twice in one day in 2004, via a prescription for his seriously ill father.
He also recalled during this testimony that former teammate Roger Clemens had told him he had also recently received injections of HGH – a claim that Clemens vehemently denied in the coming weeks.
Just a few short weeks later, Pettitte came to camp with the New York Yankees, and issued an apology to both New York and Houston fans for his offenses. Fast forward to 2013, and the PED scandal continues to grow in size and scale thanks to another Yankees’ star – Alex Rodriguez.
His admission that was hardly forthcoming likely plays a large role in why everyone – and I use that term fairly loosely – despises A-Rod for his cheating, despite the fact that Pettite – one of the most beloved icons in Yankees history – committed the same offense.
What this comes down to is people appreciate honesty. The country boy charm and emotional apology of Andy Pettitte was enough to wipe the slate clean for most baseball fans, in regards to the southpaw’s transgressions. However, the dog-and-pony show that is the Alex Rodriguez saga has turned the New York third baseman into one of the most despited athletes of all-time.
We need fair standards. No matter who you are, what you look like or what you’ve done for the game, you need the same treatment. I think Bud Selig has used Rodriguez as a poster boy for the Steroid Era, while letting others – such as Pettitte – walk away seemingly unscathed.
If baseball can’t be fair, then what can be?