The Chris Moeller Archives

The Natural

Cardinals slugger Rick Ankiel has shown a world of character and perseverence in returning to the big leagues this year, but I don't think any of his accomplishments on the field thus far can match the nobility and strength he displayed confronting the media tonight in Phoenix. Blindsided this morning by the implication in a news story that he has cheated in the application of his craft, Ankiel confronted his inquisitors this evening with dignity, and stood up for his civil and legal rights at the same time, something many of his colleagues have struggled to do.

A little catchup: Ankiel has been the feel-good baseball story of the year, returning to the big leagues August 9th as pitcher-turned-hitter, after a psychic meltdown on the mound over half a decade ago and a long injury-extended absence. He enters tonight's game batting .358 with 9 home runs and 29 runs batted in after just 81 at-bats. He drove in 19 runs during the 7-game home stand that ended Thursday, more than six current Cardinals regulars have tallied individually all season long. ESPN commentator Peter Gammons said on television a couple weeks ago that Ankiel's return to the majors makes him "want to be a better person."

Then, this morning, the New York Daily News reported that Ankiel received eight shipments of Human Growth Hormone from January to December of 2004 from Signature Pharmacy, a drug supplier under investigation for illegally distributing prescription medications, and ESPN commentator Buster Olney now says we have "not quite a smoking gun" on Ankiel, "but something close to it," and then goes on in his piece today to advocate blood testing for ballplayers.

Prior to the Cards' game tonight against the Diamondbacks, though, Rick Ankiel stepped up to the mic. He explained that the HGH was prescribed by a licensed physician. He reminded reporters that the year in question was the year in which he was recovering from reconstructive elbow surgery-- a year, I would add, before Major League Baseball outlawed the use of HGH. Then Ankiel played some music pleasing to the ears of underappreciated civil libertarians everywhere-- "I'm not going to go into a list of what my doctors have prescribed for me. I've been through a lot emotionally and physically. There are doctor and patient privileges, and I hope you guys respect those privileges... I respect the integrity of the game, and I'm on the same playing field that everybody else is on."

Amen.

All this story really does is display the biases of more than a few sports journalists. Olney, a former Yankees beat writer and team biographer, indicts Ankiel, while dragging Mark McGwire through the mud again, as well, making no attempt to play down the fact that both players wear, or wore, the same Cardinals uniform. Mocking up a scandal where none exists, however, won't resurrect the Mets' chances to win the 2006 National League Pennant. It's over. You lost. Beltran watched strike three go past. Will the multiple Mets players soon to be implicated by a former Shea Stadium clubhouse attendent receive the same public pillaging as Ankiel, McGwire, or that other Central Time Zone batting star, Sammy Sosa, whose reputation has been pummeled by rumor and innuendo despite never, ever having been linked to even a specific steroid accusation? Or will the Mets players get a repeat of the kid glove treatment Gary Sheffield got in the Bronx, or the chance-at-redemption treatment Jason Giambi received there, despite both players being at the very center of the BALCO investigation?

The story reveals also the double standard some have in only indicting baseball. Reporter Jayson Stark did a Google news search today of stories involving the Signature Pharmacy investigation. All 438 stories turned up had the names of Ankiel and/or Toronto Blue Jays slugger Troy Glaus in the headline. But descriptions of NFL Pro Bowler Rodney Harrison, a member of two New England Patriots' Super Bowl Championship teams and linked also in the same investigation last week, were lumped mostly instead into just a few NFL notes roundups. No columns at all were found in which Harrison was called a cheater, or that it was suggested he not be allowed back into the league, or that the columnist suggested his statistics be stricken from the league record books.

The Cardinals are once again in the middle of the race for the National League pennant, propelled by Ankiel, and while we're busy digging for conspiracies, let's try to all show a little bit of media-savvy and recognize that when a story breaks involving a ballplayer on a day in which only five games were played, and that the ballplayer hits two home runs and drives in seven, there might be more to the motive of those journalists than just guarding the integrity of the game.

posted by CM @ 9:23 PM