I know that Albert Pujols is tirelessly giving 100% of himself to the situation in Haiti, and can't stand it when someone wants to ask him about anything else. If he can somehow manage to take a 5 minute break and read this, maybe he'll have a better understanding of why questions about Mark McGwire and the rest of the Steroid Era will never go away until we get to the bottom of it. I don't have many man-crushes in sports, but one of the few I have made the news this afternoon. Carlton Fisk came out swinging against Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and the rest of the guilty people involved in the Steroid Era today. He pulled no punches, offered zero empathy, got down to exactly why it's cheating, and acted like a true authentic Baseball Hall Of Fame member should act with regard to this entire situation. Bravo Carlton...bravo.
Fisk has always been a watchdog/crusader of sorts as to how the game should be played. Don't believe me? Go ask Deion Sanders. The irony of course is that Fisk indirectly had a hand in sparking interest in weight training being a gateway to prolong a Major League Baseball career. To the point where's Oakland A's then GM Sandy Alderson saw Fisk hit 37 home runs at age 37 in 1985, and instituted a weight lifting program across the entire A's organization the very next season.
Regardless, it still doesn't stop Fisk from being 100% correct, even though his math might have been a little off. Here's hoping more Hall Of Fame members follow Carlton's (and Goose Gossage's) lead and speak out against the players who have been caught, strongly suspected, or otherwise guilty until proven innocent of juicing. The fact of the matter is, MLB doesn't have a commissioner who's interested in getting to the bottom of it. The Players Union certainly isn't interested in getting to the bottom of it. The media and the fans can only go so far. Therefore, in the absence of real leadership, it's now up to members of the Hall Of Fame to take a stand. Let's hope that Fisk's comments today, are just the beginning...
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