July 23: Rose-Colored Glasses

With the only story that piqued my interest involving the steroid user who shall not be named in Los Angeles, I decided to focus on the steroid debacle across sports to determine the reaction. I would compare it to someone that is considered a "dirty" player or a "bad guy" or "big mouth." These players get reputations that cause opposing fans to dislike and even hate them for what they do. For instance, I have always disliked Rasheed Wallace because he is a big mouth jerk that can't help but stick his foot in his mouth during a game, or shoving an opposing player, or getting in their face, etc. I even dislike people for doing the right thing. An example of this is David Eckstein, who always runs on the field, even when he walks. Come on! It was a walk! But I digress...

These players always hold this reputation, even when they change teams. Ron Artest was a bully in Indiana, and he became the same bully in Sacramento. Charles Barkley was a big mouth that talked a better game than he played at times in Phoenix and I couldn't help but smile when I saw him get torched on defense or his team lose. Both of these players were ones that fell into my dislike category.

And then they came to my Houston Rockets. Now I am a homer for Houston teams, and I make no bones about it. So when these "bad guys" showed up via trade, what was I to do? I was too young when Barkley arrived to understand the complete 180 I performed upon here he had arrived. I became the biggest Barkley supporter, ready for him to lead the team back to the Western Conference champs. With Artest, I realized I was switching sides, even as I tried my hardest to avoid it. I downgraded the trade, claiming it was a bad move for bad chemistry. He was a ball hog that wouldn't play the ball into Yao. Blah, blah, blah. Then I look up and can't be happier to see Artest in a Rockets uniform, wreaking the same havoc he did to the Rockets, to opposing teams. He was in their face, pushing around, and taunting them. And I ate it all up. Take that NBA!

I think this phenomenon is also what has saved some of the steroid blow back. Home fans could really care less if the guys plays well. For instance, Miguel Tejada was found to have lied about steroid use. Astros fans didn't give a damn, just as long as he played solid short and swung the bat well. A-Rod got into the fan's good graces when he played well. Now we see the reaction in Mannywood, where his pinch hitting appearance gets a bigger cheer than anything else in the evening (except when he hits a grand slam). Throughout the country, "steroid users" have been given the pass. And for the rest of the country, the story eventually runs dry, and other issues take over. The people that see him every day, that should remember the peril he placed his team in by missing 50 games, seem to have selective amnesia. This, my friend, is watching the sports world through rose-colored glasses.