Think baseball, not steroids

1. After Ichiro Suzuki let loose a few overly confident words about his Japanese baseball team… 1. After Ichiro Suzuki let loose a few overly confident words about his Japanese baseball team winning “in a way that will make the Koreans think that they won’t be able to beat [Japan] for another 30 years,” Korea’s team had something to prove with their upset win over the Japanese in the first-round finale of the World Baseball Classic (which was played in front of 35,000 fans, including Japan’s crown prince and princess).

2. The major league baseball season is approaching with a slew of new faces that have wild potential for the season, including a number of young players joining our own Pittsburgh Pirates, debuting right now during spring training.

3. With the baseball season comes fantasy baseball bringing excitement to the lives of everyone from college students making leagues for money to 9-5ers who have nothing else to distract them from the fact that they’re caught in a cubicle all day.

What do these three things have in common? They are three interesting things going on in baseball right now that have nothing to do with steroids.

Baseball fans, announcers and players need to wake up and smell the pine tar. There is a lot more going on in baseball right now than lawsuits and he (Barry Bonds) said, she (Ken Griffey Jr.) said about steroids.

As I reclined on my futon with my Diet Pepsi and Doritos last Sunday, I was ready for a good spring training dose of the Yankees and Indians, but got an overdose of commentary on steroid gossip and speculation. Whether the announcers noticed or not, there was a baseball game on television. That didn’t seem to matter, though, as the broadcasters’ remarks were limited to personal lists of “Who Else is Probably on Steroids,” what baseball heroes of the past may have used steroids and reasons why Ken Griffey Jr.’s word cannot be trusted.

This isn’t only happening on television, though. The cover of the March 13 issue of Sports Illustrated was not devoted to the NCAA tournament, nor was it displaying the likelihood of any team playing in the World Baseball Classic. It was, however, displaying an enormous photo of a “down and out” Bonds in a gloomy black hoodie with the title “THE TRUTH: Barry Bonds and Steroids.”

Are you kidding me?

They weren’t kidding. And they weren’t kidding with the 17 pages within the magazine devoted to the Bonds story.

Did you know that the Red Sox just traded Bronson Arroyo for Willy Mo Pena? You might not know from reading that issue, but I am sure, though, that you could recite a detailed synopsis of the allegations and events surrounding the steroid investigation, including a few word-for-word sound bytes from Bonds himself.

We all know what’s going on. Is there more reason to worry about the game now? Maybe, yes. Is there reason to obsess over it and ignore the rest of the American Pastime? No. Heck no.

Even in a less-than-baseball-fanatic city like Pittsburgh, there are things to be celebrated and excited about in the world of Major League Baseball rather than covering our newsstands and sports shows with the shadow of baseball’s darkest secrets.

The Pirates’ roster holds new hope with young prospects this year including three full-season rookies, Zach Duke, a left-handed starting pitcher, along with Paul Maholm and Ian Snell, all of whom are under 25-years-old (Oliver Perez joins them in under-25 ranks).

Pirate fans can also look forward to Mike Gonzalez stepping up as Pittsburgh’s breakout power closer with his effective fastball, wicked slider and high hopes from Dave Littlefield. Not to mention the fact that the All Star Game will be held right here at the ‘Burgh’s own PNC Park this year, giving the city national attention.

What we’ve seen instead, though, is the wrong kind of attention being drawn to baseball. The sport finally steps up with a full-blown international competition with the World Classic, but all we hear about is steroids.

Writers should be exploring the culture and history brought together by the World Baseball Classic or at least making commentary on the game they are broadcasting. Baseball fans should be putting together an All-Star fantasy team and catching exhibition games of their hometown squad. And instead of questioning the records and amazing feats of baseball legends of the past, we should just give drug-abusers the worst fate of all.

Forget them.