Sounding Off

This week, Wednesday being the main day, has been filled with a lot of athletes shouting off at the mouth. Most athletes are intelligent men, but that still doesn’t give you the right to open your mouth and comment about everything. This week three topics have come to my attention and four players have made my list of Sound Offs.

John Smoltz is an incredible pitcher, and a very smart man. Smoltz has not been a very public speaker on the steroid issue, but has had a few comments make the press. His latest statement is in regards to Roger Clemens. Smoltz stated that if he were roger Clemens he would do everything in his power to prove his innocence. He would sue; take a lie detector test; whatever it took. If it was in anyway no where near the truth, he would prove his innocence.

I have to say that I like John Smoltz and can’t wait to see him and Glavine back together on a team. As smart as he is I look forward to the day he begins to coach. However, despite my love for the right-hander, I wish he would shut up. Smoltz said “if I was Clemens…” Well Smoltz, YOU ARE NOT. I know that as a fellow pitcher you want to know if his stats are legitimate, but here is where you are wrong. Clemens is doing the right thing here. The last people to open their mouths and claim innocence were caught lying. Both Canseco and Bonds swore they were not doing steroids and both have been proven guilty.

Clemens is keeping quiet. He is not glorifying the report and bringing attention to himself. He is simply living his life, letting anyone who wants to talk trash do so without a reaction and he is not letting himself be lowered to that level. In the United States you are innocent until proven otherwise, there is no proof and so I must believe Roger is brushing the stabs at his personality off and moving on. Roger Clemens is being the bigger man.

Curt Schilling is another ball player popping off when he shouldn’t be. And what is makes it worse, is that he is doing so online. Curt Schilling isn’t speaking out. He is writing on his blog. He is not even willing to say “Roger, we need to hear you fight this steroid claim.”

Now I know I sit here and write my blog about sports, much like Schilling, and you can say that I am not man enough to speak out. I repute that with the simple fact that I do not have a voice in the media. I am not a famous baseball player and I cannot be heard nationally like Schilling or Smoltz (who by the way used his voice and the media). Until my blog is a national hit, I cannot do anything but write. As for Curt, he needs to speak with Clemens one on one.

My reaction to the words written on the site 38 Pitches are as follows: see above reaction to John Smoltz. You are men who work together and are a part of the brotherhood that is baseball, I know about the brotherhood, I played minor league ball; use that. He is your partner and your enemy, speak to him. The two of you can handle this and settle things man to man and out of the public’s eyes. If he won’t speak to you then you can assume he is hiding and is guilty. As for now, you haven’t even given him a chance.
For those of you who do not read 38Pitches, I will be sending this link to Curt Schilling. I do not want him to think that I am not a fan, I love the bloody sock and I have followed him since I was old enough to watch baseball. It is just this issue in which I disagree. I want to be respectful and allow him the chance to dispute the things I have said. As a journalist and fan I must extend any courtesy possible to another fan and journalist.

T.O. has made his voice heard this week, speaking out about Jessica Simpsin and Tony Romo. I loved it! Terrell Owens is at home for the first time in his career. He has a great friend in Tony Romo and he is being successful and keeping his mouth shut. Now this week he did have a comment, but it was in good fun. It was not T.O. that made this into a problem, nor was it Tony or Jessica. The media screwed this up and reported its information incorrectly. Because of the media Owens has apologized to all parties and is trying to move forward. He like any other player knows that I girlfriend in the stands is in no way a distraction, especially if you have reached the professional level. I am sounding off to the media: Leave the man alone. He is finally acting the way we have always asked him to. Keep it up T.O.

Jason Papelbon spoke up this week about his ball eating dog. I don’t believe this story to be true in any meaning of the word. Papelbon is being selfish and he came up with a story to get media and baseball to leave him alone and allow him to keep the ball.

I don’t blame him. I mean, I would do everything I could do to keep the World Series winning ball. I mean it’s not like the Hall of Fame doesn’t have enough memorabilia. Papelbon even gave the shrine that is Cooperstown his glove. It’s an even trade.

Part of what makes this story unbelievable is the fact that his story has two different endings. One ending claims he threw the remains of the eaten ball in the trash. The other claims that he will keep the remains as his World Series reminder. This doesn’t help us believe the story, especially when it is already outlandish to think anyone with a World Series ball would keep it where his dog could get it. I like the creativity in the story and I agree with keeping the ball, but Jason, if you want us to leave you alone give us a normal story.