Ankiel and HGH

Yeah, so one of the “feel-good stories of the year” maybe isn’t. At least, that’s what some people think. Rick Ankiel, for his part, claims that he was acting under doctor’s orders when he took human growth hormone.

What do we believe? I don’t know. I’m pretty sure we’ll hear a bunch of stuff about Barry Bonds and double standards. Who knows, maybe the race card will be played. For now, here are two statements I’m comfortable making about the situation:

1. Nobody who has played Major League Baseball within the past 15-20 years is above suspicion of taking any kind of performance-enhancing drugs.
2. It would be good for us, as a society, to re-evaluate the need to create heroes out of mere mortals, who are just as susceptible to human “weaknesses” as those who are not so chosen.

Ankiel? His comeback makes for a great story, but I don’t consider him a hero any more than I did Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa back in ‘98. I totally get that kids are impressionable and will idolize big-league ballplayers, but what about the rest of us? What’s our excuse?

Find me a good reason why I should worship some professional athlete (or any other celebrity for that matter). We’re veering into uncomfortable territory here, but I truly don’t believe that any human is worthy of being so honored (or burdened).

These are ballplayers. Like the rest of us, they make mistakes. Some of those mistakes are worse than others. Of course, they should be held accountable if their actions have caused harm (hello, Michael Vick), but in the end, life goes on, as it always does…