The Steroid List

A few words from the AK Gov of RSN (me):

All of the names need to be revealed. It is the only fair outcome for all of the fans and it will put all of the players on an even plane. We are seeing this issue from a very new perspective today.

Before, when the A-Rod accusation came out, it was easy to say, "serves him right." When the Manny accusation came out, it was easy to say, "Whew, we got rid of him at the right time." But now, what are we supposed to say when the most beloved player on our team's name comes up on the list? Before, it was easy to villify the steroid users. Noone has a problem blasting Clemens, Bonds, A-Rod, Manny. But could we as easily turn our backs on Papi? Now we are forced to consider even the players that we hold in highest regard. I was once in a conversation with a Yankees fan who said that it was stupid to assume that any player was above steroids. He said, "look at Ortiz, he juiced." And I of course defended him. We were all endeared to a player who we considered to have the higest integrity and compassion. And that respect is now called into question.

Will we forgive Papi? Of course. I'm sure we already have. But when we see him being discussed on ESPN and see him in an interview earlier this season condeming all steroid users and see commentators calling him a cheater and a liar, it hurts us as the fans that have looked up to him so passionately. There is a healing process that needs to and will occur between Papi and the fans. And the end result will be that he is still the man that brought home two emotional World Championships. And we will still love and respect him, perhaps more so now that his digression is out in the open. We will move on as a Nation.

I argue that this process must be universal. Every fan needs to feel the uncertainty and confusion that we are feeling right now. Every fan needs to confront thier players and say, "Look, if we are going to respect, admire, support, and cheer for you, you owe us the knowlege of exactly who you are as a player and a person." Only this way can we all experience the healing process as a nation of baseball fans. Only this way can we all move on. It is the fair thing to do.

The Hall of Fame is always a topic of conversation whenever another player is revealed to have used steroids. There are alot of people that acknowlege the steroid era and wish to honor the players regardless, but many more people feel that steroid users would tarnish the sanctitiy of the Hall. However, as our heroes fall one by one, who will be left to place in the venerable halls? If we rid the baseball world of this shadow list hanging over everyone's head, and let the world face the problem together, maybe the Hall would become less of an issue. People will say, we know that they used, we know it was bad, but were they still not the greatest players of their generation? The talents of the baseball legends go beyond steroids. Releasing the list will change the perspective of baseball fans as a whole, force people to look at their players a new way, and accept them for who they are, and perhaps the Hall will become less of a polarizing issue.

This "anonymous list" has been anything but, but the way the names are being released now, one by one, has been devastating to the players and the fans. Whoever is releasing these names is doing so maliously. It is only fair that all the remaining names be released so that all players are forced to answer openly, and the fans are free to remain fans with no more illusions or mistrust. Only then can baseball truly move on.

Favorite Song of the Year

I only started thinking about this last year. I suppose I could go back over top songs of years past and pick but that would undermine the point. I'm talking about the song that stuck in my mind so much that I could never forget it. The song that personally stood out to me among all others for whatever reason and rocked the whole year. EDIT: I lied. I went back a couple years. It was fun to look back over the lists of the top songs of yesteryear. You should try it sometime.

2006: "SexyBack," Justin Timberlake. The hottest song, from an amazingly good album, from the guy who in my mind is the epitome of cool. Before you debate that, I mean the concept, not someone who is my favorite in any way, but the embodyment of capturing culture's notion of the concept of "cool." Got it? Good.
Favorite Lyric: "I fucked Britney Spears back when she was super-hot." Wait, that wasn't a lyric? Well it was subtext...

2007: "Stronger," Kanye West. I had trouble with this one. There's still a few songs that notably stand out from this year that I still really like to listen to. I've been debating about "Girlfriend" by my not girlfriend Avril Lavign. At the time I really dug this song. It was a hearty mixture of irony and catchy-as-hell-ness. It even spent some time as my ring-tone, purely for ironic comedy reasons. Apparently the strangers around me don't catch on to these subtle jokes without knowing me, and I had many an awkward ring in a silent computer lab. I still like it, mainly because of the line, "Don't pretend, I think you know I'm damn precious. And hell yah, I'm the mother fuckin' princess..." It is delightfully out of place in such a bubble gum song and I always loved it for that. I think the appeal has rubbed off a bit for me...oh well. But I will say that it is our generation's "Hey Micky." Now a word on the song I actually picked. Duh. It's a fucking amazing song. Really killer beats, man. Kanye is really at the top of the game musically. And I don't fault him his attitude. He can believe in himself all he wants, I don't care, because for me, it makes him all the more entertaining. Whenever he says something epically stupid, as long as he turns around and puts out another hot song, it's allright. This song has gotten me through many a morning. Usually the way it goes is: I'll drag myself out of bed, trudge down to the T stop, and then upon joining the monotonous masses of the train ride, plug in, and blast this song. Never failed to pump me up (works best with bass boosting earbuds, cranked to eleven).
Favorite Lyric: "Heard they'd do anything for a Klondike. Well I'd do anything for a blonde dyke."

2008: "Love Me Dead," Ludo. I feel like I did a lot of driving that summer, and this song was always on, and I never got sick of it. I remember the first time I heard it was when I saw the video really late at night on MTV (they still play music videos?). It's a really cool, inventive video if you haven't seen it. I was really hooked by the video but soon forgot the name of the song and band. This was before it was famous and being played on the radio. I eventually saw the video again, and downloaded the song. Loved it. Eventually the radio caught on with what I already do and started playing the shit out of it, but for once, the radio overplay didn't dampen my enjoyment of the song (even in its censored/neutered form). I still love this song.
Favorite Lyric: "You're a parasitic, psycho, filthy creature finger-bangin' my heart..."

2009: "Sex on Fire," Kings of Leon. I know, we're only halfway through the year, but same as last year, this song stands out to me big time. Sorry songs of the rest of the year...not gonna top this one. It has like a classic rock sound, but at the same time the verses have that guitar beat that's really funky. It's just really really good. I can't get sick of it.
Favorite Lyric: The chorus. Duh! If you are ever driving around with me, be prepared to shield your ears from my horribly loud and off key rendition of "YEEEEAAAAHHHHHHHHHH, YOUR SEX IS ON FIIIIREEEE!" That "YEAH" is hard to do. Damn.

Feel free to comment with your own SOTYs!