A-Rod vs. Selena Roberts

Given the logrolling, backscratching and shuck-n-jiving inherent in the above, it's
almost impossible not to break down in rib-threatening laughter.

Some trains are never, ever late.

 

If I hear anybody else play strolling violin music in honor of the downtrodden athletes who are being "victimized by a witch hunt," I'll scream. The music, of course, is accompanied by quotations of the cost of the prosecution -- or "persecution" -- of Bonds. When are people going to grasp this? The point of prosecuting Bonds is not to get Bonds. The point is not to humiliate and/or incarcerate another black athlete. The point is to send a message to kids -- mainly high school football players -- that this stuff is illegal and harmful. Is Bonds the target and the example? Yep. When your play is exemplary of excellence but is mitigated by criminal conduct, then the feds are going to use you as an example. That's the way it goes.

 

Better question: Who forced him to go on national TV and deny it? Oh, that's right, no one. He DIDN'T have to go on TV. He COULD have declined the interview request. Instead, he CHOSE to blatantly lie to 60 Minutes.

 

I was actually hoping President Obama would tie-in the ARod deal with what has been going on in this country. Trying to find a short-cut, cook the books, or get ahead by cheating isn't confined to baseball. "Everyone was doing it" is what we've heard from people on Wall Street, politicians defending earmarks, and companies rationalizing declining performance by redefining what "success" is. It all comes out in the wash.

 

Um, parents are supposed to do that. So spending millions for Barry Bonds' eventual acquittal is the government's version of surrogate parenting ???

 

Oh, for the love of Tebow.
If I hear the "what about the kids?" excuse for renegade prosecutions one more time, I'm going to scream.

 

And the answer is prosecuting Selena Roberts?

OKaaaaaaaaay ...

 

If A-Rod has an incident report from the cops that she was trespassing, I think it would have been on the smoking gun or Miami Herald by now.

 

Roberts' side of things in here:

http://www.observer.com/2009/media/who-s-lady-meet-selena-roberts-rod-s-worst-nightmare

 

Good for her. Inspiring, actually. So many of us just take the media relations guy or sports information director's stonewall at face value. She didn't even bother with those people.

Seems to me that a dogged reporter like this is miscast as a columnist, especially in an era when we need more reporters like this.

 

The best columnists are also the best reporters, or they should be. Informed opinion is better than just opinion.

And any reporter should work to avoid the media relations folk - get a players' number, or e-mail address, which obviously takes time and a bit of give-and-take familiarity and some mutual respect. And don't abuse the contact.

 

Why have we not heard anything from Mr. Epstein?