BLC's founder John Landsberg began his career as a sportswriter at The Lorain (OH) Journal and later moved to The Plain Dealer in Cleveland. In July 2005, he began writing a monthly sports column for Kansas City Sports and Fitness.
KC Sports & Fitness March 2009 PUT MIKE SWEENEY IN HALL OF FAME By John Landsberg, Sports Columnist Mike Sweeney Hall of Famer?Odds makers might put the chance of that ever happening at 3,000-to-1.Maybe higher. But, with virtually every superstar baseball player in the past decade now being caught cheating with performance-enhancing drugs, maybe putting Sweeney in the HOF might not be a stretch. KC Royals fans know that Sweeney, 35, was a helluva ballplayer during his 13 seasons with the team. He had a .299 average and was an all-Star. He also epitomized integrity in everything he did on and off the field. When he was healthy Sweeney was a terror. However, he was rarely healthy.It seemed as if he was pulling something several times a season. Knee problems, neck and back issues, leg problems, etc. Despite all his aches and pains and frequent fan criticism for missing games, Sweeney refused to compromise his integrity and take steroids.It could have made all the difference between him being a Hall of Famer and just a good ballplayer. Sweeney was also outspoken about the importance of his Christian faith in his life. That alone encouraged some folks who hoped he would slip up and they could label him as a hypocrite. It hasn't worked. I must admit until recently I was not aware of the huge difference steroids could make in a player.A casual conversation with a high school baseball coach changed all that. The coach told the story of a young kid who was not good enough to be a starter on his high school team. In his entire high school career the kid never hit a single home run.Not one. However, after high school the youngster started taking steroids. Things changed dramatically.He was offered a college scholarship at a strong baseball school. This kid, who never hit a single home run in high school, set his college?s home run record. Thanks to steroids this young man now has a bonafide chance for a major league career.Better hitting through chemicals! The coach's story about the steroid user reminded me of a statement made by Sweeney in a recent interview. "I feel bad for the players who were marginal big league, Triple-A players who never got the chance to play because there were guys above them who were taking short cuts. And they had a boost. It's no secret that those guys who did steroids had a boost in production. Guys throwing 88 started throwing 94. Guys that were hitting eight, 10 homers a year were hitting 30." Sweeney said he lamented that many players never got a chance in the major leagues because they were stuck behind cheaters. "Most of those guys are out the game now," he said. "They are working jobs and trying to provide for their families -- while other guys made millions." Maybe Major League baseball might want to actually look at someone like Sweeney who played "clean" and recognize that he is the type of player who really belongs in the Hall of Fame. The chances of that happening are slim and none. But don't shed a tear for Mike Sweeney. When his playing days are over he will have no regrets because his integrity is intact. "[I'm] able to look myself in the mirror for the rest of my life and know that everything on the back of the baseball card is 100 percent me, rather than hit 500 home runs and not being able to look myself in the mirror the rest of my life knowing I cheated the game," he said in an Associated Press interview. What a class act. He's a Hall of Fame guy in my book.
Copyright 2009 Bottom Line Communications. BLC is a Media News Site that analyzes media and marketing issues. Please give credit or link to http://www.bottomlinecom.com when using any materials. Click on the FEEDBACK tab to send any media tips/comments/thoughts/ to us. We honor all off-the-record requests and will correct/clarify any information found not to be 100% accurate.
