I guess this is a sign of how bitter and cynical I've become as a sports fan: as I'm sitting at home watching Josh Hamilton put on his ferocious display of power last night at the Home Run Derby, my first thought wasn't about what a great bit of personal redemption this was, or even the more primal "Wow, he hits the ball hard." My first gut instinct was this:
"Boy, this is sure going to suck when we find out in two years that he's been using HGH."
Now, keep in mind that I have no reason to suspect that Josh Hamilton has been using performance-enhancing drugs of any kind (other than his past history with drug drugs, I suppose). But, let's face it, it's hard for me to get too excited about this.
Why?
Rick Ankiel. Mark McGwire. Barry Bonds. Floyd Landis. Marion Jones. And on and on.
And that's a shame, but Hamilton does have a great story - for anyone who has had a friend or family member deal with substance abuse (that is to say, basically everyone), it's heartening to see someone come back from the edge, so to speak. And you'd like to think that someone with Hamilton's past would want to make it on his terms, free of any performance-enhancing substances.
But this is what being a sports fan in 2008 is: waiting for the other shoe to drop. It was like me watching USC basketball last season, and just waiting for the phrase "OJ Mayo" and "NCAA investigation" to pop up in a story at some point. It's the perpetual tension in your shoulders because you can never just relax and enjoy what's happening. Unfortunately, this is the legacy of the Mitchell Report and the myriad of steroid scandals.
