True or not, Selig should take note

I am the first to admit it. Sometimes the media picks out a whipping boy and goes to work like a pack of sharks in a blood-soaked pool. Fair or not, accurate or not, makes no difference. The brethren of the fourth estate just decide to devour them.

We’ve all seen it happen. And sometimes, not just in sports. Remember Richard Jewel, the Atlanta guy they tried to pin the Olympic bombings on?

But we seem to be the most accomplished. How about the Duke lacrosse team, called the equivalent to “gang members and career criminals.”

The person who delivered that jewel of journalism about a trio of young students who were later proven innocent is New York Times and Sports Illustrated columnist Selena Roberts.

Her latest work is a book released this week entitled A-Rod. As the title suggests, it is about embattled New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez.

Among a wide array of accusations, she tells of Rodriguez using steroids as far back as his high school days, that he is self-centered and is disliked by his teammates, and generally, is a bit of a jerk. Of course, she could be talking about any of literally hundreds of professional athletes and coaches this day and time, but that’s an argument for another day.

What shocked me was the allegation that when Rodriguez was a Texas Ranger, he conspired with former opponents to tip each other off on pitches in the late innings of lopsided games. If you don’t know what that means, picture the Rangers losing to say, the Yankees, 10-0 in the 8th inning of a game. In order to pad their personal statistics — or is insinuated, avoid prolonged slumps — Rodriguez would signal to an opposing player if the next pitch would be a fastball or an off-speed pitch.

They would reciprocate.

To big-leaguers, that is valuable information. If they know what’s coming, one local baseball authority told me a major leaguer could hit as high as .400, something nobody’s done in 60 years.

It’s not for me to decide if the latest dirt on A-Rod is true. I’ve already mentioned Roberts’ questionable track record, yet we also know Rodriguez now admits lying about using steroids when he was first asked about the subject.

But it is somebody’s job to decide if it’s true. That person is baseball commissioner Bud Selig. The sport is one of the few in which there is still a de facto czar. Selig calls the shots.

Period.

That also includes demanding an audience with both Roberts and Rodriguez and getting to the bottom of this matter. Roberts says she spoke with ex-teammates of A-Rod’s to get the basis for her story. If that’s what she says, then summon them to the feet of the commish as well.

For what is at stake here isn’t just reputations. This, if true, cuts to the very core of the integrity of the competition. If guys are cheating for the OTHER team, no matter the score, are we to believe everything else is legit?

So there, Mr. Selig. That thud you just heard was the ball landing squarely in your court. Don’t ignore it, for baseball cannot afford it.

Phil Paramore’s column appears Tuesday and Friday in The Dothan Eagle. He can be heard weekday mornings from 7-9 on AM 560 WOOF or at http://www.woofradio.com. He can be reached at the same website.