Wise people often say “fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.”
That’s how a lot of people feel about the separate home run chases of New York Yankee outfielder Aaron Judge and St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter Albert Pujols.
Both Judge and Pujols are adding a ton of excitement to a Major League Baseball Season that has been underwhelming in the Bay Area. Last year the San Francisco Giants alone won 107 games. This year the Giants and the Oakland Athletics have won a combined 125 games with two weeks left to play in the season. It’s not like Judge is an Astro or Pujols is a Dodger anymore — you can root for these guys now in the Bay Area.
But somehow we just keep thinking back to 1998. We just keep repeating the epic line from the rock band the Who.
“We won’t get fooled again.”
Since neither Pujols nor Judge has been linked to any steroid reports, we should be celebrating their feats more. With Pujols, it’s the final chapter of a career that has made him the best right-handed hitter of all time not named Henry Aaron or Willie Mays. For Judge, it’s awesome to see him hit balls that travel further than Amelia Earhart.
But here we go, back to 1998. The year we all loved to see baseball fans flock to ballparks just a few years after the 1994 strike. Cal Ripken brought fans back with his consecutive games streak moving past Lou Gehrig, but it was the home run chase between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa that didn’t just bring fans back to the games, it packed them into batting practice.
But it was all fake — as fake as a Harry Potter novel. Over a decade ago, McGwire said in a statement that he used steroids on and off for nearly a decade — including 1998. He would also dispute that the drugs gave him more power to hit homers.
Right, and Ryan Gosling’s good looks and bank account don’t help him get the girls. Sure. Whatever you say.
Sosa continuously claims that he never tested positive for steroids as well, but the New York Times reported in 2009 that he did test positive for a performance-enhancing drug in a 2003 test conducted by the MLB that allowed players to remain anonymous.
Sosa hit 66, 63, 50 and 64 homers from 1998 through 2001. He was once a 165-pound player with the Texas Rangers, never hitting more than 35 homers. According to a Rick Reilly article in Sports Illustrated, Sosa addressed the question on why he was finally able to hit 60 homers as often as Starbucks sells coffee.
“This was because of my tooth,” he had said. “When I first came to Texas [in 1989], I had a bad wisdom tooth. The doctor discovered this, and he fixed it. After that, I start to eat much better.”
Right. (Best said in Dr. Evil voice from Austin Powers)
Then there is Barry Bonds, who’s been linked to steroids more often than candy has been associated with Halloween. Bonds was an absolutely great player, probably standing with Ken Griffey Jr. as the best in the 1990s. But players don’t usually hit 73 homers after the age of 40. They retire.
So to many, Roger Maris’ record of 61 homers in a season, accomplished during the 1961 season, is considered hallowed ground and to many others, the REAL regular season record. Same with Babe Ruth’s 60 homers in the 1927 season, accomplished in a 154-game season rather than 162 for Maris.
Don’t get me wrong, I WANT to root for Judge. I WANT to root for Pujols. Not only is Pujols a great player but he is also a true role model, having done a ton for the communities he’s played in (St. Louis and Los Angeles).
But the steroid era ruined all of this.
Just when we think we are rid of these of cheaters, we get a Fernando Taitis, an Alex Rodriguez, a Manny Ramirez, a Robinson Cano, a Ryan Braun or a Melky Cabrera.
And I’m just sick of it.
We should be on trains, buses or at water coolers asking, “Has Pujols hit one today? Has Judge?” In 1998 the home run chase often ran above the fold in newspapers, topping the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal. But now I’m just a little skeptical.
It wasn’t just 1998, it was other years and players besides Bonds, McGwire and Sosa. Brady Anderson hit 50 homers in 1996, about a fourth of a total for a career that never saw him hit as many as 25 again. The next five years, playing in full seasons, he hit 87 homers.
Rafael Palmeiro hit 569 career homers, but later was caught cheating. My favorite part of his defense before Congress: “I …. (looks down at a piece of paper) … did not ever take steroids.” There are some things you shouldn’t have to check notes for: Whether or not you’ve killed someone, cheated on your partner or been to prison. Whether or not someone put a needle in your butt is another one.
Luis Gonzalez was another one. He hit 57 homers in 2001 and then never hit 30 again, although he was constantly sending about 25 balls over fences each year.
His teammate for many years, Jay Bell, is another. Bell was 33 years old with 13 MLB seasons under his belt when he exploded for 38 home runs during the 1999 season. Previously he had been known for being the best bunter in baseball.
Your grandma put her walker down on the on-deck circle, stepped up to the plate in 1998 and went yard against Roger Clemens while doing a titanic bat flip. Okay, that didn’t happen, but you get the point.
So although I’m rooting for both Judge to roll past 61 (60 as of Wednesday morning) and for Pujols to get into the 700-homer club (698 as of Wednesday morning), at the same time I’m just a little wary, because I’ve seen this story before. Judge in a contract year? Good luck to Giant fans. Your team will likely have to pay him a billion dollars over 30 years and hand him the rights to the Marvel franchise to get him.
Pujols in his last year? Yes, I watched Pujols as probably the game’s best player from 2001 to 2011. But I also watched him as a Los Angeles Angel. I was actually surprised when he didn’t hit into a double play in this year’s home run contest.
These two players are quality people doing extraordinary feats. And I so, so, wish I could celebrate it more.
Thanks for nothing, Richard Hidalgo, Todd Hundley and John Jaha.
