GrimsleyGate Part Deux: Kendrick vs. Gonzo
You knew it had to happen.
I happened to see in the Arizona Republic today a front-page column by E. J. Montini. The article basically noted Diamondbacks managing general partner Ken Kendrick's displeasure with a column Montini wrote for Tuesday's paper openly questioning the team's hard-line stance regarding Jason Grimsley. Kendrick responded to Montini's column during a phone conversation, where Kendrick also says basically that he does not like players he perceives as taking performance enhancing drugs and ruining the integrity of the game of baseball.
Says Montini in today's edition: "...Among other things, Kendrick told me the team has "quietly" gotten rid of players that it suspected were using steroids. He spoke candidly against what he called the 'whispers' of steroid use that have pestered Diamondbacks star Luis Gonzalez. And he said the Diamondbacks are working on a code of conduct that goes above and beyond the standards that already exist in Major League Baseball. He even took a shot at baseball's biggest suspected cheater, Barry Bonds, and the federal authorities who are hounding him...
"...Kendrick said that, if he had his way, there would be strong penalties for a first offense, including counseling, while a second offense would get a player banned from the game. Current policy calls for a 50-game suspension for a first offense, 100 games for a second and a lifetime ban for the third..."
Luis Gonzalez was so mad at the fact that his team's owner was bringing his name up about this in the front page of the leading major daily newspaper in the desert Southwest, that he called a press conference before the D-Backs 8-1 loss against the Giants today at the BOB.
"...'Just to have your name thrown in it - I've had phone calls from 7:30 this morning till right now...I don't want to be in this situation. I don't think any of my teammates do...My focus is to play baseball. When I woke up this morning and see something like that on the front page, that's definitely not the way I want to start my morning.'..."
Gonzo went on to say that Kendrick basically is the boss, he signs the paycheck, and Gonoz's responsibility is to "my teammates and to the fans".
On AZ SnakePit I brought up the widely rumored idea that Gonzo's 57 HR's in 2001 may have been the result of performance-enhancing substances. Other fans around baseball have brought this up on AZ SnakePit and other forums. I did not directly accuse Gonzo, but in my post I concluded by saying "Say it ain't so Gonzo!"
Sounds like he's sayin' it aint so. But I think Kendrick wants proof.
"...He said, 'Would you, based upon that information (the 2001 home-run numbers) if you had no other information - and we don't have any other, by the way - act on Luis Gonzalez? . . . Can you make that decision based on the facts that we have? I think you need more. And how do we get more? We get more by the testing protocols that we now have. Expanding the testing to include substances that we can't now test for. It's just a long, hard, complicated process, and you just have to be dedicated to it and say we've got to work at this because it's slowly undermining what we are.'..."
Kendrick wants integrity and that is admirable...but if his quest to have a clean team means the Diamondbacks lose focus and lose games as a direct result - with little ot no proof that players are cheating - and with the Player's Association possibly taking action against the D-backs as a result - I as a fan would have a huge, huge problem with that. But Montini says Kendrick even has an answer for that:
"...'The union will not like the fact that we're going to basically release players before they would ordinarily be released under the current guidelines. We're going to do that.'
And what if doing so makes the team lose?
'That's OK, we'll accept that,' Kendrick said. 'I will sleep better knowing that we've tried to do something. . . . I think that what happens over time is that we get ballplayers who want to play here because we do have a more positive culture.'
Kendrick said he got into the business of baseball 'because I love the sport, and I want it to be a community-based enterprise, and I want us to do things right.'..."
I'm beginning to wonder if Kendrick got into the business of baseball not quite knowing what he was getting into. Professional athletics is different in many ways from other industries. You are dealing with athletes who use their bodies to bring in revenue the same way other businesses use refrigerators or hamburgers or antibiotics. Athletes will do whatever they feel it takes to win. I'm not saying taking illegal substances is the correct way, but you have to face reality. Players do what they can to win.
Kendrick, IMO, should just stick to what MLB is doing and let the investigations take their course. If he wants players to agree to the MLB-sanctioned testing as a part of their contracts, fine...but this extra stuff he wants to do - I think that is overreacting. And frankly I believe Kendrick's response is adding fuel to a fire that could burn up the D-Backs' season.
Today, a team spokesman told the Associated Press that Kendrick would not be making further comment on this matter.
This ain't over. Let's hope the D-backs can focus on a pennant. The Giants, Dodgers and Padres will not feel sorry for these guys just because of a scandal - or rumors of one.
I happened to see in the Arizona Republic today a front-page column by E. J. Montini. The article basically noted Diamondbacks managing general partner Ken Kendrick's displeasure with a column Montini wrote for Tuesday's paper openly questioning the team's hard-line stance regarding Jason Grimsley. Kendrick responded to Montini's column during a phone conversation, where Kendrick also says basically that he does not like players he perceives as taking performance enhancing drugs and ruining the integrity of the game of baseball.
Says Montini in today's edition: "...Among other things, Kendrick told me the team has "quietly" gotten rid of players that it suspected were using steroids. He spoke candidly against what he called the 'whispers' of steroid use that have pestered Diamondbacks star Luis Gonzalez. And he said the Diamondbacks are working on a code of conduct that goes above and beyond the standards that already exist in Major League Baseball. He even took a shot at baseball's biggest suspected cheater, Barry Bonds, and the federal authorities who are hounding him...
"...Kendrick said that, if he had his way, there would be strong penalties for a first offense, including counseling, while a second offense would get a player banned from the game. Current policy calls for a 50-game suspension for a first offense, 100 games for a second and a lifetime ban for the third..."
Luis Gonzalez was so mad at the fact that his team's owner was bringing his name up about this in the front page of the leading major daily newspaper in the desert Southwest, that he called a press conference before the D-Backs 8-1 loss against the Giants today at the BOB.
"...'Just to have your name thrown in it - I've had phone calls from 7:30 this morning till right now...I don't want to be in this situation. I don't think any of my teammates do...My focus is to play baseball. When I woke up this morning and see something like that on the front page, that's definitely not the way I want to start my morning.'..."
Gonzo went on to say that Kendrick basically is the boss, he signs the paycheck, and Gonoz's responsibility is to "my teammates and to the fans".
On AZ SnakePit I brought up the widely rumored idea that Gonzo's 57 HR's in 2001 may have been the result of performance-enhancing substances. Other fans around baseball have brought this up on AZ SnakePit and other forums. I did not directly accuse Gonzo, but in my post I concluded by saying "Say it ain't so Gonzo!"
Sounds like he's sayin' it aint so. But I think Kendrick wants proof.
"...He said, 'Would you, based upon that information (the 2001 home-run numbers) if you had no other information - and we don't have any other, by the way - act on Luis Gonzalez? . . . Can you make that decision based on the facts that we have? I think you need more. And how do we get more? We get more by the testing protocols that we now have. Expanding the testing to include substances that we can't now test for. It's just a long, hard, complicated process, and you just have to be dedicated to it and say we've got to work at this because it's slowly undermining what we are.'..."
Kendrick wants integrity and that is admirable...but if his quest to have a clean team means the Diamondbacks lose focus and lose games as a direct result - with little ot no proof that players are cheating - and with the Player's Association possibly taking action against the D-backs as a result - I as a fan would have a huge, huge problem with that. But Montini says Kendrick even has an answer for that:
"...'The union will not like the fact that we're going to basically release players before they would ordinarily be released under the current guidelines. We're going to do that.'
And what if doing so makes the team lose?
'That's OK, we'll accept that,' Kendrick said. 'I will sleep better knowing that we've tried to do something. . . . I think that what happens over time is that we get ballplayers who want to play here because we do have a more positive culture.'
Kendrick said he got into the business of baseball 'because I love the sport, and I want it to be a community-based enterprise, and I want us to do things right.'..."
I'm beginning to wonder if Kendrick got into the business of baseball not quite knowing what he was getting into. Professional athletics is different in many ways from other industries. You are dealing with athletes who use their bodies to bring in revenue the same way other businesses use refrigerators or hamburgers or antibiotics. Athletes will do whatever they feel it takes to win. I'm not saying taking illegal substances is the correct way, but you have to face reality. Players do what they can to win.
Kendrick, IMO, should just stick to what MLB is doing and let the investigations take their course. If he wants players to agree to the MLB-sanctioned testing as a part of their contracts, fine...but this extra stuff he wants to do - I think that is overreacting. And frankly I believe Kendrick's response is adding fuel to a fire that could burn up the D-Backs' season.
Today, a team spokesman told the Associated Press that Kendrick would not be making further comment on this matter.
This ain't over. Let's hope the D-backs can focus on a pennant. The Giants, Dodgers and Padres will not feel sorry for these guys just because of a scandal - or rumors of one.
posted by Michael Sheldon Reed at 6:03 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home