Under a Lowering Cloud of Cynicism About the Authenticity of Their Achievements

George F. Will: “[B]aseball produces -- inning by inning, game by game, season upon season -- a rich sediment of statistics that sustain the arguments that nourish interest in the game with the longest history. If Sosa's slugging -- he is the only player to hit 60 or more home runs in three seasons -- was assisted by cheating, he will be diminished, as will the game's ongoing narrative. And all other players will come under a lowering cloud of cynicism about the authenticity of their achievements.”

Will again plays up how woeful the team (the Chicago Cubs) he is a fan of, and gets a lot of mileage out of the Sammy Sosa Corking Affair. Some black players, notably Gary Sheffield—I saw an interview with Sheffield on Sportscenter when I was in the states, and asked why he thought Sosa was suspended, Sheffield lifted his arm and pointed to his skin—have claimed racism in this case. As this article accurately points out, those claims are ridiculous. Baseball players are probably overpaid, but that's coming from someone who never had to swing at a 95-mile-an-hour fastball.