When the Giants Come to Town, It's Bye-Bye Baby

10.19.2007
Cheater in Our Midst

One of the best players in the ALCS right now is a cheater. Not suspected, alleged, or theorized. He was caught and served a suspension. His name is Rafael Betancourt, and he is Cleveland’s best relief pitcher — arguably their best player right now, mowing down the Sox and Yankees in important late-inning situations.

He’s probably not cheating anymore, but isn’t it odd that little if any has been made of the fact that Betancourt once served a 10–day suspension. I haven’t watched or listened to every inning of every Indians game this post-season, so perhaps I’ve missed a discussion or two about it. Meanwhile, I like this approach.

Betancourt is on the record saying he doesn’t know what caused the positive drug test.

***

SMALL PRINT UPDATE: Now listening to Low’s The Great Destroyer. It’s an example of the importance of album construction, though less and less relevant in this age of digital shuffle. (Remember how we used to listen to records from front to back the way we read novels? You know, novels — those long wordy things printed on lots of paper.)

Destroyer starts with the weakest two songs, in my humble opinion, but builds into a series of subtle, powerful sounds — more moods than songs,  an ebb and flow that follows the stunning, chilling harmonies of lead singer Alan Sparhawk and drummer Mimi Parker (also husband and wife). Their voices together is one of my favorite sounds in the world of music.

Why they constructed the album this way is odd. What if it were enough to dissuade those with short-attention spans from digging further? Perhaps these days, no one listens to the first songs first anyway.



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[October 19, 2007 3:26 PM]  |  link  |  reply
Tom Clifton said

When do you call off the dogs?

The Giants own feel good story of the year, Guillermo Rodriguez was suspended for steroid use two years ago.

I know Guillermo, and he is a good kid and a good father. But he made a mistake after spending 10 years in the minors. It probably cost him two years. But he finally made it to the big Giants.

Do we brand him a cheater for the rest of his career? I don't.

[October 19, 2007 5:03 PM]  |  link  |  reply
Chris said

Lefty,

Great Low album, I was listening to I Could Live in Hope just yesterday while driving through the country sides of Virginia, perfect music for this fall weather we're having.

Things we lost in the fire is another fav of mine.

What did you think of Drums and Guns?

[October 20, 2007 12:54 AM]  |  link  |  reply
obsessivegiantscompulsive said

But that's how baseball works.

Herges has been in the majors all these years, successfully pitching, but he is still a scab, and unwelcomed to join the players association nor to share in the money they earn for using the players likeness and what not.

Shoeless Joe Jackson would probably have been one of the greatest players in history had he continued to play, but even though subsequent info suggests a benefit of the doubt that he was not guilty of cheating, he is still branded a cheater and kept out of the HoF.

[October 21, 2007 4:23 PM]  |  link  |  reply
Anonymous said

lolz. paul byrd