Silver lining?

I'll admit it, I'm pretty weary of the Alex Rodriguez soap opera. The man is a mercenary, philandering, arrogant cheat. Ok, I got that. Let's test him every three days (like MLB does Josh Hamilton) and move on.

There may be a small silver lining to the whole ordeal though. Recently I have seen two articles on MLB.com dealing with the situation. One was talking about David Ortiz's reaction and another covered Jamie Moyer's thoughts. Both were interesting because Ortiz is a good friend of Rodriguez and Moyer is a former teammate.

Moyer, pictured here on card number 85T of the 1989 Topps traded set, says he is "disappointed" in Rodriguez. He also believes that Rodriguez's career numbers are ruined, he has no credibility, he will not be elected to the Hall, and now has nothing to play for. Pretty strong words from a guy generally considered to be among the nicest in the game. Pretty credible words from a guy who has made the game work for him by being himself, something Alex should have tried.

Ortiz is more pointed. While saying that we should move on from the Rodriguez situation, he calls for testing of every player on every team several times a season. He also thinks that the penalty for a first time offense should be a one-year suspension from the game. Only then, he feels, will steroids be taken seriously and the cheating stop.

In a way I find both of these encouraging. I remember from past situations that other players were surprised or felt badly for the involved player. I don't remember any negative reactions or calls for increased enforcement. Maybe the players are waking up to the fact that steroids are ruining the game. Perhaps the positive peer pressure will bear some fruit. It would be nice to see something positive come out of this revelation.