Melky Cabrera, the Giants outfielder who has been crushing the ball this season, tested positive for high testosterone, the effects of a supplemental addition to his body’s chemistry production.
A first time offender, he has been suspended for 50 games, without pay, and he’ll wear the dirty asterisk. That little * that now also denotes cheaters.
All of this you know. And you may even be aware that with his suspension, Cabrera stands an excellent chance of winning the NL Batting Title for the San Francisco Giants–an award offered the to the player possessing the highest batting average in the league. This based on a minimum number of at-bats. This prevents players who are injured from being left out of the conversation. The rule is now looking like it will aid a cheater in securing one of baseball’s highest honors.
I’m very familiar with the rules of the game, yet I’m not familiar with the rules associated with PED related suspensions. From what I can find, it seems that there is a gaping loophole in this policy. With the Giants only possessing 44 games left on the regular season schedule, and Cabrera batting .346 with enough at-bats to qualify for the batting title, he is sitting within striking distance of Andrew McCutchen of the Pittsburgh Pirates, who is presently batting .358.
It would seem that McCutchen would have it in the bag with 44 games left to play, but in years past, this is when Pittsburgh has begun their downhill slide toward the off-season. I’m predicting that the Pirates centerfielder will finish between .335 and .345. And wouldn’t that be a sonofa*****!
All that set-up is to say this: If Bud Selig allows Melky Cabrera to officially win the batting title, after having been hammered for performance enhancing drugs, the team owners have to fire this guy–this guy being Selig. The Commish. This is a demand from one of baseball’s most loyal fans. Enough is enough. He’s not even a baseball fan! Hopefully it won’t be an issue, and McCutchen can finish the season strong, regardless of the Bucs failing to make the playoffs. However, if it means that Selig would actually get the boot, it will be harder for many baseball fans to desire the right thing to happen.
