Top 5 Misunderstood Men in Baseball

Okay, what is the DEAL? Universally acclaimed as top-tier Hall of Fame material, he's not only not allowed in Cooperstown, he's banned from the damn sport, for betting on HIS OWN TEAM. Yeah, okay, I can understand betting AGAINST your own team could be a problem (okay, would be a problem), but betting on yourself to win? They should pay players a bonus for that. Please. Plus, he looks just like the dad of one of my best friends from high school. Mr Palmer, I know you agree.

I know, you're over it. You're okay with him now. But he did it. He did both of them. He topped Hank Aaron's record (just a week ago), and he took steroids. You know it, I know it, we all know it. So, apparently, did everyone else. Everyone from baseball players to bikers has been taking steroids. It's hard not to respect the achievements, but the way of achieving them does make a difference. It's interesting to note that after all the unbelievable hype over the 'roids when they came out, not a single news outlet I could find this month even mentioned them. Universal support, including the one blog that said, "Years from now no one will remember any controversy." Okay, that news broke a long time ago, but the 'roid use is part of what got him here. Breaking Hank Aarons' record. I'm pretty sure Hank didn't have chemical helpers. Let's not forget that.

Oh, come on. What's not to like. You've got a like a guy who can laugh when they give him this sculpture of himself for hitting his 500th homer, and then knock it onto the ground before he even gets a chance to see it. Go A-Rod.

I love this guy. I love his funny stuff, and I love his softer stuff, those classic sob stories he brings to sports. (Sometimes.) But the pictures on that back page just keep getting worse. They are not portraying him well. I did a quick search on google images and he looks much better in their pictures. So this really isn't a complaint about Rick Reilly. It's about his photographer.

Actually, I need to do another list so I can make #5 Michael Vicks, dog killer extraordinare. Yeah. Who could misunderstand that -- except, they're already talking suspension the second he gets accused of abusing dogs, but Kobe Bryant didn't get suspended the second he got accused of raping a woman? Oh, forget it. Another list. This was the guy who got every person in the stadium (especially the ones in those angled seats past first base), to actually stand up and stretch their arms over their heads, every game. This was the guy who sounded exactly like the voices on the radio in those old movies where they're listening to the game because there were no TVs. For all I know he WAS one of those voices. Anyway, he died years ago, and the Orioles experience will never be the same.