By Josh:
I’ve been looking at this document for hours not exactly sure what to write.
I’ll begin with this. I’m a Mariner fan.
I want the Mariners to win and finally make it to the playoffs after 17 years of watching every other team play in the playoffs. This year, for a moment, I felt the potential hope of earning a Wild Card spot and breaking the playoff drought.
Really the Mariners just needed some things to go their way and the chance to make the playoffs was a realistic thought.
Having one of your top players getting suspended for 80 games isn’t things going your way. That would be the opposite of what the Mariners needed. Not only does this hurt the team’s chances of making the playoffs, it really is a blow for the fan base.
How do you get your fan base excited for a team that hasn’t made the playoffs in 17 years, has one of the worst (maybe even the worst) farm system in the game and now when the team seems to have a chance gets hit like this.
Last night my wife and I were sitting down to plan out the summer and games we were going to try and go to. We planned trips to Eugene, Salem a few big tournaments in my home town and a few other places but at no time did we even consider Seattle. The main reason I have no desire to go spend my money in Seattle is because of things like this. I know I’m not the only fan who will make this decision as well.
Robinson Cano was for all intents and purposes the face of the franchise. He HAD the potential to be a first ballot Hall of Famer. I would throw that out the window now. Honestly though, Cano testing positive is frustrating but what is more frustrating is the fact that he, like every other player that tests positive, blames it on someone else. Take responsibility for your actions and honestly I’ll be frustrated but I’d honestly be more forgiving.
Oh and please don’t say he didn’t take a PED. He took a banned substance that is used directly with PEDs. MLB doesn’t hide the list of banned substances. It took me one google search and 2 minutes to find the entire list of banned substances.
Will I cheer for Cano in the future? I cheer on Dee Gordon and Nelson Cruz, who both were suspended in the past, but like with those two players I won’t cheer in the same way I did when I first saw them play, before they were suspended. I will no longer be in awe of what they accomplish, just cheer for them because they are a part of a team I’ve followed all my life.
I am a fan of the Mariners and want them to win, but that doesn’t mean I’m blind or have to give my money to go watch them play.
Ugh. I feel the same way. And, to me, taking a PED or taking a “masking agent” are one in the same. Do I expect Cano to know as much about medicine than his doctor? Nope. Do I expect him to check product names against the banned list? Absolutely. Just another asterisk in modern major league baseball.