Rick Ankiel, from anti-Bonds to Antichrist

September 7th, 2007 | Posted by PostmanE

Much like I did for so long with Barry Bonds, I’m struggling to get my head around the Rick Ankiel shocker in today’s New York Daily News, which Pat Lackey spotted late last night on the FanHouse. (Speaking of which, heads up for more coverage there, where we can write short little posts that require no sweeping impressions.) It’s obvious what Ankiel represented to so many of us, even those of us that hate the Cardinals and Tony LaRussa and all he stands for with every sinew and heartstring in our bodies: He was the Anti-Bonds. He was an underdog, a friendly story, a guy to laugh along with, made even more human by his stark contrast to Bonds’ phony, hulking mass.

Now, of course, we should all hate Rick Ankiel, much as we all hate Barry Bonds. If anything is true, it’s that they deserve the same treatment. Whether you’re breaking the most hallowed record in sports or merely trying to get back to the game, doing so dishonestly is not a relatable offense.

But how much did HGH help Ankiel? How authentic is his performance on the field right now? How much could steroids have helped Bonds? If both players did their cheating before the cheating was explicitly illegal, can you really be so maddened by either? We’ve already seen Cardinals fans go the way of Giants fans and explore the middle ground on Ankiel; if they do that, must we all grant the same territory to Bonds?

I don’t know. Like I said, I’m still getting my head around it. At the very least, it’s yet another spirit-crushing blow to the integrity we purport to value in our games. It’s getting harder and harder to defend, each and every month.