# Hey ESPN, it was a corked bat. That's it. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 5, 2003, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-espn-it-was-a-corked-bat-thats-it/179868 "2003-06-05T17:04:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![More\_Cowbell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@More\_Cowbell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/More_Cowbell)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-espn-it-was-a-corked-bat-thats-it/179868/61 "2003-06-06T19:25:49Z")
Thank you. Apology accepted, and of course knowing more would paint a clearer picturer, both for the DR and the allegations of Sosa spousal abuse. However, lack of evidence is not proof of anything. I can’t find much on the Sosa divorce, as it happened 11 years ago when Sosa was not the superstar he is today. Suffice it to say, Sosa and his ex-wife have put their differences behind them, and she was there with their son when Sammy passed Maris’ homerun mark. And FWIW, I believe Sammy’s punishment was pretty fair, although I still think baseball went easy on him with only 8 games. And I think the Cubs should have to forfeit Mark Prior to the White Sox, but that may be asking to much. Maybe Sosa should have used a [different filling](http://espn.go.com/page2/s/hruby/030605.html) for his bat. ---
**Author:** ![deb2world](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@deb2world](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deb2world)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-espn-it-was-a-corked-bat-thats-it/179868/62 "2003-06-06T19:41:35Z")
I have a question. Who determines when the suspension is served? And can the player or team select it? I ask this cause I heard the announcer for the Cubs this morn talking about how he thinks Sammy will serve it at a certain time that won’t hurt the team. To me that seems silly and unfair. A suspension of a player SHOULD hurt the team. Logically it seems that the process should go: 1. Bad thing happens. 2. Commish office hands down suspension in a timely manner 3. Ball player makes decision to appeal within a rulebook set time. 4. appeal is done within a rulebook set time 5. decision is handed down 6. suspension starts immediately, do not pass go, do not collect $200. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-espn-it-was-a-corked-bat-thats-it/179868/63 "2003-06-06T20:13:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by deb2world \* > \*\*I have a question. > > Who determines when the suspension is served? And can the player or team select it? > \*\* **deb2world** , your layout of events is accurate. The timing trick comes in dropping the appeal at a good spot. Sosa and Baker will get together and decide when he will be lest missed, then that day drop the appeal and start serving the suspension immediately. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-espn-it-was-a-corked-bat-thats-it/179868/64 "2003-06-06T23:41:34Z")
I posted this in another thread, but if the mods allow, I’d also like to bring it to this thread, where it’s more germane. > [@](#): > > Cheating is so immature! What is it with these people that, instead of thinking, “Well, I got all the way to the major leagues; I must be good enough to win on my own merits”, they instead think, “Well, I’m in the major leagues, so I can get away with this.” Do you think it starts on the high school and college levels? If I had the time, which I don’t, I’d research and see if cheating is more likely to occur during pennant races, or when the specific player felt he was in jeopardy and was desperate to increase his numbers. Or it could be that these guys, logically valuable to their high school and college teams, have been conditioned to think that they’re all that, and will do anything to maintain the facade, as well as having that “sense of entitlement” everyone’s on about these days. I’d like to think that there are no Jayson Blair-esque sociopaths in baseball who would cheat just because they see no need to follow the rules, ever. I do wonder, though, what drove Gaylord Perry to such extremes of subterfuge: it seems like the more they warned him, the more and sneakier was he found to smuggle in substances. Just stubborn, maybe? But cheating, to me, is an act of cowardice. Especially with a repeat offender like Perry. It tells me that the player doesn’t have enough confidence in the way he can pitch or bat without illegal enhancements. JMHO, but you’re either good enough or you’re not. And if that’s how you handle self-doubt, you don’t belong in the majors anyway. ---
**Author:** ![deb2world](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@deb2world](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deb2world)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-espn-it-was-a-corked-bat-thats-it/179868/65 "2003-06-07T00:15:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by This Year’s Model \* > \*\ ***deb2world** , your layout of events is accurate. The timing trick comes in dropping the appeal at a good spot. Sosa and Baker will get together and decide when he will be lest missed, then that day drop the appeal and start serving the suspension immediately. \*\* I think Sosa should just take his medicine and serve the suspension immediately. So what if it the Yankee/Cubs this weekend. In a few years no one will remember this, but they will remember that he appealed the decision and wasn’t man enough to just serve it. They will selectively remember that MLB didn’t immediately suspend Sosa. Bad for baseball cause Sosa and Baker are only looking at the short term. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-espn-it-was-a-corked-bat-thats-it/179868/66 "2003-06-07T00:45:55Z")
Mr. Rilch just read my post and wants me to correct this: > [@](#): > > If I had the time, which I don’t, I’d research and see if cheating is more likely to occur during pennant races… > \*\* Shouldn’t have said “pennant races”. I meant the scrambling that often happens towards the end of the season, when one team is eight games out of first place, and wants to pull ahead of other teams. I didn’t mean post-season playoffs. Mr. Rilch says any player/team who got caught cheating in a playoff game would be crucified, both by the commission and by fans; presumably knowing this, they wouldn’t dare. ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-espn-it-was-a-corked-bat-thats-it/179868/67 "2003-06-07T00:52:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by deb2world \* > \*\*I think Sosa should just take his medicine and serve the suspension immediately. So what if it the Yankee/Cubs this weekend. In a few years no one will remember this, but they will remember that he appealed the decision and wasn’t man enough to just serve it. They will selectively remember that MLB didn’t immediately suspend Sosa. Bad for baseball cause Sosa and Baker are only looking at the short term. \*\* Doubtful. Almost everyone appeals a suspension. There was an even longer delay between Albert Belle’s corking incident in 1994 and the start of his suspension (two weeks). I had to dig pretty hard to find that there even was this gap. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-espn-it-was-a-corked-bat-thats-it/179868/68 "2003-06-07T03:39:28Z")
I guess I just have a different ethical code than most of you. I find cheating inexcusable. It blows my mind that so many of you think that cheating is acceptable behavior. As to the question of what to do about former players who have admitted to cheating–well, that’s a toughie. On one hand, I’d like to say “Ban 'em all!” On the other hand, I don’t think you can ban anyone without actual evidence that they were cheating. Do their recollections count as evidence? That’s the key question. Ultimately, we have to draw a line somewhere, and as far as I can tell, the only reasonable place to draw the line is this: Were they caught cheating? Albert Belle was caught with the smoking bat. Pete Rose was caught Red-handed. (couldn’t resist. sorry.) They both deserve banning for life. Sammy Sosa was also caught cheating, and deserves banning for life. Do I believe Whitey Ford cheated? Absolutely. But he wasn’t caught, so I reluctantly have to say that he can’t be banned. No evidence, no conviction. Doesn’t make it right, but what else can we do? ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-espn-it-was-a-corked-bat-thats-it/179868/69 "2003-06-07T05:37:09Z")
I think the difference is that we disagree in the appropriate punishment. No one here has stated that Sosa doesn’t deserve punishment (the appeal of his suspension is a mere formality) so the idea that we think it’s acceptable is specious at best. Let the punishment fit the crime. You don’t lose your driver’s license for speeding – especially on a first offense – and you don’t get executed for not paying your taxes. Sosa got 8 games (probably 6 after appeal) and that’s appropriate for what he did. Banning him for life serves no reasonable purpose. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-espn-it-was-a-corked-bat-thats-it/179868/70 "2003-06-07T07:44:52Z")
**Raygun** : Yeah, but if he and his manager can manipulate things so that he will (hopefully) miss less-important games, is it really a punishment? ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-espn-it-was-a-corked-bat-thats-it/179868/71 "2003-06-07T09:27:46Z")
What’s really funny is the latest allegation that MLB and ESPN are picking on Sosa because he’s black and Dominican. Gary Sheffield said on ESPN that neither organization would have gone after Big Mac or Cal Ripken Jr. that way if they had been found with a corked bat. :rolleyes::rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Flymaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c4cdca/32.png) [@Flymaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flymaster)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-espn-it-was-a-corked-bat-thats-it/179868/72 "2003-06-07T16:39:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Rilchiam \* > \*\ ***Raygun** : Yeah, but if he and his manager can manipulate things so that he will (hopefully) miss less-important games, is it really a punishment? \*\* So you’re suggesting that the league should be able to cheat against the rules of the collective bargaining agreement, without any repercussions? That’s logical. ---
**Author:** ![Lockz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Lockz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lockz)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-espn-it-was-a-corked-bat-thats-it/179868/73 "2003-06-07T16:57:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RickJay \* > **Corking clearly lies at a different level than those things, though. A basketball player taking an extra step or a hockey player grabbing a stick isn’t “cheating,” they’re just playing the game and assuming the risk of incurring the appropriate penalty (losing the ball/two minutes in the box.) In those cases, those behaviours are expected and the rulebook is structured to deal with them. Corking a bat, however, is a deliberate _deception._ When Jordan takes his extra step he’s doing it in plain view. Corking a bat is something you do before the game in secret. It’s cheating. That’s why Sosa should get 10 games.** I remember games in hockey where people were suspected of using an illegal stick (incorrect angle), and the person got a two minute penalty for Illegal Equipment. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-espn-it-was-a-corked-bat-thats-it/179868/74 "2003-06-07T17:35:23Z")
This wasn’t “a practice bat.” By his explanation it was a bat that he concocted because he thought a corked bat would help him hit more home runs to impress his fans as a pre-game show. In other words he used it to lie to his fans about his abilities and he expects us to believe that he never made that he never made the “mistake” of using it during a game before. Uh huh. The one time he used that bat in a game it cracked. Uh huh. What are the odds of _that_? I knew that he was a spoiled baby arrogant ass, but I had still prefered him to McGwire’s just legal doping. Now he’s a cheat too. And sports is held up as a model to our kids? Gimmee a break. ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-espn-it-was-a-corked-bat-thats-it/179868/75 "2003-06-07T18:34:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by spooje \* > \*\* > Gary Sheffield said on ESPN that neither organization would have gone after Big Mac or Cal Ripken Jr. that way if they had been found with a corked bat. > \*\* I’m under the personal impression that the media that portrays Barry Bonds as a jerk looked the other way at McGuire being a jerk. (That said, it’s probably best to reveal here that I follow the Giants, and had hated McGuire since his days with the A’s.) ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-espn-it-was-a-corked-bat-thats-it/179868/76 "2003-06-07T22:55:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Flymaster \* > \*\*So you’re suggesting that the league should be able to cheat against the rules of the collective bargaining agreement, without any repercussions? That’s logical. \*\* Uh…I’m wondering if you quoted the right person here. Upthread, **jeevmon** said: > [@](#): > > As far as appealing the suspension, I suspect that it was handed out as it was to ensure that Sosa could appeal in time to be available for the Yankees series. It’s a big series and potentially big TV draw, especially Saturday’s game, which features Roger Clemens going for 300 against Kerry Wood going for 50. Having Sosa in it benefits the league more than having him out of it. They’d much rather have him serve his suspension when the Cubs are playing the Brewers or something. To me, that sounds like a further “cheat”. And if it is, I am certainly not endorsing it. ---
**Author:** ![Flymaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c4cdca/32.png) [@Flymaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flymaster)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2003, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-espn-it-was-a-corked-bat-thats-it/179868/77 "2003-06-08T00:08:25Z")
No, I’m talking to you. What would be “cheating” would be for the league to violate the collective bargaining agreement by not allowing Sammy to appeal his suspension. You’re advocating that they somehow make an end run around a rule that everyone knows about, in order to punish someone for making an end run around a rule that everyone knew about. That sounds like some very poor logic. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2003, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-espn-it-was-a-corked-bat-thats-it/179868/78 "2003-06-08T01:07:39Z")
All right; whatever. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-espn-it-was-a-corked-bat-thats-it/179868.md?page=3)