Mota’s Apology Not Accepted
Guillermo Mota had been brought in to fill a hole in the bullpen when Duaner Sanchez was hurt in a cab accident in Miami just before last years trade deadline. Six months later he’s needed again to cover for a Sanchez injury but will not be able to answer the call because of his suspension.
Mota apologized when he was in camp a couple of days ago but apologies are not enough. As in politics the words “I’m sorry” don’t mean “I’m sorry that I did what I did”. They mean “I’m sorry I got caught”. Of course if you didn’t do the action you got caught for then you would never have gotten caught so your apology is worthless and your team is going to suffer when they need you because you did a selfish thing.
Billy Wagner was very candid when talking with Kevin Kernan for a column appearing in yesterday’s New York Post. Kernan quoted Wagner as follows:
“I say if you found somebody who hasn’t made a mistake then you need to follow their example but there is not a man who has played this game, that I’ve ever seen, who has not made a mistake.”
“You’ve got corking, you’ve got triple-dipping bats, rocks for baseballs, you’ve got pine tar on their hats, you name it. Everybody’s cheating, trying to get an advantage. The only people who have to say they’re sorry is the ones that get caught.”
“You look back, there were spitballers. There was Gaylord Perry and all these guys, you know what? Everybody is trying to get the advantage. Everybody is just trying to get that edge, and it is just part of the game.”
“Whether it’s greenies, steroids, HGH, you name it, everybody has done something trying to get better.”
You’ve got to give Wagner credit. Always a good quote. Usually straight on.
In this case he also describes what is actually going on in the clubhouses around the league where players are trying to get every advantage possible to succeed even if it means cheating. That’s human nature. But unlike Wagner’s quotes I believe that some cheating is worse than others. If a guy corks his bat it’s one thing but when he causes long term harm to his body by using banned substances he’s crossed a line. My son won’t get hurt by emulating players who cork their bats but you can bet he will get hurt by emulating those who use HGH, The Cream, The Clear, etc.
These substances are banned for a reason so I’d be hard pressed to accept an apology from any player caught using them. Including Mota.
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