Melky Cabrera Suspension: Why Aren't More Players Outraged?

Melky Cabrera was suspended for 50 games for testing positive for testosterone on Wednesday. The San Francisco Giants outfielder did one thing right, though. He blamed no one but himself, and took his punishment without pointing fingers. There were no lame excuses -- "I don't know how it happened"; "There must have been something in a milkshake I drank"; "My dog did it"; "They mistakenly thought I was Barry Bonds." But that's like giving a bank robber credit for pleading guilty and apologizing once he got caught. Reaction from around the league came in, and as usual, Cabrera's fellow union members showed their support for Cabrera with a little sadness thrown in. Not much outrage, though. But why?

The cheaters are continuing to give baseball a black eye. They're also screwing over the clean players, putting every one of them under suspicion. Instead of anger that Cabrera is using an unfair advantage while competing, his fellow players are treating the situation as if something bad happened to him that was beyond his control. But, of course, they're just going along with their union, who go to great strides to protect the cheaters to the detriment of the players who don't use PEDs. Cabrera's former New York Yankees teammates were asked to weigh in on the Cabrera situation.

Robinson Cano stated, "I'm always going to be on his side . . . I've never talked with him about anything like that."

Alex Rodriguez, who knows a little about taking PEDs, said, "He had a down year in Atlanta and decided to take his career, work extremely hard. I saw him do that and have a great run." And, "It's sad to see it happen. He's a guy who was having a good year. I'm 100 percent surprised."

And Derek Jeter stated, "To say I'm surprised goes without saying. Melky was a great teammate and I enjoyed watching him get better. It's too bad."

There was plenty of surprise, but nowhere in there was any anger shown toward a player who is tampering with a level playing field and continuing to cast a shadow over all the players in Major League Baseball. The Los Angeles Dodgers, as well as every team competing against the Giants, should be incensed. What would the standings look like if Cabrera didn't cheat? The Giants themselves should be furious. Of course, there are still many players secretly using PEDs themselves so they won't make a peep, which is one explanation for the lack of furor. Even A-Rod is clueless. He's surprised that a guy who is "having a good year" has turned his career around by working "extremely hard"? PEDs are the first clue an average player has changed the course of his career in midstream. An extra boost of testosterone surely can help a player work harder, too.

The players that are hurt the most by the PED cheats are the ones who are clean. And ironically they're usually the ones showing the most support and loyalty toward them. Go figure.