Hi, this is Fred Wallace with ” Off the Wire “,….. proudly sponsored by Pete’s Auto Body.
Pete’s Auto Body; because we care about our community…..
The sporting cliche is ” the BIGGER they are, the HARDER they fall “.
I’m guessing that saying originated with boxing, but it certainly applied to baseball over the weekend.
That thud you heard was a massive fall from grace by former Blue Jays second baseman Roberto Alomar, placed on Major League Baseball’s Ineligible List.
The move by MLB was based on an independent investigation into claims Alomar sexually harassed a female Toronto staff member more than a half dozen years ago.
The second thud you heard was the jaws and hearts of Blue Jay fans hitting the floor as Alomar, considered by almost everybody to be the greatest Jay in club history, was banished from the sport and his place in the Jays Level of Excellence was removed.
What exactly did Roberto Alomar do ?
We likely may never fully know since the findings of the investigation were not made public and the person who made the complaint has stated, through lawyers, she has no interest in pursuing the matter further.
Thus, we are left to accept, or be sceptical, of the conclusion
Alomar for his part would like to be heard and I think he deserves to be heard, because to me, that would be fair based on the complaint and the damage now done to his reputation in baseball and outside of the game.
True, there’s tons of Blue Jay and baseball fans who want a public climax to the story, to hear the details of what did, or didn’t, happen to their hero.
All of which reminds me of something I read recently pertaining to Mike Marshall, the workhorse reliever whose glory days were with the Expos and Dodgers in the 1970s.
Marshall was considered by the baseball world to be a highly educated, highly intelligent, kook.
One his idiosyncrasies was to never sign an autograph which raised eyebrows around Major League Baseball and their ” Fan-tastic ” marketing initiatives.
Mike Marshall simply felt a baseball player was unworthy of attention and adulation compared to so many other professionals in North America and beyond; teachers, doctors, environmentalists etc.
Roberto Alomar was a great baseball player, the best Blue Jay of all time perhaps, but he, along with his fan base, illustrate truly the BIGGER you are, the HARDER you fall.
For Pete’s Auto Body, I’m Fred Wallace.