Raphael Palmeiro was suspended yesterday for violating the league's substance abuse policy. Apparently he was drug tested and they found performance enhancing drugs in his system. Steroids.
Raphael Palmeiro is a strange kind of player. He has Hall of Fame numbers but never seemed to have had a call of fame career. He was always behind the “elite” pack of players and never got the recognition like the other big bats. Part of that is because he never played on great teams so it was implied he didn’t have a big enough impact, and he was never voted an MVP as far as I know. He never played in a World Series, never led the league in runs batter in, home runs or average, and has only been in 4 All Star games. He quietly put up some of the greatest career numbers of any player of my generation but just never was on anyone’s mind share. Do you think people paid to go to the game just to see him? But he just reached a milestone that only 3 other MLB players in history have reached. Pretty amazing.
Oh, there is one other thing. Raphael Palmeiro is a fraud and a cheat and he should be ashamed of himself. He stood up in front of Congress and pointed fingers and lied under oath. He traded jabs with Jose Canseco over comments in Canseco’s book. He evangelized about the use of steroids and joined round table discussion on the use of steroids. All the while he (allegedly) was taking steroids. What a freakin fraud and a joke.
One more thing. I hate those Viagra commercials. He should be kept out of the Hall of Fame just for making those uncomfortable cheesy commercials. Viagra. Ha, if that isn’t a testament of how little market appeal he has, I don’t know what is. Let’s see who else was a well know spokesman…that’s right, Bob Dole. Some crackety old geezer and Raphael Palmeiro. Very impressive.
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