For the love of the game

To save the game of baseball from its current state, full of players on steroids, it will require players to take it on themselves to clean the game. These players make millions upon millions of dollars. They need to play the game, the way it was meant to be played. Today's players are lazy, resort to cheating and petty demands for an extra 30 million dollars to satisfy themselves. Anyone doing this for a career should be happy enough with the job they have. They are doing what millions of kids can only imagine of doing for life. They play a game that is part of American culture and are a privileged few.

A player today needs to show grit, determination and full effort whenever they step on the diamond. Any less is an insult to those watching and the fans who truly enjoy the game. Players like Alex Rodriguez, while he did work out a contract outside of Scott Boras, are being paid yet often fail to hustle and show the sportsmanship. Americans give these players the right to play the game. We watch them and let them entertain us because of the gift of talent they have. They do not have the right to sit on the sidelines demanding money or complaining because of any faults on their team or of their teammates.

A player I admire is Grady Sizemore, a player who plays the game the right way. The sport of baseball is in lack of such talent and such heart. He plays with full effort no matter the situation and no matter the point in the season or game. You don't hear complaints or demands from this kid. He harks back to the days where guys needed to keep a second job during the offseason to stay afloat. He plays because he loves the game. He realizes he's privileged, and he plays to entertain the crowd. He dives because it's fun; he runs because he wants to make that extra effort. I'd rather have one of him than ten players of Alex Rodriguez's attitude and talent.