New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez is just one home run away from being the seventh and youngest player to hit 600 home runs in major league history. So as guest-host of The Rachel Maddow Show, Nation Washington Editor Christopher Hayes wonders "why isn’t the whole country whipped up into a home run frenzy, chomping at the bit every time the slugger steps up to home plate?" According to Nation Sports Editor Dave Zirin, it's because A-Rod's "the Courtney Love of baseball."
After Rodriguez admitted to steroid use in the past, Zirin says, the industry him "in the Major League Baseball version of the Witness Protection Program.” Owners have avoided all accountability for the steroid era, so celebrating A-Rod brings up uncomfortable questions about how much owners knew about steroid use and when did they know it. As one anonymous player asks, "Why is it when it comes to steroids, distribution is a team issue, but punishment is an individual issue?"
—Melanie Breault