Give him his due

Wow!  That is all I can say about blogger Jerod Morris, who in his infinite wisdom, openly opined that Raul Ibanez must be on the juice due to his great start this season.  I guess accountability has gone by the wayside in deference to the shock factor in today’s blogs.  When did it become okay to say anything about anyone?!?  Thankfully Raul did not duck or dodge his accuser, he went back at him with both barrels, calling Morris’ comments  ”pathetic and disgusting” and offering to “give you back every dime” he’s earned via baseball if he ever tested positive for PEDs. 

     Aren’t we tired of all this nonsense by now?  Granted, I’m still a little skeptical when you hear that a Manny Ramirez gets caught, but he’s a head case.  Ibanez has always been viewed as a hard working, blue collar player who earns what he gets.  He’s never been under suspicion of PEDs.  He also tried to downplay the confrontation with the comments “Unfortunately, I understand the environment we’re in and the events that have led us to this era of speculation;  At the same time, you can’t just walk down the street and accuse somebody of being a thief because they didn’t have a nice car yesterday and they do today. You can’t say that guy is a thief.” 

     Even though he said the above and Morris came back with a partial apology, make no mistake, Ibanez is pissed and rightfully so.  This isn’t Sosa vs. McGwire in the late 90’s, this is a man having a great start to a season in an easier league and hitter’s ballpark.  The Phillies are thrilled to have Ibanez, he’s leading the All-Star vote for NL Outfielders and it’s time to give the man his due.  Everyone out there, show Raul some love, you too Jerod!