WHY THE SILENCE?

There is always a debate amongst media types about the alleged "East Coast Bias". The only place it seems to exist is at the Worldwide Leader in Sports. Or so I thought.

Now I know everyone south of the Mason-Dixon line and west of the Mississippi is sick of Yankees/Red Sox, the Phillies, Tom Brady, Rex Ryan and blah blah blah. I get it. They all just want their team to get the same coverage. Heck, I would too. Do I think it exists? Probably, but I live inside the bubble so I usually don't care.
Then something happened. The Los Angeles Angels of Orange County in Anaheim, or something like that, went and signed Albert Pujols to a 10 year, $254 million dollar contract. And a few hours later they signed CJ Wilson to a 5 year, $77.5 million dollar contract. Not bad for a day's work.

Now, I don't like the Angels, but I can't fault them for what they've done. Total respect for both them and Pujols for trying to get paid. My problem comes from the lack of outrage. Pujols' contract is second only to the one A-Rod signed a few years back. At the time just about every sports writer in America called the contract "detrimental to the game". It was fodder from Caribou to Chula Vista. So this time, where's the outrage? I'm 99.9% sure that if the Yankees signed Pujols all the writers and Sports Talk hosts would've been screaming and hollering. East Coast Bias? Is it that nobody cares about the Angels or is it that it's OK for someone outside of the I-95 corridor to do it? Maybe just hating the Yankees is easy...

While we're on the subject, where's the outrage that your NL MVP, Ryan Braun, allegedly tested positive for PEDs? I know it came out on a Saturday while all of the blowhards are storing up oxygen, but come on. I thought the steroid era was over. Didn't Commissioner Selig "fix" this? Maybe everyone's tight lipped because Braun plays for the Brewers and is a likable guy. What if, say Curtis Granderson or Jacoby Ellsbury won the MVP and then tested positive; heads would've exploded. Again, East Coast Bias?Speaking of Ryan Braun, wasn't he one of the guys who was quick to speak out about A-Rod and his alleged use of PEDs? In an MLB.com interview, He said of Alex Rodriguez “The best thing he can do is come out, admit to everything and be completely honest...The situation will die a lot faster if he tells the whole truth.” WOW! Again, nothing is said of the hypocrisy here. I wonder if Ryan Braun's house is made of glass?

Finally and mostly because I can't help myself, Jose Reyes signed a 6 year, $106 million deal with the Miami Marlins. With no visible intentions of replacing his talents, how much silence is going to be coming from Citi Field this year?

-- Lem Allen, BYB Freelance Writer
bybcurmudgeon@gmail.com



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