CERVELLI COMES CLEAN & I HAND IN MY POM-POM'S

I love baseball, and even though I try not to get emotionally invested in players, it's hard. You watch them struggle, and succeed, and you start rooting for them. You want to see them triumph after they leave their blood, sweat, and tears on the field. This is how I felt about Francisco Cervelli.

Year after year he showed up at spring training, and battled it out for a job. I rooted for him. I shook my cheerleaders pom-pom's and told everyone why he deserved it. With a injury riddled career, he needed the starting position this year. If only to prove that hard work does pay off. And then a dark cloud rolled in.

While rehabbing an injury to his hand, the Biogenesis news broke, and his name was on that list. He made it a point to address the public saying that the only connection he had with the clinic was that he consulted with them. That was all. I wanted to believe him. Like I said, I was a Cervelli supporter. He was the ultimate underdog to me, and underdog's bust their asses, but they wouldn't cheat. But then the suspensions were given out, and Cervelli accepted his. No questions asked, no debating it, just quietly took his suspension straight off. 

A few days ago, Cervelli interviewed with the New York Newsday (HERE). He spoke about having gone to the Biogenesis clinic in 2011, and everything that has happened as a result. It was the first time since the news broke that he has commented on it to these lengths. He spoke about the desperation he felt that brought him to make the choices he did. 

"I felt so many times in my career a little scared I'm going to lose my job. Every year I have to go to spring training and fight for a job."

I get it. It's tough, busting your hump, and having no job security. He knows better than anyone how injury prone he is. So he got hurt, and needed a quick fix that would bring him back to the team as fast as possible.  He didn't want to lose his job. And let's face it, his position with the team has always been questionable. But he made a terrible decision. We know it, and he knows it.  

"Sometimes you listen to people who have nothing to lose; that's dangerous. When you're desperate or anxious or scared, that's when you have to take a step back, slow down and think about what can happen in the future with your actions in the present."

Unfortunately for Cervelli, that moment of enlightenment came too late. I mean, I am glad he is saying it now. I am glad that he is making it clear to the public, so that any kids that want to play and see him as a role model, realize that what he did was wrong. But it doesn't change his actions. Frankly, I don't get it. Steroids is not a new issue in this sport. It's not a pretty new toy, that everyone should play with. We all know what the consequences are if a player uses PEDs. It's right in the CBA. It is illegal, and it is cheating. Cervelli has had a tough career. He has shown promise, but his long list of injuries continue to be an issue. Being the starting catcher for the team is all he wanted. But what he did was wrong. Period.

I feel bad for Cervelli. When reading those quotes, I understood. Not that it justifies his actions, but you get the feeling that the guy was just trying to do what every Joe does. Trying to keep his job to support his family. Maybe he was a little bit scared too. Scared that he would never make it in the majors, and would turn out to be just another failed experiment. His choice to go to the Biogenesis clinic was made when he was in a very dark place.  It's sad that he allowed himself to be misguided. It's sad that he felt that much pressure. And it is disappointing that he made such a terrible decision.

Ultimately, I cannot support Cervelli in the same capacity I did before. I won't root against him, not so long as he is a Yankee. But I won't sing his praises either. It goes against everything I want to teach my children. You work hard, and when you hit a bump in the road, you get up, dust yourself off, and you keep pushing. You do not take short cuts. You achieve no real success that way. You do bust you hump, so that you can stand triumphant upon your mountain at the end of your climb.

I wish Cervelli the best. I hope that this entire ordeal is a lesson learned for him. I also hope that he is never in a place of desperation again, and if he does find himself in a moment of weakness, that he makes better decisions than he has in the past.    

--Erica Morales BYB Senior Writer
Twitter: @e_morales1804



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