And, assuming this is the whole truth, et al, then there's no problems.
I mean, yes, there is a moral issue, but baseball dropped the ball.
HGH was not banned by the sport in 2002, and the medical intent of
steroids and, I'm presuming, HGH, is to promote healing.
So, yes, it was wrong of Pettitte. But he was enabled by the players'
union, by owners and GMs, and by Bud Selig who allowed for such usage.
While Pettitte's honesty (though obligated by decency to admit, he
legally had no reason to do so) validates the Mitchell Report a bit,
it also validates the less-talked about aspect of the report: the
failure, complicity and yes, guilt of all parties in the game.
I'm disappointed in Pettitte, but I'm going to be naive and believe
him here. I find it much easier to believe he's been honest than to
think he's concocted this scheme to play the media, fans and the
Yankees by telling a half-truth to deflect the larger scandal.
EDIT: I've enabled comments, which I foolishly forgot to do. I'm sure there's reaction, especially with people like Jemele Hill demanding groveling and weeping as the standard, and now, a wave of players confessing after Pettitte started the trend. Including Brian Roberts, who, as the Baltimore Sun and everyone else has noted, was included in the report on the lightest and most suspicious of evidence. If the Report was right on him, we may actually be able to assume it's right on everyone.
Some go further, like Rick Maese, who says none of the apologies should be fully believed. While I see his point, it would have been suicidal to admit to steroid use of any sort before this report. Ken Caminiti did, everyone else said, he's awful, but I'm not, and then he died. So, no, Brian Roberts, Pettitte and the rest couldn't be expected to confess before now. It would have been admirable, but self-destructive and not helpful to the game.
How do I say this nicely man? You sound like a die-hard twelve year old fan. Let me explain. When I was a young kid sports illustrated came out with the article about the numerous dead-beat fathers in the NBA. Being a naive kid, I didn't realize what real douchebags many professional atheletes are. Now that I am older, I am not falling into that same trap. I heard Pettite's apology and as much as I want to believe him, I think he now falls into that category called 'the typical athlete.'
The typical athlete looks out primarily for themselves. They can say they are doing it for the team, the fans, but if it doesn't serve their interest first, they will not do it all. Pettite says he took HGH twice because his team needed him. Hmmm...maybe but the Yankees weren't doing that bad without him. They won 100+ games and Pettite wasn't all that vital. He certainly played a significant role but I am sure the Yankees would have managed just fine without him (maybe not 100+ wins but certainly 90+). 2002 happened to be the year before his contract expired. You don't think Andy had that on his mind as well?
When I first heard Pettite's name in the Mitchell report I was sad. Then I was okay because it was all heresay and thought if Pettite did anything it was because of that a-hole Clemens. Then when Pettite admitted to what he did, I was literally dissapointed. For many people it was Jeter or Rivera who was the face of the franchise in the late 1990's but for me it was Pettite. I don't know if it was because he is a lefty (so am I) but when I think of the good days of Yankees baseball, Pettite always came to mind. He was home grown, didn't have a superstar attitude on or off the field, and he genuinely seemed like a family man. They write fables about people like him.
Then to hear he took HGH...wow. The guy cheated James. You can say it was not outlawed by baseball at the time but what I think a lot of people including you forget is that it was illegal to take HGH or steroids period. When does the bylaws of baseball supersede the laws of the United States. Pettite admitted to a crime earlier this week and as such, I now look at him as a criminal and he is the worst kind because he knowingly and willingly committed his crime. You can forgive him and look past it but just I can't do that just yet. I might forgive him sometime down the line (like that even matters to him) but I am sure not going to respect him like I once did.
I didn't give Pettitte a pass. And I'm presuming there's no other use involved.
But while I agree with your points (it's illegal, he knew it, he looks out for himself, he was worried about free agency), I'm looking from a different perspective, one I think is actually less of a stereotypical fan's point of view.
HGH is illegal. Yes, but so is smoking pot, underage drinking and smoking, bringing Cubans into the U.S. (or even visiting Cuba), and most people don't view the above practices as something that damns the perpetrator for life. All those people are the worst kinds of criminals (a very low standard, btw, since it makes those people worse than those guilty of involuntary manslaughter, for instance).
And, unlike HGH, there is no setting in which those activities were legal (excepting medical marijuana).
"But HGH helps athletes, it doesn't hinder them!" True. But isn't it better that we've had athletes cheating and lying about substances that have aided them, helped them be the best they can be?
To me, it's far better than the cocaine scandals of the 1980s, which for some reason get glossed over. Guys destroying their lives, careers, families, and without the public condemnation.
As for athletes looking out for themselves, damn right they should. I respect those that can balance loyalty and team (Rivera and Posada, for instance), but most can't. Teams won't hesitate to discard a player when he declines. Fans will boo at the drop of a hat, even Jeter in 2004 when he was hitting below .200 in late May.
Pettitte always wanted to stay a Yankee, yes. But the Yankees lowballed him, and Houston didn't. The Yankees privately talked badly about him for years and tried to deal him, and he was man enough not to respond publicly. His response? Ditch them for a few years -- incidentally, years in which the rotation was far worse.
Also, Pettitte has a fairly demanding wife. She was rumored to be behind the move to Houston. If he can't pitch, or in the right location, she may divorce him and take his money, take his kids.
I'm not defending the HGH use, and I've been a long advocate of banning from the Hall those who admit illegal use or those who test postitive (Clemens, oddly, would not quite fall into that category, yet). So I would not vote for Pettitte for the HOF. But as someone interested in Pettitte the pitching commodity, not Pettitte the hero of the fan, the HGH issue is water under the bridge.
His apology isn't the greatest, but it got the most vital point, to me, out: He did stuff. Beyond that, it's just fans and sportswriters, who are the worst fans, wanting to soothe their own souls by demanding more remorse.
Me? I'm looking to 2008, and seeing this team needs an Andy Pettitte -- not his morals and ethics, but his arm.
I read your comments and I read your post and they both sound like they do give Pettite a pass. First let me apologize for insulting your fandom. As beer commercials have taught us that is a complete low blow.
Second, I can't agree with you justifying a wrong w/ another wrong. Because people don't look at other crimes w/ disdain we shouldn't look at this one either? Because its not as bad as the cocaine scandal, this is not so bad and in some respects a step up? If athletes are going to cheat, let them cheat to improve themselves? What?!!! Dude - I guess I am old school and see this in black and white. Pettite committed a crime and thus is a degenerate. Am I a happy that he will be pitching for the Yankees next year - yes but thats because I see him as a reliable pitcher. I didn't question his ability on the field but the rather how he should be perceived as a person off (and to some degree on) the field. He is a cheater. That simple. I can't trust cheaters.