On Sunday night Major League Baseball, the sporting equivalent to a crooked Fortune 500 company, once again followed its “Guide to Dealing with Controversy” step by step after Kenny Rogers’ pitching hand turned up loaded in the first inning of Game 2 of the World Series.

Step 1: Ignore.
Step 2: If it won’t go away, try to confuse everyone by denying and offering up nonsensical responses to inquiries.
Step 3: Hope like hell it goes away.

Bud Selig’s bunch worked it to perfection on Sunday, sending umpire supervisor Steve Palermo to the postgame podium to diffuse the incident. His formal response had more spin than Rogers’ juiced up curveball claiming that the substance was dirt and therefore the umpire did what he could in asking Rogers to remove it. That was their stance – it was dirt. Really shiny dirt.

"The umpires were very proactive,” Palermo said, “and they asked that Kenny just clean that dirt off so that there wouldn't be any question as to him with any foreign substance or dirt or whatever it may have been on the ball."

Proactive? Asking someone to wash his hands before he gets caught cheating isn’t proactive.

The interesting subplot in this matter has continued to be the role of the media. The Media Circus is first in line to rip the national press for blowing things out of proportion to create a story, such as the Albert Pujols comments on Tom Glavine in the NLCS, but its been proven time and time again that, when it comes to the integrity of Major League Baseball, the only way Bud Selig will take initiative is if his hand is forced. In baseball, there is a direct correlation between the amount of media attention to the issue and what type of action is ultimately taken by the league.

Fox deserves credit for bringing the suspicious discoloration to national attention during the game. ESPN took the lead role in pressing the league after the game by presenting pictures of Kenny Rogers’ hand during his starts in the ALDS and ALCS, which clearly show the same substance, in the exact same spot on his palm. There’s photographic evidence to show that this wasn’t some random mixture of dirt and rosin as Rogers claimed it was. Other media outlets across the country have jumped on the story and their coverage to this point, while tiresome at times, has been warranted.

Meanwhile, on any MLB sponsored website or publication, there is complete silence. Like nothing ever happened.

If the League is to take any kind of action on a clear cut case of cheating in the World Series (and the playoffs in general), it will not be because they do so of their own accord – their track record has demonstrated that they have no interest in that.

Game 2 is long gone. Not much can be done about that now.

But it still doesn’t change the fact that Kenny Rogers repeatedly cheated on the largest stage in the game and there should be consequences. And the only way this issue gets investigated further by the league, is if the media does it for them.

For once, we don’t mind.

Crap that actually came from somebody’s mouth
”He’s a gamer. He’s played a really long time. Say what you want about Drew Bledsoe, but he plays football.” – Steve Young

Young is a talker. He’s really announced a long time. Say what you want about Steve Young, but he analyzes football.
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“I think Shawne Merriman must be an idiot to think you can use performance-enhancing stuff and get away with it.” – Peter King, SI.com

Because clearly that would be naïve, right? Nobody in the NFL gets away with performance-enhancing drugs.
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”(Shawne Merriman) did not go into a back alley somewhere and stick a needle in his butt!” – David Cornwell - Shawne Merriman’s attorney.

Thanks for the details, David.
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“If this was the almighty NFL, and the St. Louis Rams were playing the Detroit Lions in the Super Bowl, no one would say a word.” – Ken Rosenthal

Actually, everyone would be talking about it because 2 NFC teams would advance to the Super Bowl. This is why Rosenthal covers baseball and not football.
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”The National League's best team was toppled by its sixth- or seventh-best team, giving us Fox's worst nightmare of a World Series -- and a pretty sizable mismatch to boot.” – Keith Law, ESPN.com

The obsession over “big name” matchups to appease TV networks is starting to get to the point where the idea of refs and/or the league influencing the games isn’t that far fetched.
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“By the way, why aren't the media calling Pujols a non-clutch choker after his one-RBI performance in the NLCS? Why aren't people arguing that the Cardinals would be better off if they had traded him?” – Keith Law

We’ve got a few theories on that. Maybe it’s because throughout the series Pujols had two at bats with runners in scoring position or because, despite his perceived poor series, he still maintains a .302 average and a .992 OPS in the postseason. Perhaps it’s that Pujols batted .318 and left only five men on base in the NLCS, while Law’s obvious comparison (A-Rod) managed to go 1-14 with zero RBI and 10 men left on base in his four game series. Not exactly comparing apples to apples here, Keith.
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“The Detroit Tigers are going to be the world champions. That should be obvious to anyone who has been paying even cursory attention to the baseball postseason. They are, for lack of a less fatigued sports cliche, the team of destiny” – Peter Schmuck, Baltimore Sun

It’s one thing to come out and say you think the Tigers are going to win, even sweep maybe. But when the basis of your prediction is because they are “a team of destiny”, then you’ve just flushed your credibility down the toilet.
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”It’s like corking a bat. If you’re not gonna go out and tell everyone, then nobody is going to know.” – John Kruk on pitchers applying pine tar to their hands

Well, if you leave brown evidence on your hand, everyone is going to know.
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Woops, Can We Get an Edit on That?
Thursday October 19, wwe.com: “Former WWE Superstar Thomas Spear, professionally known as Corporal Kirchner, passed away of natural causes Sunday in his home in White Marsh, Md. He is survived by his two sons, daughter and step-daughter, as well as two grandchildren. A Vietnam veteran, Kirchner is known for defending his country in the ring as well as out.”

Saturday: October 21, Corporal Kirchner responds: “Them publishing my death is beyond me. I have no idea where this came from. I haven't even been sick lately. It's pretty bizarre seeing your own eulogy. People called me all day yesterday. 'Are you alright?' I'd say, 'If I wasn't, then how could I answer the phone? What, I'm going to resurrect for you? Yeah, I'm dead but for you, I'll answer the phone.' I don't know where the story even came from."

What has the world come to when we can no longer trust the information from the WWE?

Point Counterpoint Starring Ken Rosenthal and John Donovan
The teams involved in the 104th World Series has produced an interesting contrast in reaction from mainstream media members across the board. Below are two of the Internet’s champion writers: SI’s John Donovan and FSN’s Ken Rosenthal in opposite corners.

Donovan's SI Column

Rosenthal's FoxSports Column

John Donovan: What we have here, ladies and gentlemen, is a World Series. It may not be the one that the good people of New York or Boston or L.A. or Chicago wanted to see. I'm not sure that even the fair citizens of Dubuque care all that much about this one.

Ken Rosenthal: So, are you going to watch? I mean, this is what everyone wants, right? No New York teams. No East Coast biases. No top-10 payrolls.

John Donovan: C'mon, now. Detroit? St. Louis? This was set up to be a World Series only a Midwestern mother could love.

Ken Rosenthal: Welcome to the Middle America Series. The Cardinals had the 13th-highest Opening Day payroll. The Tigers ranked 14th.

John Donovan: The interest level, even among your average baseball fan, falls somewhere between watching Tony La Russa walk to the mound for another pitching change and breathing in another lungful of Jim Leyland's second-hand smoke.

Ken Rosenthal: It comes down to what Tommy Lasorda says to all those disappointed fans who are hiding in trees and under their sinks in Major League Baseball's ads for its postseason TV coverage. You're a baseball fan!

John Donovan: But admit it. Already there have been surprises in this Series, eyebrow-raisers in what we thought would be a yawner. Two games into a World Series that no one outside of the host cities wanted, we all have to concede this point: It's not been half bad.

Ken Rosenthal: The Tigers-Cardinals matchup offers a number of enticing storylines, but I already can hear the complaints: No Yankees. No Mets. No Red Sox. No Cubs.

John Donovan: It's not a Classic yet, this Series between the wild-card Tigers and the 83-win Cards. With a few games left to play, it may never be. It could turn, very quickly, the other way. But, so far, it's not the dog we all expected either, is it? If, that is, anyone's bothered to notice.

Ken Rosenthal: Yet here they are, baseball Gonzagas, conquerors of New York, strange-but-true entries in the 104th World Series. If you don't watch, then don't complain. The sport is delivering. It's our attention spans that need adjusting.

Bob Carpenter Memorial Snappy Line
Another new member has applied for a reservation at the Table of Snappy, and it’s Baseball Tonight stalwart Karl Ravech. Karl, what say you about media reaction to Kenny Rogers’ brown hand?

“One day after, Kenny Rogers was dragged through the mud… or was it dirt… or pine tar?”

Even though it’s free of any fecal references and other vulgarities, Bob was hoping for a bit more wit from Ravvy to receive full membership into the club. Mild thumbs down from Robert C.

The Media Circus is written by Pat Imig and Josh Bacott. They swear this stuff is real. E-mail them at info@joesportsfan.com