The New York Post took a cheap shot at Ron Washington in its lead from last night's game story on the New York Yankees, saying the Texas Rangers manager may have wished he was "chemically altered" last night. Was that really necessary? No way.
By now, everyone who regularly follows baseball knows Washington flunked a drug test because of cocaine use. Washington, who is known as one of the good guys in baseball, was apologetic and confessed to using drugs before his test actually came up positive rather than keeping quiet and hoping he could get away with it or feigning ignorance or innocence when it came back positive.
Brian Costello, the reporter who wrote the Post story, doesn't have to worry about the ramifications of that type of snide comment because he doesn't regularly cover the Rangers. I'd love to see him try that kind of nonsense on one of the Yankee players or officials and see how long he keeps his job when everyone stops talking to him. (For a better story on Washington and the impact his admission had on him and his team, check out this article from the New York Times).
As a journalist, I know that the pressure to be first and colorful can be enormous. But that doesn't excuse this type of behavior. We have to hold ourselves accountable first and Costello and the Post are just flat out wrong with this lead. But who am I kidding, this is the Post we are talking about, which always takes things one step too far.
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