It seems that Sandy Alderson was asked by reporters yesterday if signing catcher Ronny Paulino was an “ethical and public relations” problem in light of Paulino’s suspension for taking a banned stimulant last year. Not surprisingly, Alderson said no, it was not.
People can ask what they want to ask of course, but I don’t recall this being an issue with other players who have been linked to PEDs. It is in keeping, however, with the curious scrutiny that some have given Alderson when it comes to PEDs and which is not given to other GMs who ran teams during the height of the steroid era. As if Alderson cooked up ‘roids in an old Winnebago in the desert with Jose Canseco or something. Which would be totally cool, of course, but it didn’t happen that way.
My view: there are rules in place governing PEDs now. The suspensions are part of those rules, as is the reinstatement of suspended players. Paulino did his time. There are no “ethical considerations” involved unless one does not respect the current rules in place. And if that’s the case, the questions are not for Sandy Alderson. They’re for Bud Selig.