T.J. Burke: When Cheating Bites
It's kind of hard not to feel a little sorry for T.J. Burke.
After all, he was just out with the lads, catching a ball game and having a few beer (his words) when he was asked about David Ortiz by a New York Times reporter. Ortiz is the Boston Red Sox player who had been outed the day before for using steroids.
Burke's answer? He didn't care because Ortiz helped the Sox win two World Series titles. I suspect many, if not all, Sox fans felt the same way. And lets face it, how many teams didn't have at least one player juicing?
Using steroids didn't constitute cheating at the time under Major League Baseball rules. Sure, Ortiz was breaking the law, but what's the law to a lawyer and former attorney general?
I have no doubt Burke's response was in jest. It was a night of buds, ball and beer. Boys being boys yada yada. Who wants to be the killjoy who gives a treatise on sportsmanship and honour?
After answering the reporter's question, Burke gave him his card. It was an old one that listed him as attorney general. This is where the sympathy train runs out of steam.
I also have no doubt Burke is familiar with what reporters do. They ask questions, write down the answers and string them together into something called an article. (And on very rare occasions an editor will add a bunch of stuff to it that isn't true. I'm looking at you, Telegraph-Journal. It really wasn't a good week for the initials T.J.) The article then gets published for the world to see.
Burke can't plead ignorance. If he wanted to just be Joe Sox Fan, he could have either not answered the question, or at the very least not handed over his card. He bemoaned his luck, and part of me wants to sympathize but I can't.
But this gaffe leaves me two question: Why did he hand over his card and what part of public figure doesn't he understand? Good golly, Miss Molly, a lawyer and former attorney general tells a reporter, more than likely in jest, he's OK with breaking the law because his team benefited, what did he think was going to happen? Come on, everyone is a fan of irony.
I can appreciate Burke wanting to get away and be one of the boys, but he has to understand he isn't one of the boys. Around election time, you'll often hear a candidate is popular because "he's just like us." I don't know about you, but the last person I want to vote for is someone like me. I want someone crazy smart and really responsible making the decisions that affect me. I don't want to feel sorry for them; I want to be in awe of them.
And right now I'm feeling a little sorry for Burke.
