DanMargarita.com

Americans have always idolized its athletic stars, whose personal shortcomings were once ignored by a press content to report only on said star's on-field accomplishments. In this day and age when paparazzi can make good money by photographing celebrities coming out of a restaurant, I'm not so sure if ignorance wasn't bliss. Actually, my Webster's Ninth Collegiate Dictionary defines "ignorance" as "the state or fact of being ignorant." Thanks.

As we head toward Super Bowl XXXVIII, or Super Bowl 38 for those of you that aren't Ancient Romans, we've become all too aware recently that the athletes who play professional sports are mere mortals. However, when you take the "T" out of "mortal," it doesn't necessarily mean that you have someone who is "moral" or that because someone's famous they're not subject to human frailty.

In keeping with the football opening, let's go back to the Patriots-Jets game last December. The Jets were celebrating the team's 40th anniversary when ESPN decided to conduct a live, sideline interview with Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Namath. Unfortunately, Namath had been doing quite a bit of celebrating for several hours when he appeared, blatantly intoxicated, for an interview with reporter Suzy Kolber. While slurring some points about football, Namath twice told Kolber "I want to kiss you." I'm sure people took it less seriously when he said it to wide receiver Don Maynard.

Thirty five years ago when Joe hit on a woman, a lot of people might've smiled, winked and said "Way to go, Joe." At 60 years old it, it now just makes you cringe. There are few things more embarrassing than watching a drunken, middle-aged man trying to pick up young women...at least that's what my friends have told me.

In the late sixties and early seventies, Namath was the ultimate bachelor. With his long hair and sideburns, Namath was tabloid fodder for his perpetual female companionship. The QB was constantly seen with one beautiful woman after another and gave new meaning to the phrase "the two-minute drill."

He was furnished with the nickname "Broadway Joe" with broadcaster Howard Cosell suggesting at a Joe Namath Roast that Namath received the moniker because "When Joe gets a broad, he makes his way." It was shortly thereafter that Cosell resigned his membership from the National Organization for Women.

Namath's success with women became legendary and is likely the reason he was also called "Joe Willie Namath" instead of "Joe Won't He Namath."

The Hall of Famer apologized to Kolber and recently announced that he has admitted himself for treatment of alcohol abuse. Here's hoping that Namath can get the help that he needs, although it's likely that there's no such treatment facility for the person who decided that it was a good idea to let an obviously intoxicated man on the air.

Namath is no different from millions of folks that have struggled with chemical dependence, but they don't have their human foibles played out in national TV. Most people are generous of spirit and heart and can forgive someone who has struggled with addiction, has worked to overcome it and is genuinely repentant.

That's why they can't forgive Pete Rose.

Baseball's all time hit leader recently made the news when he finally admitted after 14 years that he had, in fact, bet on baseball when he was managing the Cincinnati Reds. Since it coincided with his new autobiography, it seemed more of a confession of convenience than conscience. The baseball great has been banned from baseball and is thus ineligible for induction into The Baseball Hall of Fame. He's clearly never been a candidate for the Haircut Hall of Fame. With his announcement coming on the day that Paul Molitor and Dennis Eckersley were designated for induction into the Hall and thus stealing their thunder, Rose once again looks the selfish, boorish jerk that he's always been.

Rose likes to cite the fact that plenty of players known for bad behavior are in the Hall. He points in particular to Ty Cobb, a psychotic racist and possible murderer, and Babe Ruth, a drunken womanizer. While their flaws perhaps should've landed them in jail or hell, Rose doesn't seem to grasp why directly putting the integrity of a game in question is the cardinal sin of baseball and more relevant to access to the game. If Rose wants into the Hall of Fame, he should buy a ticket (If he has AAA he can get a discount).

Once upon a time, ballplayers traveled by overnight train from city to city, along with the reporters who covered them. Late one evening, Ruth is reputed to have run through a car naked, with a knife-wielding woman following right behind. One reporter turned to a colleague and said "It's a good thing we didn't see that or we'd have to report it."

In the age of innocence, Americans were fed nothing but positive pabulum about our sports heroes.

Times have changed and so haven't the standards of journalism. The stories that the scribes did give us back then were ones like Ruth's visit to Johnny Sylvester. The youngster was reportedly gravelly ill in a hospital when The Babe visited him and promised to hit a home run for him in that day's World Series game. Sure enough, the Sultan of Swat smacked a homer (three, actually) and young Johnny made a miraculous recovery. No biography ever mentions if the Babe also promised to score with two hookers that night as well.

Today, a sick youngster might be just as cynical as a modern reporter and I'm not so sure if it's a good thing. One can almost envision a boy in a hospital bed asking "Gee, Mr. Rose, do you think you can hit a tri-fecta at Aqueduct for me?"

Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio?

Go Pats!