Triple Witching Hour--And the Witches Brew

Professional sports are more depressing than ever. Yes, football's great (though, alas, the Redskins stink). But baseball's over--the playoffs were terrific; the World Series anticlimactic. Basketball's turned into boxing. And hockey's gone, perhaps never to return.

As a result, except for Sunday's television and Monday's newspaper, sports news is either boring or bad. Now, baseball's steroids scandal is the bridge too far for me. And George Will published his best column in years today explaining why:

Athletes chemically propelled to victory do not merely overvalue winning, they misunderstand why winning is properly valued. Professional athletes stand at an apex of achievement because they have paid a price in disciplined exertion -- a manifestation of good character. They should try to perform unusually well. But not unnaturally well. Drugs that make sport exotic drain it of its exemplary power by making it a display of chemistry rather than character -- actually, a display of chemistry and bad character.

Will's article is beautifully written and captures the nuance. Make sure you read the whole thing.