At Home Plate

An Open Letter to the Players

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From the Desk of Jonathan Leshanski at Athomeplate.com

RE: An Open Letter to All Major League Baseball Players

I’m writing this letter as a public appeal to any single one of you that might have the courage to step forward and do the right thing. Major League Baseball and the Players Union have both taken steps to assure that the whole issue of steroid use in Major League Baseball will be swept under the rug.

As you know, the commissioner has issued a gag order to all teams and players when it comes to the topic of steroids, and the union has done its best to protect the guilty by trying to make this a privacy issue and insure a code of silence among its members.

You, however, have the ability to change that. You don’t work for the Player’s Union – the union works for you. It’s your privacy and you can make your own decision about voluntarily testing. The union cannot punish you for clearing your own name — they don’t have that power; as long as you pay your dues, they can’t even throw you out of the union. Someone needs to be brave enough to step forward and take a stand for themselves, the integrity of the game, the trust of the fans, and the children of America (and the world) who emulate pro athletes. We invite each of you to clear your own name proudly and publicly by saying, “I don’t use steroids and am proud of it.” I’ll even pay for the first test of the first player to step forward and voluntarily clear his name.

I know that most of you are clean and play the game fairly and honestly. You earn your living from the game and when steroids are tolerated you are being cheated. Money that would otherwise be spent more fairly among players is going into the pockets of frauds. The union is protecting the users at your expense and telling you to stand in silence to protect them.

You don’t know me from Adam — I’m just a fan of the game, one of the millions that come out to watch, to root and to cheer you on and follow your career with great interest. I say, for all fans, that we want to believe in you.

By taking this test you won’t be proving that all players are clean, nor that most others are dirty, just clearing yourself; but, you will be putting a crack into the wall of silence and opening the door for other players — probably younger ones, who want to come forward and play an honest game, and earn a living playing ball while there still are fans enough willing to believe that the sport has not become totally corrupted.

Every revolution, every change has a leader. Baseball right now needs that leader — a player with the courage to come forward and say that steroid use is wrong. It's not just the fans that are being cheated by “enhanced” players, every single clean player is being cheated as well. We want an honest game.

Someone needs to take the first step, showing everyone — the fans, the union, and the owners — that the players care about baseball and want to play it fairly and honestly — and I hope that this letter reaches you.

As I mentioned earlier, I will even pay for the test of the first player to come forward (and contact me directly) out of my own pocket.

Sincerely,

Jonathan Leshanski, DVM.
President,
At Home Plate
www.athomeplate.com

Please join us in imploring some brave Major Leaguers to take that first step by clicking here!