This story is not about steroids, but the arrogance of the players and the union.  It’s becoming a total turn off.  

Diamondbacks reliever Jason Grimsley asked for his release last week following his problems with the law and Arizona granted it. “This guy did no less than steal from us,” Diamondbacks managing partner Ken Kendrick said Saturday night.

That all makes sense, then it starts to get really strange.

At the timeof his asking for and being granted his release, Grimsley’s agent Joe Bick said there had been no negotiation about money and added, “Released players get paid.”

But the team later said it of course did not intend to pay him the rest, and filed a notice of termination Monday.

Bick then responded by saying Grimsley would contest the Diamondbacks’ decision, and union general council Michael Weiner said the union would soon file a grievance.

Are you kidding me?

Let me make sure I understand this right. If I am on my job and get in trouble with the police, I can then quit my job, and then expect them to keep paying me? Boy have I ever been going about things all wrong. You can’t even get unemployment when you quit a job, you have to be fired. But in the amazing backwards world of baseball, you can quit and still get paid?  Is it just me or is something really wrong with this picture.

The continuing arrogance of the players when it comes to these things never ceases to amaze me.  It’s like there is no end to what they can do or say with no repurcussions. Where does it end. There may even be an argument to be made that had the Dbacks released him of their own means that he should be paid, but Grimsley asked for his release.

We basically are talking about a player who quit, threw his entire sport and team under the bus, knowingly violated the law, and the rules of baseball.  This guy thinks the Diamondbacks should pay him and the union agrees?  What planet are we on now?

In Bud Selig’s steroid investigation, the one headed by former senator George Mitchell, the union is advising its members to not cooperate since Selig nor Mitchell really have any power to make them do so.

The MLBPA has become an albatross to the game. The game is in danger of becoming an afterthought.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great game that has survived for more than 100 years through good times and bad. I hope it can survive it’s own arrogance.  However most things that become this arrogant, disjointed, and estranged from general society do not survive.

Right now, this steroids scandal is beginning to challenge the Chicago Black Sox scandal of 1919. This is even worse because now we have a union who thinks that players are above everything, including the law.

Let’s hope the players can see this happening and make some changes to their union. Something is going to have to happen soon or baseball will soon be going the way of hockey.