"Cheating and Cheating" Analysis

"Cheating and CHEATING" Analysis It has always been said, "baseball is America 's pastime." However, in recent years, baseball has become increasingly more associated with cheating and scandals. In the article "Cheating and CHEATING," by Joe Posnanski, the author discusses his view on cheating. Posnanski tells us how he believes cheating has lived in baseball since its creation, stating that, "there never really was a beautiful game called baseball" (559). He said steroid use, amphetamine use, and stealing signs are actions that have all been used at different times since the start of the game. Posnanski 's article comes in response to Pete Hamill, a writer for The New York Times, who believes that baseball only became a drug filled game in recent years; however, as Joe Posnanski shows us in "Cheating and CHEATING," baseball has always been dirty. Besides being a senior writer for Sports Illustrated, and twice being honored with the best sports columnist award from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Joe Posnanski uses his writing to portray his credibility. He uses ethos to advance his argument in many ways. First, Posnanski says, "It certainly could be 1954, when [Willie Mays] led the league in hitting (.345) and slugging (.667—the highest slugging percentage of his career), and won the MVP award" (554). By using facts, such as these, the author is able to prove he knows what he is talking about. Finally, Posnanski uses quotes from Willie Mays that help add to and prove his argument. The author not only uses facts to prove his credibility, but also for logical appeal. This appeal, or logos, appeals to the reader because they can connect their feelings to something else. For instance, when Posnanski says, "the year could involve the slightly older Mays of 1965—he was 34 that year—and he hit 52 home runs" (555). This can be used to make the time period more realistic to the reader, and make the argument seem more real. Additionally, this quote serves useful

Cited: Posnanski, Joe. "Cheating and CHEATING." They Say/I Say. Ed Gerald Graff, Cathy Birkenstein, and Russel Durst. 2nd ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2012. 553- 559. Print.