Game’s the same, but sadly out of tune

Baseball sure has come a long way from “Willie, Mickey and The Duke.”

Like now, some view Ryan Braun as guilty, others as not guilty and still others as fully innocent.

All we know for sure is the Brewers’ left fielder failed a drug test, was assessed a 50-game suspension and beat the rap on appeal.

The controversial episode means that baseball’s long nightmare involving performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) isn’t as slammed shut as Bud Selig would like us to believe.

Exactly what twists, turns and truths lurk is a mystery. But expect at least a trickle of players — and likely more — to keep experimenting with whatever a chemist’s latest little helper happens to be.

Last summer at Cooperstown, singer/songwriter Terry Cashman was honored by baseball’s Hall of Fame. In 1981, he released the best sports anthem ever, “Talkin’ Baseball,” also known as “Willie, Mickey and The Duke.”

Referenced are 1950s superstars Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle and Duke Snider.

We’re talkin’ baseball!Kluszewski, Campanella.Talkin#146; baseball!The Man and Bobby Feller.The Scooter, the Barber and the Newk.They knew #146;em all from Boston to Dubuque.Especially Willie, Mickey and the Duke.Players weren#146;t so snooty that they couldn#146;t have playful nicknames back in the day. Stan Musial was The Man, Roy Campanella was Campy, Phil Rizzuto was Scooter, Sal Maglie was the Barber and Don Newcombe was Newk.

The game was lovable when players like Mays, Mantle and Snider were as big in New York as Linsanity is now, to say nothing of more trusted than Ryan Braun is.

Every major-league city had icons back in the day and those guys are untainted more than a half-century later.

Fast-forward to what a baseball lyricist might have written the past couple of decades:

We#146;re talkin#146; baseball!Clemens, Caminiti.Talkin#146; baseball!Tejada and Mr. Manny.Gagne, Brown and Knoblauch.They knew them all from L.A. to Hackensack.Especially Sammy, Barry and Big Mac.We#146;re in a new century with fresh skepticism, cynicism and scrutiny. Times are so different from way back when Cashman could write:

The Whiz Kids had won it.Bobby Thomson had done it.And Yogi read the comics all the while #133; Today#146;s lyrics might go something like this:

The cheaters had won it.A-Rod had done it.And Selig read the comics all the while ...Baseball sure has come, perhaps gone is more appropriate, from the Golden Age to the PED Era.

A generation ago Cashman romantically wrote:

I#146;m talkin#146; baseball!Like Reggie, Quisenberry.Talkin#146; baseball!Carew an#146; Gaylord Perry.Seaver, Garvey, Schmidt an#146; Vida Blue.If Cooperstown is callin#146; it#146;s no fluke.They#146;ll be with Willie, Mickey and The Duke.Today#146;s lyricist might groan:

I#146;m talkin#146; baseball!Giambi and Canseco.Talkin#146; baseball!Pettitte and Palmeiro.Cooperstown won#146;t hang their plaques.Especially Sammy, Barry and Big Mac.Feel free to add your own Ryan Braun lyrical sentiment to baseball#146;s PED songbook.

mimrem@dailyherald.com