There’s that little matter of a 20-game suspension

It’s baseball season, and so it’s only natural to think about baseball movies. “Bull Durham,” for example. “Pride of the Yankees.” Or even “Bang the Drum Slowly” (where the only thing more ridiculous than Robert De Niro playing a major-league catcher is Michael Moriarty playing a major-league pitcher).

Baseball’s on my mind, of course, because of last night’s All-Star Game, in which the National League was treated, for the eighth straight time, by the American League the same way that Donald Trump treats his apprentices. As a longtime San Diego Padres fan, the only moment I really enjoyed was when my favorite player, Ichiro , knocked in two runs – proving, despite his detractors, that even with the comparatively low .311 batting average that he’s carrying this season, he truly deserved to be an All-Star.

I have to say, though, that the broadcasters harping on Kenny Rogers got a bit tiring. The constant refrain was, “He made a mistake, he’s shown contrition and he’s trying to put it all behind him .” Huh? The guy assaulted someone. On national television. That’s no mistake. That’s called a misdemeanor.

Here are a few other sports-related “mistakes”: Mike Tyson made a “mistake” when he dined on Evander Holyfield’s ear. Pete Rose made a “mistake” when he put a few dollars on his own team (to win, we assume). Latrell Sprewell made a “mistake” when he tried to choke his coach P.J. Carlesimo. Ben Johnson made a “mistake” when he blew his Olympic gold medal by testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs. Tonya Harding made a “mistake” by living with a guy who thought it would be wise to have a friend tap Nancy Kerrigan ’s knee with a hammer.

And Danny Glover made a “mistake” by agreeing to star in that crappy 1994 remake of “Angels in the Outfield.”

But that’s all right. They’ve all shown contrition, and they’ve put their pasts behind them.