This is just going to be a rant. I think that the whole controversy of steroids and baseball is an absolute joke. My apologies if this does not make any sense - it is 10 random thoughts about baseball written in 10 minutes or less.
1) Baseballs leadership (commish Selig and the team owners) have absolutely no excuse for not knowing that there were at least 100 players using steroids. I could tell just by looking at the size of their growing foreheads. Also, not knowing is not an excuse. If you have something illegal going on in your business, you are responsible. You can't stick your head in the sand on this one - YOU OWN IT, YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE.
2) If some people are doing it, and you are not enforcing the rules - you cannot then call someone who breaks the rules a CHEATER. It doesn't matter if 4 or 104 people are doing it, you cannot call someone a cheater for breaking a rule that you chose not to enforce.
3) Any records broken during that time period MUST STAND. As anyone who has ever officiated any sport know, once the game is played and the results are record. The results stand unless they a formal protest is put forth. The time to enforce regulations is before/during games, but not 5-10 years after. No asterisks, no deletions, no STEROID ERA, no separate wing of the Hall of Fame. The games are just like any other games. Granted, the statistics have to be put into context, but as my old boss Ron L. would say: "It is what it is."
4) If there are any players that try to claim "But I was clean!", I would tell them "TOO FORKING BAD!". Here is why: The players union negotiated with the owners to not allow steroid testing on players. Of course, players started unabashedly using them.
Here is the deal, there are two consequences of not allowing drug testing:
* You won't get tested
* More importantly, even if you are Mother Theresa: YOU CANNOT CLAIM THAT YOU WERE CLEAN JUST BECAUSE YOU DID NOT GET CAUGHT. So Mike Greenwell and Cal Ripken and others -- SHUT UP!
5) As far as the list of 104 players that were "caught" in a test where there was amnesty. This list should absolutely, 100% NOT BE REVEALED. A simple thing my mom taught me: A deal is a deal. No sanctions should be made of any player who gets outed from this list. Remember, they weren't the only ones using and it wasn't being tested. You can't grant amnesty then take it away. My justification: It puts the player in a position of Double Jeopardy and it is not only wrong, it is a violation of Civil Rights. Also, since it is a closed file, it is a violation of privacy.
Further, because of the severity of the offense of leaking names on a closed file, this should be investigated fully and those that leaked the information should be punished to the full extent of the law. Not only did they violate Civil Rights of the players, but they profited from it.
(ok, I suck at writing and I am tired)
6) The Mitchell Report was a joke. Congress is really just a big meeting. Take the least productive part of a normal person's work day, make is a job that you don't have to show up to to get paid, and you have a congressman or senator. I have always said that since Congressman and Senators never have any bottom line responsibility, they would make bad executives. This last election proves that I am right. Did you hear John McCain in the elections -- being a six- (or whatever number) term senator will make you stupid. Seriously, watching the senate hearings on Steroids/Baseball was like going to a PTA meeting, except it cost taxpayer dollars.
7. Do the following comparisons of the following baseball players at the beginning and end of their careers and tell me they were not doing steroids:
* Barry Bonds
* Mark Maquire (sp?)
* Sammy Sosa
8. I can't believe Roger Clemens has been vilified and Andy Petitte has been given a free pass, even though they are guilty of the same thing. Roger, you were a great pitcher, but you also let your ego hurt your legacy. Unfortunately, the ego that made you great was ultimately your downfall. Still a first ballot hall of famer in my book.
9. Hall of Fame voting has been a joke in recent years. A lot of people just look at statistics. Some even make up new statistics. Here is a though for all voters -- instead of thinking about stats, do this. Think about it the player dominated during their years that they played, and don't try to compare stats from different eras. If Don Mattingly, who during his era was the best hitter and absolutely "MUST TV" when he played, does not make the Hall of Fame I may never watch baseball again. Just dominant over 4 of the 10 years that he played and he played good defense too. During the steroid era, I am sure he would have hit .380/45/160 - he was that good and that much better than everyone else.
10. To all of baseballs leadership -- you reap what you sow. You sowed CRAP.
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