Steroids in baseball - one man's view of what's currently being done

[DrewKaree]

Hey Congress: Investigate This! - 03/11/05

   1. MLB Steroid Scandal
      So the House Committee on Sticking Its Nose In Things has decided they really want to hold this steroid Dog and Pony Show? Subpeonas have been issued to a mixed bag of major leaguers, for an ill defined set of reasons that even the committee

[ChadTower]

Dude, the gov't DID go after the WWF in the 1980s.  Vince McMahon was put on federal trial for being the head of an organization that was rife with steroids.  He was found not guilty, not because it wasn't true, but because he wasn't actively involved in the process.

Congress is going after them because it's interstate commerce, which basically means no one else has the authority to do so.  This isn't Congress anyway, it's a subcommittee, the same one that handles Antitrust and the like.  This actually IS their job, to oversee interstate commerce and regulate it.  Saying they have no business doing this is incorrect.

That said, I wish they wouldn't bother.  All it really is is a way for a bunch of senators to "make a stand" on an issue that involves some of our biggest celebrities and risks offending absolutely no one.  Think thousands of sound bites, photo ops, and long winded speeches.

[Gunstar Hero]

I think we need more steroids in baseball. 

I like towering homers and short careers. 

[missioncontrol]

first they are going to take steroids from ball players then what....

take heroin from rock musicians............

[DrewKaree]

first they are going to take steroids from ball players then what....

take heroin from rock musicians............

Don't you listen to Dennis Leary?  There is no more heroin in rock music.  Keith Richards DID all the drugs - there's none left!

That's all that I agree with, Chad....I don't really care one way or the other if this IS their job for whatever reason, it's quite simply a showboating grandstanding farce that will result in yet another law being passed because the laws already on the books either aren't prosecuted or were so poorly written in the first place, they are useless, because the original writers of 'em didn't want to cheese off a constituent, but wanted to get some "face time".

What's so demonstrative is that the baseball union fought to make this so avoidable, and those dumb a-holes couldn't even get around KNOWN drug testing periods because they "gotta have it" and an effete commissioner who's so addled he can't figure out that this is going on right under his nose, yet is POSITIVE (in spite of the A's example ) that smaller market teams like his are just being spent out of contention....might those guys be sticking that money into syringes and then into their veins?

Baseball players are ruining baseball, and many are so narcissistic they view baseball as being unable to live without them, and justify their actions because "my fans expect me to perform at higher and higher levels".

[ChadTower]

So, then, what they ought to do is allow only smaller market teams to Juice.  Less money, more roids, that should even the playing field.

[DrewKaree]

Check out a book called "Moneyball".  Kinda surprising and an interesting look at how baseball looks at themselves.

Bud Selig views the economics of baseball as THE problem in baseball, and his "aw shucks" mentality and ignorance of reality is the reason the owners don't care to boot him out (like past commish's), and why steroids have been routinely ignored for as long as they have. 

If baseball was smart (basketball too), they'd take a look at the NFL, adopt their system, and refine it for themselves.  Or, they could take that suggestion and ban steroids and force mandatory testing for all teams over .500

[ChadTower]

Except that the NFL steroids policy is a sham and actually tests no one validly.

[SirPeale]

The Sopranos is off the air?   

[Harry Potter]

When did that happen?

[DrewKaree]

The Sopranos is off the air?   

If I've heard correctly, they're taking a longer hiatus while they write more shows for this final season.  I don't follow it much, and am only now starting to watch them season by season from DVD's at the library, so I'm just going by what they talk about on the morning show I listen to.  The final season was an add-on, so I dunno how good it'll be in relation to the rest of 'em.


I'd rather have a sham of a test (which I don't believe it to be) that at least acknowledges that it happens than to see Bud The Used Car Salesman trotted out to tell us "I don't think steroids are a problem at all", and expect us to look at him (and baseball) with any credibility.  It'd also be a lot bigger issue in football if careers didn't last 3-5 years, instead of the dozens that baseball players have.  Those guys (Tony Mandarich, Brian Bosworth) seem to be out of the league faster than you can say "boo"....Lyle Alzado seems to be the only one who lasted any length of time, and thankfully was the poster child for "This is your body on 'roids.  Any questions?"

[ChadTower]

The average major league career is less than 4 seasons, probably less than 3.