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Baseball’s Congressional Meeting Begins

The people responsible for the way Major League Baseball is run began their Congressional depositions on Tuesday and while there wasn’t a great deal to be revealed (wait until the players take the stand), both Donald Fehr, head of the Players Association and Commissioner Bud Selig shared responsibility for the apparent widespread steroid use that evidently permeated throughout baseball.

“I’ll take the responsibility,” Bud Selig said during a nearly 55-minute session in which he and Don Fehr, the executive director of the union, were cross-examined by members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. “That’s why I wanted this report.”

Fehr echoed Selig’s statement by saying, “Certainly, we didn’t pay attention soon enough.”

As fans yearn for baseball to move away from this damning era, statements like these are part of the healing process… as long the powers that be continue to move forward on purging performance enhancers and their users from the sport. With Spring Training just around the corner, steps like these go a long way in regaining the trust of their money-spending fanbase.

Speaking of Spring Training, do you think the Boston Red Sox will repeat as World Series Champions or will a team like the Mets or the Yankees overtake them? Will the Johan Santana situation be worked out before the first pitch is thrown? These are just some of the questions faced by baseball fans as the season gets closer and closer.

Will you be there for Opening Day?

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The Mitchell Report - A Call to Action?

Last week, former Senator George Mitchell revealed his long anticipated anti-steroid report. In it were the names of players past and present, superstars and nobodies. In the 409-page report, 86 players were named as having used steroids. Included were 7 MVPs and 31 All-stars. The proverbial boat has been rocked leaving baseball fans in quite a predicament - is baseball credible anymore?

However, after the dust has settled somewhat, baseball critics around the country, myself included, are questioning whether or not this report will have any lasting effects. We have long since known that steroids are being used in baseball and have been for the past few decades. This report just confirmed that notion. But so what? Does this new report change anything? There have been instances in the past where players have been named as steroid users (The League of Shadows) and nothing has really been done about it. So, will Bud Selig really keep good on his promise and protect the integrity of the game? And if so, how? Will he continue to give out weak punishments as he has done thus far? Or will he develop a stronger anti-steroid policy like the Olympics (one and done)? All these are questions that Bud Selig is going to have to answer now that he has deemed Mitchell’s report a ‘call to action’.

But the fact of the matter is this. Bud Selig and the MLB have ignored the league’s steroid problem for far too long. It has gotten so out of hand that seemingly everyone, from the best players in the league to those who are looking to get a leg up on the competition so their coach will take notice of them, is using steroids. To start giving our serious punishments now would damage the league beyond repair. Imagine that the foremost economic minds in the country held a press conference to tell the American people that they made a mistake implementing capitalism as our economic foundation. It would set the country back years. The same thing would happen in baseball. If Selig were to punish the aforementioned MVPs and All-stars, the quality of baseball would suffer dramatically. If there are no A-rods or Miguel Tejadas to watch, who is going to be interested in baseball? By keeping his promise, Selig is putting the MLB’s credibility and appeal at risk, without which baseball may not survive.

In my opinion, the MLB should ban any player who has used steroids from ever playing baseball again. But, with so much invested in the league and so much riding on is decision, will Bud Selig really have the moral fortitude to actually live up to his promise? This is one baseball fan who hopes he does for the sake of the sport. However, only time will tell if Bud Selig is really the defender of baseball as he portrays himself.

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Red Sox slugger Jim Rice misses Hall of Fame again, this time by 16 votes

Now, Jim Rice has one chance left to be elected to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

Rice fell short by just 16 votes Tuesday in his 14th year on the ballot — and perhaps his best opportunity for election by the writers. He received 392 votes (72.2 percent), up from 346 (63.5 percent) last year but 16 shy of the 75 percent needed.

The former Boston Red Sox slugger will appear on the writers’ ballot for the final time next year, when career steals leader Rickey Henderson will be among the newcomers.

Relief pitcher Rich “Goose” Gossage was the only player elected.

“Today’s results are obviously a disappointment,” Rice said in a statement issued by the Red Sox. “I believe my accomplishments speak for themselves, and a majority of the voters seem to agree.

“It is tough to come this close, but I remain hopeful for the 2009 results. I appreciate all the kind words from so many players, including Rich Gossage, and I congratulate Goose on his well-deserved election today.”

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MLB adopts new security measures

MLB Acting on recommendations made in the Mitchell Report, Major League Baseball adopted a number of security and logistical changes Monday in an effort to combat use of performance-enhancing drugs.

The measures adopted Monday include mandatory random drug tests and background checks for all current and future clubhouse personnel.

In addition, clubs will be required to maintain a log of all packages sent to major league clubhouses.

The commissioner’s office also announced Monday that teams will be required to keep a list of all clubhouse vistors except for members of the Baseball Writers’ Association.

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