3.17.2005

Does anyone know how the NCAA games came out today

Thoughts after following the congressional hearing on baseball and steroids:

McGwire is sunk

There is no way McGwire can deny taking steroids, being the only person, besides Canseco, to invoke his 5th amendment rights. And his ‘I don’t want to talk about the past’ is the new ‘wardrobe malfunction’ in my world.

I’m not surprised by his teary opening statement. He had to sit and hear parents talk about the death of their children due to steroids. The last time we saw McGwire get choked up is at the press conference announcing his last contract with the St. Louis Cardinals. He cried then when he mentioned his foundation, which was and is focused on fighting child abuse. I believe the idea of children suffering makes him emotional, and he got that in spades listening to dead children’s parent testifying their sons idolized baseball players.

I believe he will admit in public his steroid use before the end of the year. The internal and external pressures will be too great for him to stay silent.

By the way, when I heard McGwire say his message to kids would be ‘Steroids is bad, don’t do them’, I nearly ran myself off the road.

Canseco may have experienced the worst book plug ever

In his book, he is an unabashed defender of the use of steroids, under proper supervision. At the hearing, he said he wrote the book over a two year period, and some of the things he wrote then he doesn’t believe now.

This can’t help book sales.

Sammy Sosa looks pretty good

He vociferously denied, under oath, ever taking steroids. He may be lying, but it is very hard to not give him the benefit of the doubt. He wasn’t mentioned in Caseco’s book, he has no connection to BALCO, and there is no publicized investigation connecting him to steroids. The only reason his name has been thrown into speculation is he has big arms and he has hit a lot of home runs.

Jim Bunning is the bitter old man, telling kids to get off his lawn

Bunning, a Senator from Kentucky and a former MLB pitcher, complained almost as much about pitchers not pitching inside and smaller ballparks as he did about steroid abuse. And he stuck up for the players in his era:

"If they started in 1992 or 1993 illegally using steroids, wipe all of their
records out," Bunning said. "Take them away. They don't deserve them. Go ask
Henry Aaron. Go ask the family of Roger Maris. Go ask all of the people that
played without enhanced drugs if they would like their records compared with the
current records."
I’m sure he doesn’t mean all the pitching records. I wonder if he will advocate the pulling of Gaylord Perry’s records, since he was an admitted spitballer.

He also mentioned the 230 pound elephant (Bonds) in the room without mentioning him by name:

When I played with Henry Aaron and Willie Mays and Ted Williams, they didn't put
on 40 pounds and bulk up in their careers, and they didn't hit more home runs in
their late 30s than they did in their late 20s. What is happening in baseball
now isn't natural and it isn't right."
The good thing about getting old is you can say what you want.

Tom Lantos is an idiot

Rep. Tom Lantos (D-Calif.), during a question and answer period with scientists, made references to Martha Stewart and the television show Extreme Makeover. I want to move to San Mateo just to vote against this guy.

Lantos was able to get all players to say they favor federal intervention if Major League Baseball can’t fix their steroid problem. So maybe idiot is too harsh. He does need better focus.

Tom Osborne. TOM OSBORNE?!?!

The head coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers from 1973 until 1997, currently a Republican congressman from Nebraska, is on the congressional subcommittee holding these hearings. I bet he is happy to be one of the people asking the questions and not one of the people being asked.

Don Fehr is the MAN!

Nothing shakes him. During the portion of the hearings both Commissioner Bud Selig and MLB executive vice president for labor relations and human resources Rob Manfred slightly lost their composure during their grilling. Fehr maintained his calm at all times. He must pee ice water.

Save them kids!

Over and over, I hear that everyone involved talk about the kids, the poor kids that idolize these steroid taking players. But there were no panelists called that work with these steroid taking kids. There were grief stricken parents called to tell the stories of their late sons, but no one who works with young athletes.

Remember, when anyone says they are doing anything for the kids, watch your wallet.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I always knew that Sosa was real... Mcguire was "enhanced"... I knew it in my bones when the race was on between them and I know it now.