Not left speechless over steroids
Posted: Wednesday, December 19, 2007 4:50 PM
Read enough reaction to the Mitchell Report and here’s some of what you find:
“Baseball can’t move on until it apologizes. Baseball, specifically Bud Selig, owes Barry Bonds an apology. Sorry, Barry, for hanging you out to dry; for allowing the news media and the public to make you the vilified face of baseball’s steroid era.”
--William C. Rhoden, New York Times, Dec. 15, 2007
A passage so stunning in its blatant agenda requires yet another repeat of this basic primer: The federal government investigated Bonds. Why? Because of BALCO. Oh, and the fact that Greg Anderson, a man whose sole reason for any access to MLB was Bonds, a man whose presence in the clubhouse of the San Francisco Giants was demanded by Bonds, a man who was given a NL Championship ring by the Giants when the club was threatened with public humiliation by Bonds, is a convicted felon for steroid distribution. Until Kirk Radomski’s case is settled, Anderson is in a class of one. And he is one of Barry Bonds’ closest friends. Yeah, sure sounds like MLB owes Bonds an apology.
“The minority of players who used such substances were wrong. They violated federal law and baseball policy, and they distorted the fairness of competition by trying to gain an unfair advantage…”
--The Mitchell Report
Silences the apologists for the steroid era, don’t you think?
“Medical practitioners widely used HGH to assist many athletes in recovery from injury and would escalate athletes’ ability to recover.”
--Scott Boras, New York Times, Dec. 16, 2007
Well, not everyone was silenced. One question: where is one reputable doctor who has prescribed HGH in such a manner? Or, where is one doctor to stand up and validate such use? I have not heard one, nor do I know of one.
Or think of it this way: if the use of HGH as Boras claims is legitimate, why did players have to go to dentists in Florida or anti-aging clinics or sleazy back-channel routes to obtain HGH?
“You never felt like you’d get in trouble. When steroids came around, we always felt protected. The union would come to your side and protect you.”
--John Marzano, former MLB catcher, New York Times, Dec. 14, 2007
Keep that in mind when Don Fehr next rails against management. Although to Fehr’s credit, he was the only man to stand tall last Thursday and admit that they should have acted sooner on the steroid issue.
“The law is very clear that an admission against interest is not hearsay. The word has been much misused in the last few days.”
--George Mitchell, interview with Fox News, Dec. 16, 2007
Mitchell answered the complaints of many, including the Baltimore Orioles, about the inclusion of names, particularly Brian Roberts. One may disagree with Mitchell’s stance on this issue, but remember that Mitchell knew the exact legal and ethical ramifications. Look at his background -- a man of that accomplishment does nothing without some justification.
“We need a tougher drug policy in baseball.”
--Rep. Henry Waxman, New York Times, Dec. 15, 2007
Far be it from me to suggest that the honorable Mr. Waxman is headline seeking in his treatment of baseball. I just wonder where Mr. Waxman would suggest baseball look for guidance. For example, should MLB look at the wildly successful policy that has all those NFL players completely on the clean? Wait, why does the name of Rodney Harrison come to mind?
“Where's the outrage over Rodney Harrison, huh? We've been waiting for it to show up in some form, any form, for weeks now. We're still waiting. We'll probably wait a lifetime.”
--Jayson Stark, ESPN.com, Dec. 18, 2007
Amen, Jayson. Amen.
