It’s scandalous. Everybody is talking about it. Purists are in a tizzy. A-Rod taking steroids? No, Westminster Kennel Club winner Stump the Sussex spaniel snubbing Sardi’s restaurant!
At least there’s no evidence that the 10-year-old dog (70 in human years) won the dog show by using PEDs (Pooch-Enhancing-Drugs)!
Seriously, the big story of today is about how MLB Commissioner Bud Selig is considering suspending Alex Rodriguez for admitting to steroid use in 2001-2003. In a USA Today column, Christine Brennan suggests that A-Rod should be suspended under the “best interests of the game” clause. When Brennan asked Selig if he would do that, he replied:
“It was against the law, so I would have to think about that,” Selig said of possible action against Rodriguez. “It’s very hard. I’ve got to think about all that kind of stuff.”
Let me get this straight. A-Rod needs to get punished – for what, exactly? It took until 2004, over a decade into Selig’s tenure, to even get a specific steroids ban in baseball. So what A-Rod took may have been illegal, but it wasn’t banned by MLB at the time. Not to mention that the test A-Rod failed was 1) A survey test that was supposed to be destroyed, and 2) Was never supposed to be used to punish individual players.
True, baseball’s steroid policy was shameful, but Selig had a heck of a lot to do with that. Maybe Bud can retroactively punish himself.
Oh, and while Selig may be thinking about suspending A-Rod, he doesn’t appear to have given any thought to thinking about finding out the names and punishing the other 103 players who also failed the test. Or finding out why a confidential survey test was leaked to reporters.
And as for that illegality issue, Joba Chamberlain has been accused of driving drunk, but I guess I missed any worries of him being suspended from baseball if he is convicted.
So I’m just wondering – has Selig ever been on the right side of anything?
He has been MLB Commissioner since 1992, and was in charge of the game during virtually the entire Steroid Era. He looked the other way when players were puffed up to the size of bodybuilders. He didn’t do anything to Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Jason Giambi, Andy Pettitte, or Roger Clemens. He didn’t really push for banning steroids until over a decade into his tenure.
But now he’s thinking about suspending A-Rod – for what, exactly? For being the only one of the 104 positive tests to be exposed? For actually telling the truth a little? Unreal.
You know, we all complained about PED-using players not admitting to much of anything. Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens are all about denial. Mark McGwire didn’t want to talk about the past. Jason Giambi apologizing for taking “stuff”, but wouldn’t say what the “stuff” was.
And now here’s Alex Rodriguez, who not only admitted to what he was accused of, but who tried to explain about the clubhouse culture at the time. Was he telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? No. But he did tell more than anybody short of Jose Canseco.
Making an example of A-Rod here will make him a martyr. Is that what Selig wants?
If MLB does dole out some sort of punishment to Alex, don’t expect any player to ever confess to anything on this steroid issue ever again. Thanks for nothing, Bud.
What do you think? Leave us a comment!
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