Modern Day Witch Hunt
 

I am so sick of our United States Congress doing investigations into steroid use in baseball! I mean, give me a break, there is nothing more important going on in this country that they should be spending their time on than THIS!?! If you have listened to any of the testimony, it is a JOKE! I am embarassed that these are our representatives.

Plus - personally, I couldn't care less if some over paid athlete wants to inject himself with something that doesn't hurt me. Isn't this something that NLB and the commissioner should be investigating? What the heck does this have to do with one of our branches of our national government!!!

It gets them more press coverage then actually trying to reform tax codes or social security.

Actually, MLB is subject to scrutiny by our government as they have an antitrust exemption.

http://espn.go.com/mlb/s/2001/1205/1290707.html

If the government grants an exemption, it's up to them to make sure everything doesn't turn into a giant corrupt mess (see: boxing).

Professional Sports in general takes in too much money for some to not take notice in those who 'cheat' to play the game.


It's almost the same as any other incorporated job...if you are caught using drugs and it's affecting your performance especially finances, somebody should probably look at it and see if there is a pattern....not that I care very much about baseball, but considering over what's happened in boxing and the Olympics, it's not too much longer that any pro athletic event where income is a factor will be looked at closely.

Do you really think that the circus that they are enacting has anything to do with keeping corruption (ala boxing) out of baseball? I have been watching the testimony over the past, and today in particular, and it is a fiasco, with each congressman basically prostletizing from their chair. They barely give the witnesses a chance to respond, and when they do, they ridicule them. If the witness tries to answer back, they are silenced, either by Waxman and the gavel, or by the representative saying, "I only have 5 minutes." So, they have to just sit there and take it. Then when the questioning is over, the paparazzi go wild. It is a true CIRCUS! It's disgusting.

Any body watch the films of the McCarthy trials from back in the day? It reminds me of that...

Guilty before proven innocent?

And, if baseball and football and other sports really wanted to do anything about steroid or hgh use, they would ban players from participating the first time they got caught, and they would test them weekly. That might deter some from trying to cheat.

What's congress going to do? Pass a law? Shouldn't they be looking at healthcare reform or funding issues?

It's grandstanding, that's all it is...

Exactly.

Even without the antitrust exemption, the Committee for Oversight and Governmental Reform has incredibly wide-ranging oversight and investigation powers, including just about anything that could affect Americans' health, safety and well-being (such as steroid use by teens - the original reason why the McGwire/Palmeiro panel was convened).

So yeah - this is a "legitimate" use of governmental resources - the real problem is that most of the congressmen participating don't know the first thing about the topic, apparently getting their information from TV or the Internet. Most are flubbing statistics, making specious inferences, ignoring football, blah blah chow meow. It's just not effective - and when every other congressman stands up to proselytize rather than question, it's not hard to see what the real motives are.

I can' think of a zillion other things for them to be doing also. Who really cares if grown men are taking drugs to enhance their performance? If they are, they're killing themselves, but they are grown men and can choose to do that. They should be policing their own. I bet half the congressmen go out for a drink after work and teens aren't supposed to do THAT either.

I never before understood how it was that Congress could be getting involved in all this- so thanks for some good info there.

That said, I have to agree that it just flat out looks bad to be having all these hearings. I am sure they are doing other work too which is far less interesting for the news stations to cover- and so from that standpoint the sheer news coverage is going to make it look like this is all Congress is doing. But it still does not look good to the average person who is worried about more important matters to their own life.

Srmom- I have heard your comment many times about Congress and baseball as these hearings continue. On that basis I get the feeling it is taking on a bit of a symbolic level of importance in the minds of at least some voters.

One thing about this coming election true for both parties is that the candidate who promises to offer change in some manner (Obama as a fresh face, McCain as someone who can play nice with Democrats) is who is gaining momentum.

And I do believe that in at least some small way, things like Congress investigating baseball impact that.

Some of you are acting like ALL of Congress is involved with these hearings............

I know! Like, duh, there ARE people in Congress doing REAL work, people, like... like... investigating the taping "scandal" up in New England!!! http://www.thebostonchannel.com/spor...bos&psp=sports

I imagine the actual time being spent is fairly small- it is just that, as I noted, the media attention to this and the reference to "Congress" and not necessarily being real specific about the committee process, creates the false perception that Congress is ignoring the business of the people to go after baseball.

It is largely a question of perception, but even if one accepts the time spent is fairly small- it is hard to not have some kind of gut reaction to all the press coverage considering how little reported progress has been made in recent years on major issues.

A good article from the New York Times:
Baseball
A Deep Injection of Righteous Hysteria



By TOMMY CRAGGS
Published: February 14, 2008

Last week, a famous pitcher likely bound for the Hall of Fame was reportedly injected with a steroid in an effort to prolong his career. This news, however, was not greeted with any widespread clutching of pearls. There were no calls for Congressional meddling and no inquiries about any palpable growths on his hindquarters. There was no talk, either, of the sanctity of the record books, and no earnest invocations of The Children, those poor souls sent down a wayward path because Nook Logan might've dabbled with growth hormone. In fact, it was all perfectly legal. The pitcher's injection, according to the Boston Globe, was part of a "conservative treatment plan" laid out by his team's medical staff. The headline: "Schilling receives shot of cortisone."

Rest of article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/14/sp...econdParagraph