Brooks Robinson decries steroid enhanced records.

[Ming]

Sorry Mr. Robinson... You are just going to have to live with it...

Baseball rules at the time said NOTHING about steroids... while there might have been laws against their use by the government, baseball hid their heads in the sand and did not incorporate any such rule against their use in the rules of the league until forced to do so.

And since there were no tests done to actaully prove a specific person took them... you can't just label a whole generation of stats as steriod stats...

So suck it up Brooks...

[Mrs. Tuberski]

I wonder now since ihave been doing pain managment at work on folks were steriods are used for pain how these can not be confused with the ones used by pro players saying yeah i did steriods but for my back or neck pain.

[Ned]

Actually, I think McCain should replace the shill and become commissioner now. If he did a good job there, it would be a great springboard to the presidency.

[reds4ever]

McCain tried to tackle boxing in the 80's, he was full of genuinely good ideas but ultimatley failed to get them implemented.

[Imran Siddiqui]

I love how a Republican (Ned) is arguing that the Senate should get involved and install one of its members as the CEO of a private business. Very.... communist .

[Ned]

Communist?

Fascist?

Whatever.

But a major "real" reason for the anti-trust exemption is because there was a commissioner who was looking over the sport and keeping it clean.

[Imran Siddiqui]

No other sport has an anti-trust exception, and plenty of them have not been 'clean'.

[JohnT]

Originally posted by Ned
Actually, I think McCain should replace the shill and become commissioner now. If he did a good job there, it would be a great springboard to the presidency.

It did wonders for Peter Uberroths career!

[JohnT]

Given that the commissioner is hired and paid for by the owners, why would McCain be any more "effective"?

[Vlad Antlerkov]

Originally posted by JohnT
Given that the commissioner is hired and paid for by the owners, why would McCain be any more "effective"?

Because OMG MCCAIN IS A MAVERICK HE MUST BE BETTER THAN SELIG LOL. Although to be fair, it's not exactly hard to do a better job of promoting the game than Selig has. A midget with Tourette's could do a better job than that used car salesman, IMHO.

[JohnT]

"Mr. Selig, we called this committee to investigage the steroid issue permeating baseball. Thank you for your time today."

"Thank you Senator *****ucker, *cough*, er, Goldwin. I appreciate the opportunity to address the fargin' bastiges!!!, uhm, Committee. ******!!!!, mmmm, Steroid use has..."





Nah, I think Selig is possibly a little better without the Tourettes.

[Ming]

Selig crams it down the unions throat

Selig awaits union response on steroids
By Hal Bodley, USA TODAY
Commissioner Bud Selig should know this week if baseball's players union will embrace his request for a much stricter steroids policy.
Selig's proposal, outlined in an April 25 letter to union chief Don Fehr, calls for a 50-game suspension for any player who tests positive a first time, a 100-game ban for a second offense and a lifetime ban for a thirdviolation. Selig also wants amphetamines included. To be adopted, the plan must be approved by the players.

Fehr said over the weekend the union wasn't ready to discuss the plan, which comes four months after the players opened the current collective bargaining agreement and approved a stricter policy. He predicted a response by early this week.

Selig, citing an improved relationship between the commissioner's office and the union, wrote: "Last winter, we reopened our agreement to deal with steroids. I am asking you now to demonstrate once again to America that our relationship has improved to the point that we can act quickly and effectively deal with matters affecting the integrity of our great sport." Selig added, "Don, I continue to believe that time is of the essence in addressing this issue."

Selig, in admitting the current program isn't strong enough, said: "Regardless of whatever incremental progress we have made under the current agreement, we continue to have a serious integrity issue with regards to our current policy and our great game."

Said Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) ranking minority member of the House Government Reform Committee that held a hearing on steroids in baseball on March 17: "It's weaker than the policy Congress is considering, but significantly stronger than baseball's current policy."

Former union executive director Marvin Miller told USA TODAY on Sunday the players erred when they reopened the current agreement in January and approved a somewhat stronger policy.

The current CBA expires after the 2006 season, but the steroids policy extends through 2008.

"I expect that in the next go-round we will perhaps see that spitting on the clubhouse floor will be at least two lifetime penalties to be served consecutively," said Miller.

When asked if he'd discussed reopening the CBA with Fehr, Miller said: "Nope. He hasn't asked me. I know why he hasn't asked me; he knows what I think."

Selig, who does not need union approval for players not on 40-man rosters, said he will make changes to the minor league program, including tougher discipline.

Atlanta catcher Johnny Estrada said, "It's about time they stiffened it (policy) up. But the testing has got to be better if the penalty is going to be that stiff for a first offense. I don't want to be getting a positive test for taking supplements."

Now he can say he's done what he can, and blame the union

[Ned]

With a real commissioner, the issue would not be a matter of negotiation between management and the union. It would be a matter of "the best interests of baseball," and would be imposed by fiat by a strong commissioner. As I said, I would support ending baseball's antitrust exemption unless and until they appoint the true commissioner with real authority to act independent of both the union and management in "the best interests of baseball."

[Vlad Antlerkov]

Originally posted by Ned
With a real commissioner, the issue would not be a matter of negotiation between management and the union. It would be a matter of "the best interests of baseball," and would be imposed by fiat by a strong commissioner. As I said, I would support ending baseball's antitrust exemption unless and until they appoint the true commissioner with real authority to act independent of both the union and management in "the best interests of baseball."

The key thing here is being independent of management. The very first commish, Judge Landis, did whatever he wanted to advance the best interests of baseball. Naturally, management didn't like this, but they couldn't remove him unless he died. Once Landis died, the owners made sure that the commissioner wouldn't ever be that strong /independent again. (Gross oversimplification, of course.) Now, if Congress were to impose a commissioner...

[Imran Siddiqui]

Originally posted by Ned
With a real commissioner, the issue would not be a matter of negotiation between management and the union. It would be a matter of "the best interests of baseball," and would be imposed by fiat by a strong commissioner. As I said, I would support ending baseball's antitrust exemption unless and until they appoint the true commissioner with real authority to act independent of both the union and management in "the best interests of baseball."

This would be one of those posts were people wonder what planet you are on. The Commissioner is controled by the owners... that's his role! He serves at the pleasure of the owners and if the owners want, they can fire him. He can't act independant of the mangement because THEY ARE HIS BOSS!