Steroids and Major League Baseball

I already posted my take on how to improve the actual game of baseball in terms of its play. Now I wish to turn my attention to the public relations fiasco which has been the steroid allegations in the sport.

The Mitchel Report was supposed to be a step forward. Instead, it was a step backwards. The focus was too much on the individuals and not on the actual culture which allowed it to occur.

Instead of debating about Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds, MLB should be focusing on cleaning up the future. The past has happened and should not be revisited.

MLB needs to notify the MLBPA that it will enforce the law of the United States as well as implement a new drug testing policy which is far more reaching than the current policy. It seems that the clubhouse mentality is like the Vegas mentality. What happens in the clubhouse stays in the clubhouse. A "good samaritan" rule should be put into place whereby any player who has knowledge of another player's use of a banned substance, whether it can be tested for or not, is obligated to come forward or can face penalties such as fines or suspension. This should also apply to the teams themselves. If a trainer, team medical personell, manager, owner, president (you name it) knows a player is using a banned substance or performance enhancing drug and fails to report the player that team should face some form of punishment.

While the criminal justice system does not impose a duty on citizens to report crime, the business of MLB has a right to impose such a rule if a person or organization wishes to trade in and on the MLB name.

The MLBPA has failed its members by not seeking an implementation of a strictly adhered to drug policy with tough sanctions. While in the short term it may hurt its members financially to be suspended it will eventually hurt everyone long term because salaries are in some form tied to the revenue of the sport. If people do not feel the sport offers a legitimate athletic contest then they will not patronize the sport. One need only look to cycling where steroid problems have bogged down the sport's ability to become truly popular in the US and the credibility of its winners are forever to be questioned. MLB and the MLBPA need to recognize and come to terms with this reality.

As for Congress and their silly involvement in the issue, what exactly are they looking to find? The proper procedure is to have the US Attorney General's office look into the allegations and if there is enough evidence of a crime having been committed then they can charge the player, trainer, medical doctor (or dentist), or the baseball executive responsible. All the Capital Hearings will do is make a mockery of the situation and focus on an individual rather than the sport and league as a whole.