Baseball & Steroids - Wrong Place, Wrong Cast

The Congressional Committee on Government Reform spent 11 hours - 11 hours! - discussing steroids in Major League Baseball yesterday. They subpoenaed one of my favorite living legends, Mark McGwire, and tried to force him to name names. They did not explain why they needed Mark McGwire to testify before the Committee on Government Reform. As far as I can tell, Big Mac did not provide any insights on how to reform government, except, perhaps, by serving as an example of just how far afield congressional morons can stray from their legitimate work when they smell ink.

Personally, I'm as opposed to the use of steroids as anybody else. But I'm also opposed to having a twit like Tom Davis, who probably has never hit a curve ball in his life, taking cheap shots at Major League Baseball.

It's horribly sad that Taylor Hooton and Rob Garibaldi committed suicide, but it's also sad that their parents and press-eager congressmen are trying to blame a league none of them ever played in, and players who never met them.

While I'm supportive of a more stringent MLB steroid policy, the steroid policy of MLB did not cause their deaths, and it does not have an effect on the use of steroids by people like Taylor and Rob. They weren't in danger of getting caught by the MLB policy.

The PGA has tremendous enforcement of its rules of play, but that doesn't prevent people at the local country club from improving their lie. If MLB implants anti-steroid monitors into Sammy Sosa's spine, that won't prevent an 18 year-old kid from seeking an edge in the gym.