C’mon Bud, swing for the fences …
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- May
- 14
Bud Selig is the commissioner of baseball.
The commissioner of baseball is supposed to act in the best interests of baseball.
The best interests of baseball do not include having its career home run leader linked to steroids, and having his usage be the subject of grand jury testimony that has resulted in 14 counts out perjury.
It is time for Selig to say, “Barry, the overwhelming evidence is that you are a liar and a cheater. Unless you prove other wise, there will be an asterisk next to your career home run mark.’’
While he’s at it, he should make the same speech to Roger Clemens.
To me, baseball’s drug policy is toothless unless he does this.
If cleaning the sport of drugs means that much to Selig, he must do this.
This entry was posted
on Wednesday, May 14th, 2008 at 3:20 pm by John Delcos.
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John – You are right on the mark with this and I agree with you. Selig is already over four years late in doing anything substantial about drugs and drug use etc. in Major League baseball.
The real question about Selig is posed in your last sentence – is he ready, willing and able to do his part for the game now?
For all of us who love and respect the game, let’s hope so.
JD,
Should he just single out Bonds and Clemens? What about other cheats? Or, is cheating okay as long as you’re not breaking records? Are Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens good guys? No, but they helped make MLB teams (specifically the Giants and Yankees) a ton of money. It was obvious since the late 1990s that players were using performance enhancing drugs. Instead of expressing our outrage then, we (fans, media, teams, players and commissioner alike) did nothing. We all ignored the issue until Congress decided to get involved. Fans kept going to games, sportswriters ignored the story and the commish sat back while his fellow owners’ pockets got fatter.
It’s not in the interest of MLB to selectively punish individuals to make a point. Putting an asterisk only next to Bonds’s name isn’t even going to serve as a deterrent—what, is some kid clawing to make the majors going to say, “I won’t use steroids because if I become the all-time home run leader an asterisk will be placed next to my name”?
The right approach is not to make an example of one individual but to visit serious punishment on all who are caught.
People already have their views on the meaningfulness of Bonds’s records, and having an official MLB “asterisk” isn’t going to affect their views.
I singled out Bonds and Clemens because they are in the headlines now.
However, my belief is ANY player linked to drug use should be noted with an asterisk. I also believe this era should be designated as the steroid era.-JD
There is no way to tell what performance enhancers guys Willie Mays, Joe Dimaggio, Mickey Mantle, Ted Williams ect. could have possibly be on.
It also seemed like nearly every player was on greenies in the 80s too.
Its not fair to punish just one individual, who has yet to even be proven guilty of any actual wrong doing. Has Barry failed any steroids tests? Has he been proven guilty in a court of law? No.
Innocent until proven guilty.
If he’s going to punish anyone, he damn sure better punish himself as well. There is absolutely no way he didn’t have a clue this way going on. He turned a blind on the game’s flaws and if he’s taking anyone down, it should start with Bud Selig.
CP –
Did nothing?
The President of the United States mentioned the issue in the State of the Union Address on January 21, 2004. That prompted me and many others to write to their Senators, Representatives and to the major newspapers.
A couple of years ago Congress had the hearings where Schilling couldn’t remember, McGwire just wanted to talk about the past, Palmiero pointed a finger at the questioners and Sosa forgot how to speak English.
This past winter, Roger helped our cause by lying to Congress which resulted in an all out FBI investigation of his actions/records/finances etc. Those guys/gals don’t miss much.
Agree with Doug…..as MUCH as I hate both Clemens and Bonds, and as much as I believe they took PED’s, they are still technically innocent. Should they be proven guilty in the court of law, then I’d fully expect Selig to take action against them in the record books. Sure its unfair to go after just two players, but these guys built Hall of Fame careers on the juice. It tarnishes the sanctity of the game, and the Hall. Bonds is an egregious offender, because he had a Hall of Fame career before he started shooting up. Instead, he sullied arguable the most hallowed record in American pro-sports.
Sue Simmons for MLB Commissioner!
JD—As one of the most outspoken fans here against PEDs, of course I agree with you. There should be asterisks next to records where 1) someone has failed a steroids test or 2) other evidence exists that he used steroids.
But I doubt it ever happens. Don’t hold your breath. The players union would be screaming about it, and it would open up a can of worms.
Doug—Steroids were not even available to athletes in the U.S. when Mantle, Williams, Mays and DiMaggio played. So I don’t think there’s any question they were clean in this regard. As for other PEDs, I don’t think there is any other type that can raise the performance level of athletes the way steroids can. Not even close. That’s why those found to have cheated with steroids should be treated the most harshly.
As for Bonds, in all likelihood, it’s just a matter of time before he is convicted. I doubt he walks. I agree that Selig is guilty of having turned a blind eye, but even if he had wanted to do something, he couldn’t as the unions were always throwing up roadblocks.
“However, my belief is ANY player linked to drug use should be noted with an asterisk. I also believe this era should be designated as the steroid era.-JD”
It already is the Steroid Era. that’s what we refer to it as, and all the records are suspect because of it.
Now, putting an asterisk next to Bonds and Clemens (or even ‘everyone’) implies that the other records/players are clean. This almost gives a free pass to the cheaters that got away with it.
John you don’t believe that Brian injected Debbie Clemens with steroids. C’mon it is normal for a “close friend” to inject another friends wife with steroids in the buttocks area.
If there is no evidence that someone cheated, then they deserve the benefit of the doubt. They deserve a free pass, even if the public “thinks” he cheated. His record deserves to stand since he may indeed be innocent.
But when there is clear evidence that someone cheated, why should he get a free pass?
If they were ever to consider asterisking records, then they should institute some committee so they can sort out the cases were the evidence is not clear. Let a 3-member committee decide it.
i can’t imagine anything more un-american then the notion that someone is guilty until proven innocent. I don’t like Barry, but he’s in the process of being found guilty, can’t we just wait for that to happen? and THEN, make these kind of proclamations?
Doug: Yes, Selig is guilty, too. The Mitchell Report said it went to the top. Maybe that’s why Bud is being a wimp on this.
Innocent until proven guilty? Bonds has already admitted to using, but said he didn’t know what he was doing.
Such nonsense.-JD
...just can’t let that one go Ravi. Bonds had a HOF career before he started juicing??? Are you kidding me?? Dude looked like Kenny Lofton until he started hitting the needle, had about as much pop as Reyes. You really thought when he first got to the Bigs that he might have trouble reaching 10 dingers per season. You are mistaken my friend….
...I mean check out baseballreference.com. Bonds was a leadoff hitter his first 4 seasons in Pittsburgh never driving in more than 59 runs in a season. It’s absurd to say that this course would have resulted in a HOF career. Look for Barry to have taken his first injection somewhere in the early ‘90s
If Selig does. both he (and Fehr) should quit. They both let this happen and they both are too stupid to kept it swept under the rug like the NFL does. As Bill Simmons noted when Shawn Merriman was caught “He is as big as Anthony Munoz and as fast as Jerry Rice. People should have realized this wasn’t natural”. Accept the blame Bud, not the responsibility (people who are to blame lose their jobs, people who are responsible do not).
Bonds allegedly started steroids in 2000. By 2000 he was already a Hall of Famer. 3 MVPs, well over 400 homers, ect.
No question about it.
Wow, so much mis-information, Bonds started taking steroids after the ‘98 season, read “Game of Shadows” or just look at his body. And yes, Bonds was a HOF player before he started juicing, anyone who doesn’t see that doesn’t know baseball, sorry.
Its very unfair to Roger Maris to have an asterisk placed beside a Bonds or Clemens record. If you want to punish the guy strip his name and records from the book or drop it.
Leave the year blank…....
I would think the Maris family and Hank Aaron would appreciate having asterisks placed beside the tainted records of Bonds.
So you think the Maris asterisk was equally deserved to the asterisk you want so badly to give Bonds? Makes snese to mne. Roger did have a horrible crime, hitting those HRs in a longer season…...
Sloppy: Maris never deserved an asterisk because he did it within the rules. Bonds and Clemens have cheated.-JD
JD. I know Maris didn’t deserve the *. That’s why I said what I said. Giving Bonds an asterisk is saying his #s are the same as Maris’
Regardless of whether the asterisk next to Maris’ record was deserved, the footnote accompanying his asterisk is very different from one that would accompany a Bonds asterisk. So I don’t see a real issue.
And Hank Aaron sure deserves better than the status quo.