Mr. McGwire Goes to Washington

Reuters Photo

I had the opportunity to watch some of the Steroids in Baseball hearings live on television this evening. I know that baseball is not a pure sport. It is a business. As fans and spectators, we attach a great deal of emotion to sports. Baseball is perhaps the biggest darling in America as far as professional sports are concerned. I think it is because as a culture, it is a part of our lives. It is a sport that we played as children. We listened to it on the radio, watched it on television, play the game at family reunions, play catch with our sons and daughters and of course the greatest embodiment, we go to a stadium and watch the game with friends and family.

Those who play the game, adminster the game, run the offices, own the teams, negotiate the game, manage the game, scout the game surely do have an attachment to it, but it isn't the same as ours. We don't live it, we dream about it, we romanticize it. We don't make the millions, we only pay the millions.Certainly it seems ridiculous that the government is as involved as it is with this issue, but realisitically, who else will step in? Certainly Commissioner Selig's office hasn't been willing to police its players or its system and certainly Mr. Fehr and the MLBPA isn't willing to police their "constituents."

So here we are, Baseball goes to trial, pardon me, to investigation. Here's what I don't understand. Millions of dollars, certainly more that you or I would ever dream of making in a year, these players will make in one month. Don't forget about the owners and administrators. I am sure that they do well for themselves too. These folks have everything to lose in this, yet not one of the folks I saw on television or in news stories that I read are willing to admit that steroids are an issue and that they are ready for a zero tolerance policy on cheating the game and breaking the law. The only exceptions to the people and the policy are Jose Canseco and gambling.

At this point, I think that the fans and America will forgive Baseball if everyone comes clean. Further, for me personally it was Mark McGwire who brought me back to Baseball. It was his humility, talent and dedication to worthy causes that made me a fan of his and the game. It didn't hurt that he ended up with the St. Louis Cardinals. I know just as well as anybody that the players are human, they aren't any better or worse than anyone else. With that said, Mark McGwire is someone that I hold in high regard and respect. His silence and unwillingness to answer questions at the hearing today effected me. As I watched clips of his testimony, I could feel my eyes sag, my shoulders slump and my lungs heave a deep sigh. I do not begrudge Mr. McGwire, as there is no evidence of guilt. However the absence of his denial weighs on me. It's true that there is a "real world" that should command and deserves my attention, but it is nice to have entertainment, relief, release... and heroes.