What Is Baseball Thinking

Growing up as a child in the Midwest, baseball was by far my favorite sport. In my teen years, I would probably attend at least a dozen games a year. Even after I moved in 1980 to Denver, there were always the Bears and Zephyrs games to enjoy on a lazy Sunday afternoon. But today attending a baseball game is nothing but a chore for me. A business or Little League obligation. A season ending strike, the vendetta against Pete Rose and now the steroid scandal have beaten any affection for the game right out of me.

For the life of me, I do not understand the leagues rebellion against the subpoenas issued by congress this week. Even more silly is their first amendment claims. They may have some legitimate fifth amendment claims not to incriminate themselves, but I doubt that they have any real first amendment claims.

More importantly, what are they really trying to hide by not turning over their records? They can't be worried about tarnishing their image for that train has already left the station. They look guilty. How long have they known of the problem and just sat on their hands? How deep does the problem really go? And most importantly, why have they been so willing to tolerate cheating? Was homerun records and winning back fans that important to them? As we are finding this winter, it probably wasn't the ball that was juiced. It was the players.

The real crime here is how much the game will be diminished by achievements and records that simply don't mean anything. The game will be worthless when dads like me find that we need to protect our sons from these influences rather than nurture them in the games traditions.