Buster Olney on the Steroid Investigation
Posted by SBG on Friday, March 31st, 2006 at 1:52 pm
I think he gets this right:
When the dust settles, when baseball's belated investigation into steroid use ends, I bet Bud Selig is going to wish he had taken a different course of action.
He'll wish he had simply said, of the rise of steroids: We blew it. I blew it. The institution of baseball blew it. I didn't ask the right questions at the right time, and the steroid genie got out of the bottle, and there's nothing we can do to put it back now, to know for sure who was clean and who was dirty in the '90s. All we can do is clean up the sport as best we can, moving forward.
[snip]
There's nothing the union could do about Selig painting a big "S" on Bonds' chest.
But considering how broad this problem was, involving hundreds and hundreds of players, considering how many stars probably used the stuff, how many records and achievements were likely reached with performance-enhancers by other players, it would be absurd to target one guy, for all there is to lose. The risks, in taking this path, are extraordinary, and all of it largely could be avoided if The Powers That Be just admitted their mistakes.
Without absolving any player of anything, I think it right to lay the biggest share of the blame, if we must place blame, right at the feet of the Commissioner. This latest move is stupid and does nothing to solve anything. What Olney doesn't say is that Congress has probably dangled the prospect of eliminating the anti-trust exemption in front of old Bud to force his hand. Even still, Selig should have had the cojones to say what Olney has suggested he say. We f'ed it up and we're gonna change things.
If only the league had someone like David Stern in charge. Say what you want about Stern, he rules the NBA with an iron fist and makes very few missteps. Bud is nothing more than a lackey of the owners, who didn't like the independent streak shown by his predecessor, Fay Vincent. Bud projects an image of incompetence. This is all about image and perception. I refuse to believe that 325 offensive lineman with 10% body fat aren't using designer steroids and HGH, both of which are undetectable by testing. Yet, the NFL skates by scot-free. Almost everyone in the media thinks the NFL is clean. That's absolutely laughable. But, they have a drug plan that is perceived to be effective. And that's all that counts. Perception is reality. Once again, the perception of incompetence has further soiled the image of the best game going. That infuriates me and frustrates me to no end.
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I agree, Olney is right. And I believe that if Selig really wants to protect the integrity and image of the game, and help everyone move on, he should take full responsibility for allowing steroids to become such a significant factor in the game, unchecked, and resign.
Yeah, I think that's about right. Once the Bonds witch-hunt is over, then we're just on to talking about whether or not to put an asterisk on McGwire's numbers, or whether Palmeiro's numbers should be reduced, or what to do about Sosa, or whoever else is the accused user of the month.
If you start at the top, and there's an actual change in leadership, you might get the public to believe that things have changed. Otherwise, going after one or two high profile players really isn't going to do a whole lot.
Also, the point about the No Fun League is right on. Just the fact that Bonds trains with NFL guys in the offseason ought to make people think twice about it, but no one in the sports media seems willing to go down that route.
Sosa? Did he do anything wrong?
I've read some speculation that Sosa only juiced in the Dominican Republic, where steroids aren't illegal.
So, no law against it where he (supposedly) did it, no policy in MLB, what's the problem?
I will say that Olney's "blog" is much better than what he's written for the rest of ESPN.COM. Makes you wonder if he's free from editorial control there.
Also, how about George Mitchell, the head of the investigation? He's Chairman of the Board at Disney, who owns ESPN, who has a cable deal to broadcast MLB? Once again, Bud reeks of shady dealing, even if he's on the up and up. Hard to believe he made his money selling used cars, isn't it?
There's another reason the investigation is a farce: Selig will never let Mitchell touch the Big Mac & Sammy Show, even with a symbolic finding & admission that "the season that saved baseball" was fueled by steroids.
I saw on the ESPN crawl, I think, that the investigation will be limited, at least for now, to activity since 2002. If I were an active player, I might be concerned about whether those testing results collected prior to last season really will remain anonymous and confidential.