Baseball

Major League Baseball has a big problem.

Immediately people are out to blame George Mitchell. The reason they are out to blame and vilify George Mitchell is that they didn't like the results of the report. The report came out of an investigation where it was difficult to get much cooperation.

Major League Baseball did not want to cooperate no matter what they say. When the owners made Bud Selig and 'Acting Commissioner" and then the Commissioner, they were making an owner as the Commissioner of Baseball. An owner who was going to protect their interests. They wanted a person who was not going to hold them accountable for anything. They got what they wanted.

The Major League Baseball Players Association did not want to cooperate either. They want the players to make huge amounts of money and do anything and everything to assure that the players make that might. The last thing they want is to make the players accountable.

George Mitchell is not a lightweight nor is he a person inclined towards sensationalism. If he had found baseball to be clean he'd have no problem reporting that. It wasn't a list of all the superstars in the game----just some. Some of the more regular players were in there as well.

There is a nasty secret behind all of this. Most within baseball were not surprised at the list. They knew who was using the drugs. The whispers had been around for a long time. The secrets were in the shadows and George Mitchell merely came along and turned the lights on.

Here's what I think. They need to further investigate WITH cooperation, this time, full medical records, etc., to see if the charges against the individuals players are true.

If they are true that player should:

Not be eligible for the Hall of Fame.
Any records or awards the player received be rescinded.

If a team had multiple people and they won the World Championship, that Championship ought to be removed from the record books.

This is only after a complete investigation with full cooperation. And if a player or team refuses to totally cooperate, act as if they were guilty.

Neither Selig, the owners, or the players union will want to do any of this. I suspect, frankly, that they won't. Life will go on as usual.

Maybe, however, it's up to the fans to express what they think. Empty stadiums and no television ratings, and no purchasing of MLB products might get their attention.

And, the players who played honestly, who didn't get juiced up, need to speak up and recognize that they were cheated.

As far as I'm concerned the record for the most home runs for a career remains Henry Aaron, one of the games great stars and honest men.

The record for the most home runs for a season remains Roger Maris, sans asterisk.

Aaron and Maris earned their records honestly.

When I was growing up my parents taught me something. They said that 'cheaters never profit.' Major League Baseball is trying to prove my parents wrong. Cheaters HAVE profited and the honest players and the fans are left bewildered as to why this was allowed to happen.