Maybe I "mis-saw" something, or maybe I just "mis-listened." Whatever it was, I certainly hope that I'm just misunderstanding the meaning of the current hearings on Capitol Hill concerning everything Roger Clemens.
From what I've seen, it appears that Congress now believes its various jobs include public shamings.
The proceedings in the Clemens/Brian McNamee -- Clemens' former trainer -- steroid hearings on Wednesday were enough to make you long for the ramblings of Bud Selig or the quiet mumblings of George Mitchell.
I used to believe strongly that everything concerning steroids and sports should be handled by those at the highest level. And I still believe that steroids are a tremendous threat to legitimate competition and should be cleansed from any game.
By the same token, I believe that Clemens should suffer the consequences for -- like so many others -- bringing the game into disrepute. And he will be. Doubt it? Do you think that Clemens, a sure-fire Hall of Famer just this time last year, will find entrance to Cooperstown so easy now? And, despite what he says, the very thought of being left out in the cold chills him to the bone.
Congress deserves some credit for this. After all, it was the Federal government that greased the wheels for the Mitchell Report -- baseball's smoking gun in the steroid age -- by embarrassing MLB Commissioner Selig and several star Major Leaguers in a Congressional hearing in 2005.
But after watching the inanity of the recent occurrences on Capitol Hill, I am now convinced that Congress has outlived its usefulness in this arena.
In fact, from what I saw on Wednesday, it seems that our elected "leaders" (sic) would do better in an episode of Divorce Court or Judge Judy.
Certainly the Federal government has a place in monitoring the actions of our institutions and citizens should they fall foul of the law. But surely there can be a better way to handle it than this?
Like so many Simon Cowells, almost the entire Congressional panel took turns grilling Clemens and McNamee -- calling them everything from liars to drug dealers, as they took turns grandstanding in ways that would make the real Cowell green with envy.
In short, Congress WAS instrumental in getting the wheels turning in MLB, now its members simply seem intent on grabbing some camera time while working on a no-lose committee. Can't you just see the campaign speeches now: "I cleaned up the game of baseball and made sports safe for our children again!"
And while the Feds should keep tabs on this developing situation, they currently run the risk of what once seemed impossible: making the cheaters seem like sympathetic figures.
Thursday
May 1st, 2025
2:18AM
