Ridiculous

Missed work with a flu bug on Wednesday. Since I was home, I decided to watch the Congressional hearing involving Roger Clemens, Brian McNamee and the Mitchell Report. As a huge baseball fan, not to mention a Yankees fan, all I can say is that this whole thing is just such a waste of time. Why is Congress involved in this? Don't they have more important things to do?

Look, the whole steroid era is questionable. We'll probably never really know the exact affect that the drugs have had and likely continue to have on the game. I don't mean to defend the users, because I think its a shame that they've done this to a game that I truly love. But is anyone really foolish enough to think that this problem is about the star players like Clemens and Bonds? They are the easy targets, but what about the two players with marginal talent that are about equal, and one gets a shot because he cheats? That's the bigger issue to me.

And that's just at the pro level....What about the kids who despite warnings from coaches and parents try to emulate their heroes by taking drugs. Worse yet, what about the kids that are encouraged to do so by their coaches and/or their parents. Its sickening when you think about it.

I heard someone say this morning that if Ryan Howard or Prince Fielder hit 60 home runs this season will anyone believe it. Its sad to me, because I have so many memories that have been tarnished by the scandal already -- The Sosa/McGwire HR chase in '98, the Yankees '98 team, Rick Ankiel last season...These are just a few, but any fan has the same list. It doesn't completely ruin all of it, but it does make you look at it in a whole new light. But to hold up one guy like Clemens ignores the fact that somewhere between 20% and 80% of the batters he faced were probably also guilty of using the same types of drugs. There are no easy answers to the problem, but dragging someone's name through the mud doesn't address the issue. It just leaves an even worse taste in your mouth.