AT ISSUE
Hardball of Congress
What: Congress continues ridiculing baseball players for not facilitating the adoption of a tougher drug policy regarding steroids and amphetamines.
Background: The idea that government wants a quick solution to a problem is a bit oxymoronic. That said, members of Capitol Hill have been waiting since March for the union to reopen the collective bargaining agreement for a second time to mandate tougher testing procedures and punishment. Donald Fehr received Arizona Sen. John McCain’s wrath during Wednesday’s testimony. McCain and Kentucky Sen. Jim Bunning, a Hall of Fame pitcher, have introduced legislation calling for all professional sports to be under the Olympic-testing umbrella, in which first-time offenders are banned for two years.
Renck’s take: Baseball deserves criticism for putting itself in this embarrassing position. The majority of the players want the game cleansed of cheaters. But two things strike me about government intervention – its inference that steroids are more rampant in baseball than football, and the desire for Olympic-esque discipline. Players need to acquiesce to Bud Selig’s three-strikes-and-
you’re-out policy with tougher front- end penalties or leave themselves at the mercy of the government.
