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I like Dan O'Neill's coulumn in today's PD, concerning the clout this jackass has on the players he represents. IMO, it's time to bust this union.
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Players should hide their Fehr
By Dan O'Neill
03/14/2004
Players should hide their Fehr
JUPITER, Fla. - Seems as if everyone is weighing in on steroids now, everyone except those who should be weighing in.
President George W. Bush made performance enhancement part of his state of the union address. More recently, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and a legislative lynch mob jumped in, ripping major league baseball's Sta-Puft solution to policing the problem, threatening to take matters into their own hands.
Steroids not only pump you up, they pump up the ballot box. In the midst of an election year, anabolic supplements have become weapons of mass destruction. What better way to impress your constituents than by defending the honor of our national pastime. Never mind that the threats from these senatorial blowfish are as hollow as Sammy Sosa's practice bat.
Players union chief Donald Fehr has no fear. The union is the No. 1 seed in any courtroom docket. Fehr does not "re-visit" agreements, he reaffirms them.
Earlier in the week, Reggie Jackson stepped to the place. Since he quit playing, Mr. October is most dangerous in March, when he is hanging around the Yankees' facility in Tampa with time on his hands. The proud owner of 563 career home runs, Jackson went deep with several remarks, all but calling out those who have distorted the power standards in recent seasons.
"Somebody is definitely guilty of taking steroids," Jackson told the Atlanta Journal Constitution. "You can't be breaking records hitting 200 home runs in three or four seasons. The greatest hitters in the history of the game didn't do that."
"Henry Aaron never hit 50 in a season, and you're going to tell me you're a better hitter than Henry Aaron? Bonds hit 73 and he would have hit 100 if they had pitched to him. I mean, c'mon now, there is no way you can outperform Aaron and Ruth and Mays at that level."
The next thing you know, we'll be hearing from Rev. Jesse Jackson. Rev. Jerry Falwell must be waiting in the on-deck circle. Maybe Jane Fonda will chime in. And a conglomerate of rock stars will put together a concert to raise money for the victims of steroid abuse: "We are the world, we are the children, We are the ones who make a brighter day, so let's stop cheating ...
But those who should be most outraged are taking it in stride. Those who are truly empowered to pull the plug, the players, are responding to the situation only if asked. They might express some umbrage, talk about clearing their names, suggest testing should be done. They might even go off on a tangent, like Houston's Jeff Kent, who actually suggested Babe Ruth might have used steroids.
Makes sense. The Great Bambinoid, the Sultan of Synthetics was on that steroid that allows you to hit a ball farther while looking like Jackie Gleason.
In the end, the players listen to Fehr and stay the course. They wish the discussion would go away. They want the focus to be on the field, on balls and strikes, hits and errors. But they listen and stay the course.
Fehr's reaction to Washington was to barnstorm spring training this week and reassure the troops. After the Cardinals met with Fehr on Friday, Cardinals pitcher Jason Simontacchi said: "They reiterated the plan that we agreed on. They reiterated about the policy that is in place right now and that we're going to just go through with it and trust it."
As competitive as these athletes are, how do they accept such a thing? If it is true only a small percentage of players are using drugs illegally to enhance their chances, the majority of them should be knocking down Fehr's door, demanding a more pro-active program. How is the union representing their interests if it allows their names to be soiled by a few?
The players are victims here, not innocent bystanders. Those who are cheating are compromising the competition, using an unfair advantage and stealing bread off the tables of those who aren't cheating. As prideful as these players are, how can they allow their integrity to be a question of litigation?
The game they love and honor has been violated and its innocence can never be recaptured. Whether individual suspects are guilty or not, the association has been made, the damage has been done, and nothing is being done toward restoration. The home run totals and swollen ERAs of recent years carry a chemical stench. The inflated figures have robbed the graves of baseball legends and fleeced the game of its virtue and authenticity.
That's not a "let's ride this thing out" kind of thing. Players, more than anyone, should be mad as hell and not willing to take it anymore. They should be leading the charge to clean up this mess.
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 314-340-8186
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Players should hide their Fehr
By Dan O'Neill
03/14/2004
Players should hide their Fehr
JUPITER, Fla. - Seems as if everyone is weighing in on steroids now, everyone except those who should be weighing in.
President George W. Bush made performance enhancement part of his state of the union address. More recently, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and a legislative lynch mob jumped in, ripping major league baseball's Sta-Puft solution to policing the problem, threatening to take matters into their own hands.
Steroids not only pump you up, they pump up the ballot box. In the midst of an election year, anabolic supplements have become weapons of mass destruction. What better way to impress your constituents than by defending the honor of our national pastime. Never mind that the threats from these senatorial blowfish are as hollow as Sammy Sosa's practice bat.
Players union chief Donald Fehr has no fear. The union is the No. 1 seed in any courtroom docket. Fehr does not "re-visit" agreements, he reaffirms them.
Earlier in the week, Reggie Jackson stepped to the place. Since he quit playing, Mr. October is most dangerous in March, when he is hanging around the Yankees' facility in Tampa with time on his hands. The proud owner of 563 career home runs, Jackson went deep with several remarks, all but calling out those who have distorted the power standards in recent seasons.
"Somebody is definitely guilty of taking steroids," Jackson told the Atlanta Journal Constitution. "You can't be breaking records hitting 200 home runs in three or four seasons. The greatest hitters in the history of the game didn't do that."
"Henry Aaron never hit 50 in a season, and you're going to tell me you're a better hitter than Henry Aaron? Bonds hit 73 and he would have hit 100 if they had pitched to him. I mean, c'mon now, there is no way you can outperform Aaron and Ruth and Mays at that level."
The next thing you know, we'll be hearing from Rev. Jesse Jackson. Rev. Jerry Falwell must be waiting in the on-deck circle. Maybe Jane Fonda will chime in. And a conglomerate of rock stars will put together a concert to raise money for the victims of steroid abuse: "We are the world, we are the children, We are the ones who make a brighter day, so let's stop cheating ...
But those who should be most outraged are taking it in stride. Those who are truly empowered to pull the plug, the players, are responding to the situation only if asked. They might express some umbrage, talk about clearing their names, suggest testing should be done. They might even go off on a tangent, like Houston's Jeff Kent, who actually suggested Babe Ruth might have used steroids.
Makes sense. The Great Bambinoid, the Sultan of Synthetics was on that steroid that allows you to hit a ball farther while looking like Jackie Gleason.
In the end, the players listen to Fehr and stay the course. They wish the discussion would go away. They want the focus to be on the field, on balls and strikes, hits and errors. But they listen and stay the course.
Fehr's reaction to Washington was to barnstorm spring training this week and reassure the troops. After the Cardinals met with Fehr on Friday, Cardinals pitcher Jason Simontacchi said: "They reiterated the plan that we agreed on. They reiterated about the policy that is in place right now and that we're going to just go through with it and trust it."
As competitive as these athletes are, how do they accept such a thing? If it is true only a small percentage of players are using drugs illegally to enhance their chances, the majority of them should be knocking down Fehr's door, demanding a more pro-active program. How is the union representing their interests if it allows their names to be soiled by a few?
The players are victims here, not innocent bystanders. Those who are cheating are compromising the competition, using an unfair advantage and stealing bread off the tables of those who aren't cheating. As prideful as these players are, how can they allow their integrity to be a question of litigation?
The game they love and honor has been violated and its innocence can never be recaptured. Whether individual suspects are guilty or not, the association has been made, the damage has been done, and nothing is being done toward restoration. The home run totals and swollen ERAs of recent years carry a chemical stench. The inflated figures have robbed the graves of baseball legends and fleeced the game of its virtue and authenticity.
That's not a "let's ride this thing out" kind of thing. Players, more than anyone, should be mad as hell and not willing to take it anymore. They should be leading the charge to clean up this mess.
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 314-340-8186
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