So many well-meaing posters here and other places come on with grand announcements that baseball should ban players who test positive, remove records of those who test positive, etc., etc. They make it sound like all it takes is an announcement by Bug Selig, and it is done.
When Selig feels like he has to say something and announces he'll look into suspending A-Rod, even he knows how ridiculous that sounds. He says the possibility is unlikely IN THE SAME ANNOUNCEMENT. But at least he's saying what he feels should happen.
Anything and everything regarding steroids and testing has to be collecively bargained with the union. That's how it works. In the 90's, if the league brought up steroids during contract talks, the union packed their bags and left the room. The MLBPA was dragged into any kind of steroid testing kicking and screaming, and apparently Gene Orza was tipping off players, telling them when their test would be back in the early 00's, in the hope that not enough players would test positive, and testing of any kind would go away.
So now in 2009, as past transgressions are coming to light one by one (and there are at least 103 more transgressions to come to light, if not thousands), the MLBPA still has no interest in further testing or stricter penalties. None. As constituted now, the union will never bargain that into an agreement. Ever. So everyone can stop with baseball needs to this or baseball needs to do that. They can't do it. Not by themselves, anyway.
But there is hope. Assuming in theory there are more players are NOT using PED's than those who are, it can be argued the union is not acting in the best interest of it's union members. Protecting those who cheat hurts their union members who don't cheat, or worse, encourages them to cheat.
I would like to think the players who don't cheat are pretty sick and tired of watching those who do cheat achieve more fame and fortune, and for a longer period of time, than they would have if they hadn't cheated. Roy Oswalt pretty much came out and said that this week, specifically saying A-Rod going 3 for 5 against him in his lifetime may have cost him money. It's a stretch, but it's a valid point.
But the real point is that there are hundreds of A-Rod's, people who are achieving more than they would if they didn't cheat. Let's for the sake of argument say Oswalt is telling the truth and he's never cheated. It's impossible to believe anything anymore, and nobody would even be surprised if the least likely players of all are one day revealed to be cheaters. I don't care what they look like, everyone is a suspect in my eyes. After Rafael Palmeiro waved his finger at congress then tested positive, I don't believe anyone anymore.
But let's say Oswalt doesn't cheat. Instead of coming out and saying A-Rod should be treated this way or that way, he should go to HIS UNION and demand they do more to find out who is cheating and who isn't. Tell his union they should allow the best testing possible, whether that's Olympics-style testing, or whatever is the best testing available right now. And if you can't test for HGH right now, even with a blood test, allow the blood to be stored any impartial way the union wants, so that if and when a test is developed, the blood can be tested at that point.
Stop with the bluster, Roy, and start dong something to effect real change. And bring all of your non-cheating union members with you. Maybe you've done this behind closed doors already, I don't know. If you did, that's not working. The union is as steadfast as ever in it's defiance to more testing and the lifetime bans we talk about.
So go public with your opinions. Tell everyone you want more testing. What do you care? You won't test positive. And recruit all of your 'clean' baseball playing brethren with you. Make your voices known. Tell everyone you want the game cleaned up.
If Orza and Fehr don't go along with you, lobby for a change at the top of the union. Get someone in who is truly working for all of the players, not just the dirty ones. It's been done in sports before, a number of times. These guys aren't kings for life, they have to be voted in again and again. Stop voting them in.
Stop complaining, Roy (and all the other clean players), and do what's right.
Sandra
When Selig feels like he has to say something and announces he'll look into suspending A-Rod, even he knows how ridiculous that sounds. He says the possibility is unlikely IN THE SAME ANNOUNCEMENT. But at least he's saying what he feels should happen.
Anything and everything regarding steroids and testing has to be collecively bargained with the union. That's how it works. In the 90's, if the league brought up steroids during contract talks, the union packed their bags and left the room. The MLBPA was dragged into any kind of steroid testing kicking and screaming, and apparently Gene Orza was tipping off players, telling them when their test would be back in the early 00's, in the hope that not enough players would test positive, and testing of any kind would go away.
So now in 2009, as past transgressions are coming to light one by one (and there are at least 103 more transgressions to come to light, if not thousands), the MLBPA still has no interest in further testing or stricter penalties. None. As constituted now, the union will never bargain that into an agreement. Ever. So everyone can stop with baseball needs to this or baseball needs to do that. They can't do it. Not by themselves, anyway.
But there is hope. Assuming in theory there are more players are NOT using PED's than those who are, it can be argued the union is not acting in the best interest of it's union members. Protecting those who cheat hurts their union members who don't cheat, or worse, encourages them to cheat.
I would like to think the players who don't cheat are pretty sick and tired of watching those who do cheat achieve more fame and fortune, and for a longer period of time, than they would have if they hadn't cheated. Roy Oswalt pretty much came out and said that this week, specifically saying A-Rod going 3 for 5 against him in his lifetime may have cost him money. It's a stretch, but it's a valid point.
But the real point is that there are hundreds of A-Rod's, people who are achieving more than they would if they didn't cheat. Let's for the sake of argument say Oswalt is telling the truth and he's never cheated. It's impossible to believe anything anymore, and nobody would even be surprised if the least likely players of all are one day revealed to be cheaters. I don't care what they look like, everyone is a suspect in my eyes. After Rafael Palmeiro waved his finger at congress then tested positive, I don't believe anyone anymore.
But let's say Oswalt doesn't cheat. Instead of coming out and saying A-Rod should be treated this way or that way, he should go to HIS UNION and demand they do more to find out who is cheating and who isn't. Tell his union they should allow the best testing possible, whether that's Olympics-style testing, or whatever is the best testing available right now. And if you can't test for HGH right now, even with a blood test, allow the blood to be stored any impartial way the union wants, so that if and when a test is developed, the blood can be tested at that point.
Stop with the bluster, Roy, and start dong something to effect real change. And bring all of your non-cheating union members with you. Maybe you've done this behind closed doors already, I don't know. If you did, that's not working. The union is as steadfast as ever in it's defiance to more testing and the lifetime bans we talk about.
So go public with your opinions. Tell everyone you want more testing. What do you care? You won't test positive. And recruit all of your 'clean' baseball playing brethren with you. Make your voices known. Tell everyone you want the game cleaned up.
If Orza and Fehr don't go along with you, lobby for a change at the top of the union. Get someone in who is truly working for all of the players, not just the dirty ones. It's been done in sports before, a number of times. These guys aren't kings for life, they have to be voted in again and again. Stop voting them in.
Stop complaining, Roy (and all the other clean players), and do what's right.
Sandra
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