Thursday, March 10, 2005
Congressional Testimony & Baseball
updated 11 March
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/3455042
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/baseball/mlb/03/09/bc.bbo.steroids/index.html?cnn=yes
why is major league baseball fighting a congressional hearing? are they afraid the game will be tarnished by the truth? what mlb and some others in the media who don't agree with congressional hearings forget is that many true fans of baseball want to make sure they are watching a real game.
again, as if to prove a point, barry bonds who was interviewed a few days ago kept insisting he was an entertainer. sorry mr. bonds but you are not an entertainer, you are a professional athlete who is expected to compete on a level playing field and not be a cheat.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/10/sports/10steroids.html?hp&ex=1110517200&en=8acecdd2df34ef81&ei=5094&partner=homepage
read this article from the ny times if you don't think kids aren't getting involved in steroid use and it isn't ruining their lives.
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/3446114
the above is a recent column/ opinion piece from the sporting news by ken rosenthal regarding the upcoming congressional testimony baseball players will be asked to give, i disagreed with mr. rosenthal's outlook on congress calling the players to the hill. below is a letter i wrote to him regarding his column via email.
mr. rosenthal,
hello, i hope you are well.
please know that i enjoy your writing and agree with you frequently but i feel compelled to write to you about your recent column that i don't agree with.
is it possible that you are over reacting to the players being told to testify?
do you even know what they are going to be asked? have they been accused of anything by congress personally other than being asked to give testimony?
to compare these players being called to the hill to testify to the communist witch hunts indicates imo that you don't have a firm grasp of history or either over emphasis the importance of the issue at hand - the use of steroids in baseball.
the mccarthy period in america was a tad more menacing and a bit more important than the steroid issue wasn't it? now let's reflect for a second on the steroids issue, it is about cheating. it is about effecting the outcome of ball games in an unfair way. it is also about making sure (if it is possible) that athletes start to get the message that using enhancing performance drugs not only causes the players and their games harm, but is clearly a bad guide for young athletes to copy.
it is an issue congress should be involved in because its implications will effect the way sport is played in america and the rest of the world. it is getting news coverage world wide.
all of the gentlemen called to the hill will be able to offer their insight into the issue. did you ever think that it will also give them the ability to clear their names from the scandal as well? won't they be able to say at some point during the hearing if asked if they ever took steroids to say no they hadn't?
congress should work to make sure sporting fans are getting a clean game. utopia? perhaps, but it should make clear to baseball, which seems to be unable to police themselves, that cheating is not tolerated and that allowing performance enhancing drugs serves as a bad model for young athletes. if congress or baseball fails to understand the severity of the steroids issue and allow all players to be suspect because of the harm that some players have brought upon the game by using these substances what differentiates major league baseball from professional wrestling? if cheating is made acceptable than we are no longer watching sport, but merely entertainment.
thank you......
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/3455042
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/baseball/mlb/03/09/bc.bbo.steroids/index.html?cnn=yes
why is major league baseball fighting a congressional hearing? are they afraid the game will be tarnished by the truth? what mlb and some others in the media who don't agree with congressional hearings forget is that many true fans of baseball want to make sure they are watching a real game.
again, as if to prove a point, barry bonds who was interviewed a few days ago kept insisting he was an entertainer. sorry mr. bonds but you are not an entertainer, you are a professional athlete who is expected to compete on a level playing field and not be a cheat.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/10/sports/10steroids.html?hp&ex=1110517200&en=8acecdd2df34ef81&ei=5094&partner=homepage
read this article from the ny times if you don't think kids aren't getting involved in steroid use and it isn't ruining their lives.
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/3446114
the above is a recent column/ opinion piece from the sporting news by ken rosenthal regarding the upcoming congressional testimony baseball players will be asked to give, i disagreed with mr. rosenthal's outlook on congress calling the players to the hill. below is a letter i wrote to him regarding his column via email.
mr. rosenthal,
hello, i hope you are well.
please know that i enjoy your writing and agree with you frequently but i feel compelled to write to you about your recent column that i don't agree with.
is it possible that you are over reacting to the players being told to testify?
do you even know what they are going to be asked? have they been accused of anything by congress personally other than being asked to give testimony?
to compare these players being called to the hill to testify to the communist witch hunts indicates imo that you don't have a firm grasp of history or either over emphasis the importance of the issue at hand - the use of steroids in baseball.
the mccarthy period in america was a tad more menacing and a bit more important than the steroid issue wasn't it? now let's reflect for a second on the steroids issue, it is about cheating. it is about effecting the outcome of ball games in an unfair way. it is also about making sure (if it is possible) that athletes start to get the message that using enhancing performance drugs not only causes the players and their games harm, but is clearly a bad guide for young athletes to copy.
it is an issue congress should be involved in because its implications will effect the way sport is played in america and the rest of the world. it is getting news coverage world wide.
all of the gentlemen called to the hill will be able to offer their insight into the issue. did you ever think that it will also give them the ability to clear their names from the scandal as well? won't they be able to say at some point during the hearing if asked if they ever took steroids to say no they hadn't?
congress should work to make sure sporting fans are getting a clean game. utopia? perhaps, but it should make clear to baseball, which seems to be unable to police themselves, that cheating is not tolerated and that allowing performance enhancing drugs serves as a bad model for young athletes. if congress or baseball fails to understand the severity of the steroids issue and allow all players to be suspect because of the harm that some players have brought upon the game by using these substances what differentiates major league baseball from professional wrestling? if cheating is made acceptable than we are no longer watching sport, but merely entertainment.
thank you......
// posted by Zevchi @ 9:05 AM 
