by Frank James
Now that Alex Rodriguez, the biggest demigod in Major League Baseball's pantheon, has admitted to ESPN that he used performance-enhancing drugs between 2001 and 2003, will we see another congressional hearing into the use of steroids in baseball?
Last February, Roger Clemens' appearance on Capitol Hill led to an overcapacity crowd at a House hearing during which the former star pitcher and his one-time trainer Brian McNamee contradicted each over whether McNamee ever injected Clemons with with banned substances, with his former trainer saying yes and the pitcher insisting no.
And while Clemens' star status brought huge attention to the hearing, ARod, with all the celebrity gossip value of his relationship with Madonna, would bring a whole other level of star power if he's called to Capitol Hill to testify.
Last year is was the House Government Oversight and Reform Committee under then chairman Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) which summoned Clemens to the Hill in the wake of the Mitchell Report on the use of steroids in the major leagues. Waxman has moved on to chair the House Commerce and Energy Committee but he could yet call another hearing since with its expansive jurisdiction has an easy claim to overseeing the national past time and Waxman could announce a new hearing as a one-year follow-up to the earlier session.
An ARod hearing could even more useful in terms of sending a message than Clemens' in that Rodriguez is actually owning up to his use of steroids while Clemens never did.
Since Rodriguez is apologizing and chalking up his use of the substances to foolishness, among other things, that's a message Congress might want to give a bigger stage in order to drive home the idea to young athletes steroid-use is not only stupid but potentially dangerous.
Comments
Lying to 60 Minutes is (the same as/worse than/more pitable than) lying to a grand jury.
Posted by: James Cardashery | February 9, 2009 4:07 PM
Arguably the three best players of this generation (Bonds, ARod, Clemens) are now tainted. What a disaster for MLB. And what can MLB do about these records that have fallen? Makes you appreciate guys like Hank Aaron even more, but as of right now, he's second best on the all time HR list, and will probably drop to third in a few years to ARod. I think MLB has to do something about that. The only possible way to even begin comparing great players across generations is through statistics, and they are now completely out of whack thanks to some cheaters and and a league that turned a blind eye to this problem for way too long.
Posted by: Herbie H. | February 9, 2009 4:18 PM
It is well past time to address the issue of these sports prima-Donnas. We have been blasting CEOs and these guys make more to play games. It is no longer a team...it is a set of individual "stars". Case in point is Dallas Cowboys. There problem is that they aren't a team. Just a buch of primadonnas. Tell TO I have 25 million reasons why he is an a hole.
Posted by: bill r. | February 9, 2009 4:19 PM
Great stretch Frank by trying to make this into a political story. Let's stick to politics/ economics/ world events on this blog.
Posted by: Xcellentform | February 9, 2009 4:49 PM
Another example of the craziness in the world that is bringing all of us down. Baseball needs to clean up its own act - with no more taxpayer resources wasted on capitol hill hearings. Wake up people, there are real problems in the world that could use your attention.
Posted by: Trevor | February 9, 2009 5:00 PM
What a week for A-Rod:
☀Joe Torre's book is anything but kind to him and goes public with the moniker "A-Fraud."
☀Photos of gal pal Madonna shows her with her new Brazilian boy toy.
☀The MLB player's union, which should protect its players and to whom Rodriguez refers the media, gives test results, which should have been destroyed and anonymous, to the media. The name "A-Roid" is coined.
Do I feel sorry for him? Naaaaah.
Who are the other 103 on the list?
Posted by: Kenny Bunkport ☯ | February 9, 2009 6:32 PM