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Okay so it
has now been over three months since the Mitchell Report and what has changed?
The season opened in Tokyo this week and at this point it seems that the report
was all for nothing. 3 months later the only people who benefited from the
report are bloggers, journalists, and reporters. So what was the point?
Look around baseball and what has changed? There is still no new drug policy
in writing. There is still no HGH testing in baseball. Players named in the
report have played in spring training and in Japan like nothing ever happened.
The only fallout from the entire report seems to be Roger Clemens who was
retired anyway.
Remember the days before and after the report? Nobody could stop talking
about the names and consequences coming out of the report. What was the point of
naming names when guys like Andy Pettite are signing new deals and playing in
spring training like nothing ever happened? The only conclusion that I can draw
from all of this is that Bud Selig is an idiot!
Fans really don’t care if players are juicing, gambling, running around on
their wives, or shooting B-12 into their asses. The hardcore baseball fan who is
keeping score during a game cares. However, those fans aren’t about to give up
their season tickets or tune out because of anything they read in the Mitchell
Report. Casual fans could care less and just want to go have fun at a game. The
only people that cared were the media who profited more from the report than
anyone else.
I read somewhere that Yankee season tickets for the new stadium are selling
in some places for upwards of $800,000. I had to win a lottery to buy tickets to
a Red Sox game here at Citizens Bank Ballpark. I am spending my mornings
watching live baseball games from Japan on ESPN. Has this hurt baseball in the
least? Absolutely not and the players could probably care less more than anyone.
Roger Clemens should be outraged. He is the one and only fallout from the
entire report. Not only has his chances of getting into the Hall of Fame been
blown, but he is facing a possible indictment. His family was dragged into this,
specifically his wife. More so than anything, Clemens legacy is tarnished and he
will never be recognized for his greatness.
What was the fallout for Clemens’ HGH mate Andy Pettite? How about a $16
million contract signed a few days before the report came out? Did Pettite have
to answer questions in front of Congress? No, a press conference was sufficient
for Andy P. Andy simply apologized and moved on. Keep in mind that these two
guys were accused of the same crime. I think it is fair to say that punishments
and losses were a lot worse for one than the other.
So here we sit watching a sport that was exposed for mass drug abuse where
nothing has changed. The rules are the same, players are still playing, and
games are selling out well in advance. Bud Selig exposed his sport and his
players to ridicule and scrutiny for what? The answer is simple. It was all
about absolving himself as much as he can from steroids in baseball. It was a
selfish idea and he should be held accountable for it. Don’t worry Bud, we know
the real deal. The reality of the situation is that you look like a bigger ass
today than you did before the report was released. That is something unlikely to
change.
Source: PhillyBurbs.com
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