Q: What's the Worst Behavior on Capitol Hill Over the Past Two Decades?

Answer: Would you believe testimony from baseball players?

Former Senate Majority leader George Mitchell has completed his 20-month investigation into steroids in baseball, and will present the findings tomorrow. Depending on the source, the report will name "about 50" or "60-80" current and former players.

Will this report—coming as it does after the federal indictment of pariah Barry Bonds, and after the Major League Baseball Players Association has twice agreed (under congressional pressure) to strengthen steroid penalties—finally satiate anti-drug crusaders at the, uh, House Committee on Government Reform? Don't count on it.

Rep. [Christopher] Shays smiles thinking back on the likes of Mark McGwire and Rafael Palmeiro parading before the House Committee on Government Reform—the sense of entitlement they carried on their broad shoulders, the way they dismissed allegations of widespread steroid use in the game, even though committee members suspected otherwise.

"Let me just say that they were deceitful," Shays, a Republican, said of the collective baseball group. "They weren't cooperative. And they were arrogant. And they were like, 'How dare you question us,' kind of attitude. And I want you to know I don't take offense at that. There are certain things as a member of Congress I don't like. But personally, I was just stunned by it because I haven't see worse behavior in anyone in my 20 years in public life in Congress." […]

"You would hope that they would be able to police their own sport," said Rep. Stephen F. Lynch, D-Mass. "That remains to be seen. So if it discourages greatly, steroid use, then we should consider that a success. However if it is less than effective against steroid use in baseball then I think we have no other option than for Congress to take action under the Controlled Substance Act.["]

The backbone of Mitchell's report is information gleaned from former New York Mets clubhouse attendant Kirk Radomski, whose punishment for steroid distribution was lessened by the feds in exchange for him sharing information with baseball's investigators. ESPN.com's Howard Bryant has thrown several buckets of pre-emptive cold water on the probe, including anonymous quotes from terrified clubhouse trainers who say they were pressured to testify (on threats of $100,000 reprisals) about who they guessed might be on the juice.

"They wanted us to speculate. And I wouldn't do that. They wanted me to say who I thought was using steroids. And when I said, 'I don't know,' they would say, 'Well, you work most closely with these guys. You work on their bodies every day. You weren't the least bit suspicious when you saw their bodies change?'

"This was the kind of stuff I was most afraid of, because they didn't ask me about specific people with specific information that they had. They asked me to guess. I said my guess was no guess at all, because what would happen to me if I said a guy was using steroids who wasn't? What if I guessed wrong?["]

Comments

[Ramon Rozas III]

How in the heck is steroids in baseball Congress’ problem?

[robc]

If all he got is 60-80, he did a piss poor job. It is George Mitchell though, so I guess that should be expected. The first year baseball did steroid testing, when there were no penalties and all tests were anonymous, 100+ players tested positive. That was one season. Mitchell found 60-80 from what, about a decade?

[J sub D]

How in the heck is steroids in baseball Congress’ problem?

They’re just gearing up for the next big investigative coup. Rumor has it that musicians sometimes use illegal drugs as well. They’re going to make the roadies testify.

[Fluffy]

I also don’t understand this “If you can’t police your own sport…” threat nonsense.

My response would be: Go ahead and try to police it. Knock yourselves out. Good luck getting probable cause to test any of these guys. You’ve been chasing Barry Bonds for years. Have fun embarking on a similar quest to get these guys one at a time.

Every last member of the player’s association still has 4th Amendment rights and could certainly get a lawyer. Without the league to do the drug testing dirty work the Congress would have jack shit. They wouldn’t be able to test ANYONE if they decided to “police” the game themselves.

[Russ 2000]

Sounds like lawyers trying to drum up business. Lawsuits o’plenty.

The ultra-cynic in me thinks this is the latest tactic in trying to bust the players’ union.

[Aresen]

Q: What’s the Worst Behavior on Capitol Hill Over the Past Two Decades?

A: The Outstanding Public Debt as of 12 Dec 2007 at 06:20:06 PM GMT is: $9,170,737,316,146.42.*

No Contest.

[Matt Welch]

The ultra-cynic in me thinks this is the latest tactic in trying to bust the players’ union.

Well, they can’t bust it, but for sure the Congress-Selig one-two punch — which includes Selig forming a political PAC that has spent $500,000 on Capitol Hill — is aimed squarely at painting the union as the obstacle & getting players to agree to ever-more invasive testing & ever-more harsh penalties.

[too many steves]

The Crucible.

[Matthew]

On the plus side for the players, at least they can afford to get some quality representation.

[Dave T]

OK I think it’s time for the public to hold hearings about the worst behaviors of congress. Somehow I suspect that we would get the same arrogant attitude of “how dare you question us” from them.

Uncooperative and deceitful would probably be the kindest of adjectives we could use on them.

[J sub D]

…Selig forming a political PAC that has spent $500,000 on Capitol Hill —

[sputtering] But, but, but…Didn’t the McCain Feingold Campaign Finance Reform Incumbent Protection Act take all of the special interest money out of politics? I’m sooo confused.

[ed]

Congress looks at baseball the same way they look at the broadcasting industry. They consider it “a public asset” that owes the public something more than just entertainment. Baseball is “the national pasttime” and therefore–by their reasoning–owes its existence to their continued good will. Not that Congress ordinarily resorts to overt threats…let’s just say it would be a shame if something were to “happen” to your little sport.

[Troy]

I don’t see dicking around with baseball as one of the enumerated powers of congress in, I believe, Article I, Section 8.
They hit a fucking ball for a living. This is a game. This is a game, if ratings are any indication, fewer and fewer people give a shit about.
Like J sub D suggested above, I can’t wait to see the drugs in Rock and Roll. That would be a hoot.

[Aresen]

Fluffy | December 12, 2007, 1:08pm | #

I also don’t understand this “If you can’t police your own sport…” threat nonsense.

My response would be: Go ahead and try to police it.

IMPEACH THE UMPIRE!

[John]

What a joke. First, there are only between 60 and 80 players mentioned. If only 60 or 80 major league baseball players ever shot up on roids during the 1990s, I am a career .300 hitter with a strong throwing arm. When they tested in 2003 without the threat of suspension something like 100 out of 1400 tested positive. That was after they knew they were going to be tested and only one year. How many decided to quit and not get on the list?

The other issue of course is I doubt Mitchel, since he is being paid by the owners, was too interested in finding what the owners knew and when they knew it. Of course the owners couldn’t get enough of steroids when roids were turning forgetable players like Mark Mcguier, Sammy Sosa, Brady Anderson, Curt Caminetti, Matt Williams and Louis Gonzalez, just to name a few, into homerun hitting machines that sold tickets and raised TV rating. Then when the gig was up, like cop Casablanca, acted “Shocked” at the prospect of players using roids. The owners and the players each were just as responsible. They lied to their fans and pissed away one of the greatest assets of baseball, meaningful records. Now they hire George Mitchel to do a bag job and put the blame of fifty or so fall guys. Great.

[jkp]

“I haven’t see worse behavior in anyone in my 20 years in public life in Congress.”

How quickly everyone forgets Cynthia McKinney!

[me]

Rep. [Christopher] Shays smiles thinking back on the likes of Mark McGwire and Rafael Palmeiro parading before the House Committee on Government Reform — the sense of entitlement they carried on their broad shoulders, the way they dismissed allegations of widespread steroid use in the game, even though committee members suspected otherwise.

I think the single most disgusting part of the narrative presented here is how Congress is the underdog. And really, why is the entire country not breaking down into laughter and/or tears at this investigation being done by the House Committee for Government Reform? It’s rather surreal.

[J sub D]

“I haven’t see worse behavior in anyone in my 20 years in public life in Congress.”

How quickly everyone forgets Cynthia McKinney!

How quickly everyone forgets Terry Schiavo.

[John]

“the sense of entitlement they carried on their broad shoulders..” Yeah because you never see that in Congress. Is it possible that Congress is the one institution that can actually make Mcguier and company look sympathetic by comparison?

[prolefeed]

How in the heck is steroids in baseball Congress’ problem?

It’s clearly Congress’ job ever since they repealed the Tenth Amendment, fired the MLB Commissioner, and …

[P Brooks]

They need to wrap this investigation up so they can get to *important* business, like the the panty shortage in Hollywood.

[sixstring]

How quickly everyone forgets Cynthia McKinney!

Somewhat ironic piece of trivia –Shays holds Stewart McKinney’s old House seat.

[Your Good Buddy Johnny Clarke]

Hate to break it to congress, but if we’re counting noses, the Superbowl routinely has double the viewership of the World Series, so I’d say football is “the national past-time”. Besides, baseball is boring as hell.

So, anyone think football players might be doing steroids?

[J sub D]

Besides, baseball is boring as hell.

Baseball is only boring to small minds. 😉

So, anyone think football players might be doing steroids?

300 lb linemen are average nowadays. A generation ago, 240-260 lbs.

[LarryA]

A: The Outstanding Public Debt as of 12 Dec 2007 at 06:20:06 PM GMT is: $9,170,737,316,146.42.* No Contest.

Well, there was the whole underage pages thing.

How quickly everyone forgets Cynthia McKinney!
How quickly everyone forgets Terry Schiavo.

How quickly everyone forgets [name any congressman]

Rep. [Christopher] Shays smiles thinking back on the likes of Mark McGwire and Rafael Palmeiro parading before the House Committee on Government Reform — the sense of entitlement they carried on their broad shoulders,

My God. You’d think they were citizens or something, speaking to public servants.

This gives “contempt of Congress” a whole new meaning.

[John]

J Sub D,

It is now routine for the big high schools in Texas to have offensive lineman over 300 lbs. How the heck you can get multiple kids who weigh over 300 lbs before their 18th birthday without roids is beyond me. If there is a steroid scandle in this country it is at the high school level.

[peachy]

Mitchell is also a member of the Boston front office, which creates a fairly massive conflict-of-interest.

[ed]

Football has better TV ratings because it appeals to a larger knuckle-dragging demographic with a shorter attention span.

[Big Jesus]

“‘Well, you work most closely with these guys. You work on their bodies every day.”

Did they let Larry Craig ask the questions?

[Larry Edelstein]

I live in that small portion of San Francisco that’s part of CA’s 12th Congressional district, represented by Tom Lantos, for whom I’ve voted for years.

Not anymore. I can’t believe he spends his time and our money on crap like federal oversight of professional sports. I love professional sports. We don’t need Congress to spend time overseeing them.

[R C Dean]

How the heck you can get multiple kids who weigh over 300 lbs before their 18th birthday without roids is beyond me.

I’ve noticed that myself. A lot of them are pretty tall (over 6′), but most of them aren’t 300 pounds of bone and muscle, either.

None of this is to deny that high school kids use steroids, of course. You dam betcha they do.

[excrementalist]

I’m thinkin weekly drug screens for congress and pre vote breathalyzers on the house and senate floors

[J sub D]

If there is a steroid scandle in this country it is at the high school level.

Surely you’re no suggesting that HS coaches would turn a blind eye to self destructive habits of their charges just to win football games? In Texas?

[Aresen]

John | December 12, 2007, 2:53pm | #

J Sub D,

It is now routine for the big high schools in Texas to have offensive lineman over 300 lbs. How the heck you can get multiple kids who weigh over 300 lbs before their 18th birthday without roids is beyond me. If there is a steroid scandle in this country it is at the high school level.

Well, ya see, UofT Agricultural College had all this left over bull semen…

[crimethink]

“Let me just say that they were deceitful,” Shays, a Republican, said of the collective baseball group. “They weren’t cooperative. And they were arrogant. And they were like, ‘How dare you question us,’ kind of attitude.

Is he talking about the players, or Congress?

[ian]

damn….i used to like shays

[Big Nanny]

“They need to wrap this investigation up so they can get to *important* business, like the the panty shortage in Hollywood.”

I kinda like the panty shortage.

[lunchstealer]

Is there any word on the number of communists in major league baseball?

Although this being the ’00s, I suppose we should be looking for card-carrying islamofascists.

[Bulucanagria]

Football gets better ratings because their games are limited to one, maybe two days a week. Interest requires a much smaller attention span. Likewise, football has playoff games as opposed to playoff series, again requiring less commitment to root for. It’s simply easier to be a football fan than a baseball fan (As a lifelong Red Sox & Patriots fan, I can testify to the truth of that. Granted, the Pats really stunk up the place for a long time and were hard to watch but the Sox, Oh Lord! could they give you ulcers! Still do.)
As for steroids, who cares! Every substance ever ingested by every athlete has had an effect on his performance. What about protein shakes? Are you gonna ban those since they help you grow big and strong. What about cortisone? They shoot that stuff into big leaguers like mad. Performance-enhancing? Well, if there’s no cortisone, there’s no performance, what do you think? It’s all more righteous indignation by the government, media and the pussies of America

[Pete]

Uhm…if this taking of steroids is so bad, and so taints the game, shouldn’t baseball pay back to state and local governments the money it got for stadiums?

Seems to me those governments have a great case for massive fraud and extortion racket.

Perhaps congress can step in, set punishing fines and give the money back to those governments.

After the legals costs are paid, of course.

[zig zag man]

I vote for drug parity in all sports. Lyle Alzado, Lawrence Taylor, Mark McGwire, what’s not to like?

Let the athletes take the risks and reap the rewards. They already pay a substantial physical price to be able to compete. The physical punishment most NFL players take in their careers affects them about 20 years later.