I love your no-nonsense take on this Sal - please keep it up!

Smoking IS a lesser activity now, in both senses of the word.

Agree with your take on McGwire, not so sure what you're trying to say with Sosa. At least he showed up and I think, but correct me if i'm wrong, he was asked just because he's a big name and for no other reason. I'm not so sure he deserves his bad rep - although I'm not naive enough to totally discount it either.

Same with Schilling; love the guy - what the hell is he doing at the hearings?

Oh - and this is all a complete waste of time, except that it does crank up the importance level a notch.

And then Arnold pipes up and tells how he used to use them all the time---and never saw any "ill effects" ....

And the fact that they are singling out the biggest most visible "STARS" is totally unfair--are they going to also call the thousands of other "regular" sports professionals using them ???

Why does this SMACK of McCarthyism Hearings ...????????

STOP THE INSANITY! Please Tristan!

Is the American public actually going to pay attention if Joe Regular Guy is at the hearings? McCarthyism? Wasn't that related to communism? This is not a witch hunt and Bud Selig has nobody to blame but himself.

He made this a huge issue by ignoring it for so long. As long as the owners made their money, they did not care where the homeruns came from. Ditto for Mark (crybaby)McGwire,Canseco, Giambi and anyone else who made large contracts from cheating and getting an unfair advantage over the other players.

agree with Richard

Thanks Eric for the support.

One more thing, I also hold the players union leader accountable as well. He is one of many guilty parties that had their hands filled with large dollars for almost ten years and guess what Tristan, the Government was not one of them.

As listed in a previous post on GOVERNMENT REFORM by STONE, the Government has bigger issues to deal with but they will clean this up because they have been forced to by Selig and everyone else's negligence.

As long as performance enhancers, like tobacco, are legal, the player who uses them in pursuit of a multi-million dollar contract is making a financial decision, not a moral one. Baseball's managers and promoters also made a financial decision to look the other way, for the benefit of excitement (read: larger gate) over the increase in player's abilities.

So, yes, the Congressional inquisition is a McCarthyist exercise -- we're "outing" these men deliberately, because the public perception of them as heroes gives them something to lose if they cooperate with that process.

What if the senators had asked McGwire, "Have you stopped beating your wife?" His answer would make perfect sense. Well, that's pretty much what they did ask him.

And McGwire said he wouldn't answer questions and said that he wouldn't name names. I say that's the only right answer to a witch hunt, and damn the bodkin needles of the Committee for Government Reform!

ANOTHER personal attack by richard porter!!!

You just cannot find it in you to simply & calmly discuss anything can you porter?

STOP THE INSANITY!

Looks like the same techniques Hitler and Goebbels used in Nazi Germany~~~
and Senator McCarthy in the communist WITCH HUNTS---
you just think that if you scream loud enogh and disparage your "opponent" enough ---that you will "WIN"~~~~!

Why does it always have to be that way with you porter---you feel that you must "WIN" every time someone doesn't agree with you; why must you make it personal every single time you make a statement that anyone disagrees with??????

Are you seriously trying to tell all of us that unless you are a celebrity or famous----nobody in the United States will listen to a word you say--no matter what?????

Man---if that IS the case here in the United States--it IS time to move!!!!

I seriously do not believe THAT's quite what Washington, Jefferson, Hamilton, Lincoln, and the rest of our past LEADERS had in mind for this country!

Too bad we don't have any Leaders like that anymore---men with courage and heart and honesty that would actually stand up for what they believe in and the people---not little spoiled brat draft evaders that put on a flight suit and stuff socks in their crotch to make it look like thay have a big dick---and spend millions of dollars holding an airvraft carrier on location for their White House press corps to make a stupid staged presentation??? This is a "LEADER" ?????? WoW! We are REALLY in big trouble!

guys, please try to interact on the immediate topics: obviuously you are coming from diametrically opposed philosophical positions, so perhaps taking one specific item at a time might be best

No problem Eric.

Obviously Tristan had too much ORGANIC coffee with SOY today and it is making him jumpy.

Dr Pat~~! YAY~!!!!

I never used to care much for McGwire
until I heard him have the balls to say that to them~~

Exactly right: don't feed into their political bullshit--those running the hearings are just doing everything they can to catch the media spotlight to increase their political worth---just as the sports owners looked the other way to hopefully increase the dollar take at the gates.....
It's all about MONEY.......

GIVE ME DOLLARS OR GIVE ME DEATH !

Great post Sal -- and I largely agree with it.

About Sosa: I heard clips from his testimony on the Stern show this morning and it did seem pretty obvious that he was delving back into his native tongue for protection.

These guys are supposed to be "heroes." But they're coming off more like all-stars for the CYA team.

Richard Porter really can't just shut up without making some personal attack!

Porter---you really exhibit many traits defined in the DSM-4 of having a classic Borderline Personality with severe anti-social pscychotic tendencies.

I'm not joking or being facetious--I work in the psychiatric field.

Have you TRIED therapy? It might make you feel better and not have to live with all this pent-up anger and rage which is going to have to come out somehow; if not through these passive-aggressive posts you do constantly--then it will usually escalate quite rapidly into physical violence.

Please try a therapist--it can't hurt!

(Not as much as the hurt you show so transparently in your attacking constantly on here; people do not attack like that unless they are in "pain" )

You all should know that for YEARS - behind the scenes - baseball has lied to and stonewalled those on the Hill regarding the issue of drugs in baseball.
Furthermore, baseball enjoys an exemption from anti-trust laws and this exemption allows them to profit in a way that would be impossible without this exemption.
And by virtue of this exemption Congress is the de facto "boss" that Selig, Fehr and Company have to answer to ultimately.
So while it may seem that Congress is meddling, they are actually doing something that they need to do.
Blame the union, players and the owners for allowing this mess to get to this level.

Tristan

So now you ara therapist? I think the other day you commented that you were Superman and also the Easter Bunny in a separate comment.

Give me a break about personal attacks. It is funny that on this post and the other one on Government Reform you rant like a madman about pus in milk, vitamins and terrorism. Yet, when I come back and offer FACTS to dent the validity in your statements, you cry like a baby. Oh Richard Porter is evil...Richard Porter is a bad man....

Richard Porter is the one who stuffed facts into the mouth of a pretend quack, or do you just play one on TV?