MLB: Cross Us and You Will Be Silenced

First it was Scott Van Pelt. Now the venerable Jim Kaat?

Van Pelt was suspended by ESPN after lashing out at Bud Selig last Wednesday, specifically his outlandish salary ($18.5 million annually). 

The price for journalistic freedom? Apparently that would be the remaining four years on the $2.8 billion deal signed by MLB and ESPN for Sunday Night Baseball.

This afternoon on MLB Network Jim Kaat was called into the A-Fraud discussion. Speaking by telephone he stated not only that had he been playing in the "steroid era" that he would probably have used as well, but hit on something I have felt so passionately since this mess was aired on Saturday.  His words: "The arrogance of the Union, the Commissioner and the powers that be...the blame lies with them."

After the panel said their good-bye's they barely so much as discussed his stance other than to touch briefly on the Gene Orza accusations and his own arrogant response to Selena Roberts' report.

Having been glued to the Network throughout they have replayed most of the days discussions and phone conversations with New York media personalities, Texas Rangers former GM's and even owner Tom Hicks.  They have yet to even so much as mention Jim Kaat's name again. Even after Al Leiter and he had considerable dialogue.

MLB.com has his conversation in their video archive but they conveniently edited out his adverse remarks toward MLB itself.

Rather than own up to the shortcomings of the office of MLB, their stance is apparently to quiet all those who challenge it.

It is high time Bud Selig, Donald Fehr and Co. mind what has gotten them to where they are.

"The one constant through all the years has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again."

The game deserves more. The fans deserve answers. America deserves results, not censorship.

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