As a beginning note to this article, I'd just like to say I could write for days about this topic. This is just a brief overview of why I can't blame those named in the Mitchell Report more than the Commissioner of Baseball, Bud Selig.
It was a sad day watching Roger Clemens sit before a Congressional committee and denying allegation after allegation and defending attack after attack on his name being reported in Senator Mitchell's report of steroids in baseball.
What might have been even sadder is watching a man in San Francisco named Barry Bonds achieve baseball immortality in breaking the single greatest record in all of sports under scrutiny of his alleged steroid use. (Let's keep in mind I cannot stand Barry Bonds as a person, but let's be honest... It's a little sad.) What should have been the happiest moment in any man's life cannot be enjoyed to the fullest extent because of the fact that a homerun ball that should rest on a pillow in Cooperstown, instead rests in a publicity hungry kid's hands with a giant asterisk imprinted on it.
Perhaps the icing on the cake here is that neither Clemens nor Bonds should make a Major League squad this year because they could be cell mates by June.
The question that I arise, however, is not "why did they do it?" if they're guilty, but rather "who is responsible for why they did it?" While if you truly look into it, the answer could be us, I'm choosing to blame the Commissioner of Major League Baseball himself, Mr. Allan Huber "Bud" Selig.
From the moment Selig began as the Commissioner of Baseball in 1992 (unofficial until 1994) he faced obstacles. Former Commissioner of Major League Baseball, Fay Vincent (who was ran out of the position by baseball ownership in 1992), holds Selig responsible for a baseball collusion incident in 1992 in which Vincent was quoted as saying, "The Union basically doesn’t trust the Ownership because collusion was a $280 million theft by Bud Selig and Jerry Reinsdorf of that money from the players. I mean, they rigged the signing of free agents. They got caught. They paid $280 million to the players. And I think that’s polluted labor relations in baseball ever since it happened. I think it’s the reason [Donald] Fehr has no trust in Selig."
Perhaps it was this distrust that led to the 1994 Major League Baseball strike. While the strike could turn into a five page book report, ultimately it was about salary, benefits, salary arbitration, and free agency issues between the Players Union and baseball ownership.
Whether it was an owner's proposal, efforts by Selig, or a demand by President Bill Clinton, the two sides could not reach an agreement. The strike would last from August 12, 1994 until April 2, 1995 (a day before the season was supposed to start). It was nothing short of a disaster for baseball.
3 comments Last one added about 1 year ago — Leave a Comment
Anonymous about 1 year ago
Blaming Selig is fine--Selig IS responsible, within his own sphere--but to paint Bonds and Clemens as "victims" is absurd. They are absolutely not victims in any sense of the word. Every element of their downfall and disgrace has been of their own making, and richly earned.
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Tom McCartney about 1 year ago
thats fine for you to feel that way, i can't say i completely disagree with you. sure they opted to do what they did, but a lot of people like to overlook Selig's role and negligence in all of this. while i do think what Clemens and Bonds did is wrong (if they did), i can't say i completely blame them. it's a tempting option, and if no one was getting busted at the time... why not? selig should have put the foot down long before he did
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Abner Lope about 1 year ago
No doubt that Selig (and others) turned a blind eye to the use of HGH and steroids. Homeruns/power hitting and power pitching bring people to the park and money talks louder than anything in many circles. Was baseball in trouble after the strike? Sure, there was declined attendance; but I do not think for a second that the game was in jeopardy of disappearing. It was in jeopardy of losing profits.
So yes, Mr. Selig and a host of other MLB officials are partially to blame. But I don't believe anyone can say that the commisioner or the owners "made" anyone take HGH or steroids. That was and always will be their free choice. Junior still hit well; Maddux still pitched well. Other players played well in that time; they just didn't break any notable records. Paying fans tend to admire raw power more than consistency; Bonds and Clemens thought they would provide it and cash in on it at the same time. It must have looked like a win-win situation to them. Ultimately, only basball's integrity took a hit.
According to a certain book, jealousy over McGwire's celebrity status is what drove Bonds to steroids and HGH. Jealousy of adoration drove Barry; I dare say that Clemens was probably just trying to keep his place on the Jays' staff when he started using. Either way, these players all had choices to make- and the commish did not make them for either one.
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