In the last 57 years, what have we really learned? Not much by yesterdays new conference. In 1950, Senator Joe McCarthy became the most visible public face of a period of extreme anti-communist suspicion inspired by the tensions of the Cold War. In 2007, former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell wrote in his much-anticipated report on performance-enhancing drugs inspired by political bullshit! McCarthy said, "can there be anyonehere tonight who is so blind as to say that the war is not on? Can there be anyone who fails to realize that the communist world has said, "The time is now" -- that this is the time for the showdown between the democratic Christian world and the communist atheistic world? Unless we face this fact, we shall pay the price that must be paid by those who wait too long." Mitchell said, ""The illegal use of performance-enhancing substances poses a serious threat to the integrity of the game. Widespread use by players of such substances unfairly disadvantages the honest athletes who refuse to use them and raises questions about the validity of baseball records."
Those who have illegally used these substances range from players whose major league careers were brief to potential members of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Barry Bonds showed up more often. So did Jose Canseco. Andy Pettitte, Eric Gagne and Miguel Tejada also became part of baseball's most infamous lineup since the 1919 Black Sox scandal. I'm surprised that Mitchell didn't make claims that there were large numbers of Communists and Soviet spies and sympathizers inside the MLB and elsewhere. Ultimately, McCarthy's tactics and his inability to substantiate his claims led to his being discredited and censured by the United States Senate. If any of Mitchell's accusation are found to be false, what can happen to him. Not a friggin' thing.
The term "McCarthyism", coined in 1950 in reference to McCarthy's practices, was soon applied to similar anti-communist pursuits. Today the term is used more generally to describe demagogic, reckless, and unsubstantiated accusations, as well as public attacks on the character or patriotism of political opponents. Today, we just call it "The Steroids Era." But we haven't learned that naming names really helps anyone, have we? Attacking baseball isn't just the beginning and I can't wait for the other sports to catch on. Remember Marion Jones? This should be a heck of a lot of fun. Just compare the lists for those accused. Any similarities? |  | |
| Leonard Bernstein Charlie Chaplin Aaron Copland Bartley Crum Jules Dassin W.E.B. DuBois Howard Fast Lee Grant Dashiell Hammett Lillian Hellman John Hubley Langston Hughes Sam Jaffe Gypsy Rose Lee Philip Loeb Joseph Losey Burgess Meredith Arthur Miller Zero Mostel Clifford Odets J. Robert Oppenheimer Linus Pauling Paul Robeson Edward G. Robinson Waldo Salt Pete Seeger Artie Shaw Howard Da Silva Paul Sweezy Tsien Hsue-shen Orson Welles ...and more! | Chad Allen Rick Ankiel David Bell Mike Bell Marvin Benard Gary Bennett, Jr. Larry Bigbie Barry Bonds Kevin Brown Paul Byrd Jose Canseco Roger Clemens Lenny Dykstra Eric Gagne Jason Giambi Matt Herges David Justice Chuck Knoblauch Tim Laker Mark McGwire Kent Mercker Rafael Palmeiro Andy Pettitte Adam Piatt Scott Schoeneweis Gary Sheffield Ismael Valdez Mo Vaughn Randy Velarde Ron Villone Kevin Young ...and more! |
McCarthy was never able to substantiate his sensational charges. Nor will Mitchell or Bud Selig.We all know that problems didn't develop overnight and there is plenty of blame to go around. Money is a big factor. The better you are, the more you make. Professional sports has gotten way out of hand but we do not need the government to step in, make accusation and try to reform it. Baseball commissioner Bud Selig said decisions on any action would come "swiftly" on a case-by-case basis. That should of happened in the first place! Can we stop all of the hype in the news about this. We know there's a problem folks, fix it. In other words, "Play Ball!"
