Baseball strikes out on steroids, but should Congress interfere?

The Associated Press

It used to be about the love of the game.

Featured Topic | Posted 2 years 7 weeks ago

Baseball strikes out on steroids, but should Congress interfere?

Say it ain't... oh, heck, everybody knows it is so.

So when Bud Selig and Donald Fehr went to Congress on Tuesday, there was no pretending anymore: Baseball has a steroid problem. It's best hitter of the last 20 years is under suspicion. So is its best pitcher.

And now there's hints that Congress wants a criminal probe of one-time MVP Miguel Tejada.

Can baseball recover? Does it matter? And why is Congress involved, anyway?

Ben likes: Deceit spins out of control

Richard Justice/Houston Chronicle

Baseball's code of silence protected many of the cheats. They figured their secrets would be safe forever. Some players are going to get away with using performance-enhancing drugs. Those who have been caught are paying a high price in terms of having their accomplishments and reputations tainted. Some might end up paying with their freedom. Will it ever end?

Joel likes: Is baseball already losing the next steroid battle?

Josh Patashnik/The Plank

Baseball has made real progress in curbing the use of performance-enhancing drugs. And it's important, as Mitchell implores, not to get hung up on the past. But one can't help but get the feeling that the league is only willing to go as far as public pressure and congressional finger-wagging force it to. Baseball's record on steroids should make clear that the burden of proof is on the league to demonstrate that it's doing everything humanly possible to fight performance-enhancing drugs. That's a standard it's not living up to.