McCain Warns Baseball Over Steroid Policy

[joeunderdog]

WASHINGTON - Sen. John McCain gave the major league baseball players' union a brush-back pitch Wednesday, warning that Congress will step in if the union doesn't toughen its testing for steroids.

McCain, the Senate Commerce Committee chairman, challenged union chief Donald Fehr to follow the National Football League's drug policy. Fehr declined, saying he couldn't agree to changes in the players' collective bargaining agreement.

"Your failure to commit to addressing this issue straight on and immediately will motivate this committee to search for legislative remedies," warned McCain, R-Ariz.

"I don't know what they (the remedies) are. But I can tell you, and the players you represent, the status quo is not acceptable. And we will have to act in some way unless the major league players' union acts in the affirmative and rapid fashion."

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=512&ncid=755&e=1&u=/ap/20040310/ap_on_go_co/congress_steroids

Arrest the players if you have evidence, and they will change. "Legislative remedies" really aren't necessary--the drugs are already illegal, aren't they? Sneak MLB drug testing in the Patriot Act III with everything else...

[The_Casual_Observer]

1. Stupid distraction

Like when chimp made a big deal about this in the SOTU.

My question is, who cares what these clowns do? This seems like a rather victim-less crime to me, since anyone who considers baseball as anything other than entertainment suffers from some kind of mental illness.

[Fight_n_back]

2. Yeah, this is worth the Senate's time

nt

[sendero]

3. This is why.....

.... I don't think the idea of adding McCain to the ticket has any merit at all.

He's all over the place. You never know what he will say. Sometimes it is really great and others it is really dumb.

Memo to the clueless - you have about as much a chance of getting steroids out of sports and the olympics as you do getting rid of pot, making teens stop having sex, making bears stop pooping in the woods.

The genie is out of the bottle, the toothpaste is out of the tube, and when you look at the stakes in professional sports you'd have to be brain dead to think they are going back in.

You develop a test? Someone will develop an undetectable drug. Develop one for that? They'll do it again. You cannot stop people from doing something they don't think is wrong, or at best don't think is anyone's business. Every time we try that, we fail. Why not learn from history?

Note: the fact that I really don't care much about professional sports allows me to hold this seemingly cavalier attitude :)

[Robb]

4. You guys are missing it -- this is all code!

Careful study of the GOP spin machine has given me the ability to "read between the lines". Observe:

"Your failure I'm talkin' to you, Dubya to commit to addressing this issue You're not giving me what I want around here straight on and immediately will motivate this committee That's me, Monkeyboy to search for legislative remedies like walking my ass over to the other side ," warned McCain, R-Ariz.

"I don't know what they (the remedies) are. The hell I don't But I can tell you President Bunnypants , and the players you represent those bastards who didn't support my run in 2000 , the status quo is not acceptable. And we will have to act in some way You've really pissed off this vet now unless the major league players' union I know where all the bodies are buried acts in the affirmative and rapid fashion. I wanna see my ass on some committees pronto! " :D

[sendero]

5. LOL...

...yeah, well that could be it :)

[Jacobin]

6. Good to know that our congresscritters are working hard

to solve the problems affecting all americans, like outsourcing, imperialiasm, global warming, SS bankruptcy, medicare, medical costs becoming unaffordable, giant deficits, trade imbalance, terrorism, and the like.

I can sleep better tonight knowing that McCain has his hand on the pulse of a problem affecting a few dozen multi millionaire drug users.