Congressional Hearings

by Ed Coffin on Jan 15, 2008 12:29 PM CST

Today baseball's brass, including the Commissioner, Donald Fehr from the players' union, are testifying on the hill.

I intended to pay little or no attention to anything coming out of the hearings. However, this morning I decided to get a little breakfast down the road. Driving back, I heard these excerpts from today's testimony.

Unidentified Congressman: Something about did Palmieri knowingly take steroids before his *300th* hit?

Same nincompoop: Mr. Sellick is to be congratulated on his attention to the matters.

Let's see. Members don't know the names of the people involved. Or can't pronounce them. These are our national leaders. I say don't worry about baseball, worry about Congress.

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or at least

congress could give 2 craps about pro football, basketball and hockey while they are nailing baseball to the cross.

.500 or bust!

by Jayslick on Jan 15, 2008 12:50 PM CST reply actions

Don't forget...

the double standard of So-and-so in baseball MIGHT have taken steroids, let's vilify him and keep him out of the hall of fame forever and throw asterisks everywhere. Meanwhile, Shawn Merriman was found to have taken steroids, was suspended for it, and was still nearly handed the Defensive MVP for that season.

Stars in a Texas Night Sky, a Dallas Stars blog from a fan's perspective.

by rangers85 on Jan 15, 2008 2:14 PM CST up reply actions

What are you talking about?

one single congressman mispronounces two names and that is a legitimate criticism on congress as a whole?

What a wasted diary you have started.

by Agreen07 on Jan 15, 2008 12:52 PM CST reply actions

And your critique is about what?

This is merely one minor citation of misattention or inattention that is so common on the hill I thought it was mildly humorous. Having spent years around committees and subcommittees, and having testified on a couple of occasions, I found this hurry up exercise on baseball comical.

'At Georgia Southern, we don't cheat. That costs money and we don't have any.' Erk Russell / Georgia Southern

by Ed Coffin on Jan 15, 2008 12:58 PM CST up reply actions

And you don't think

Congress should be involved in baseball?

by Agreen07 on Jan 15, 2008 1:01 PM CST up reply actions

Nope

Unless the conduct of baseball warrants removal of the anti-trust exemption. Otherwise MLB should be self-policing other than for individual violations of federal law. Just my opinion.

'At Georgia Southern, we don't cheat. That costs money and we don't have any.' Erk Russell / Georgia Southern

by Ed Coffin on Jan 15, 2008 1:05 PM CST up reply actions

I share

that opinion.

Juevos Daniels: biggest stones in the business.

by tricer on Jan 15, 2008 1:16 PM CST up reply actions

+1

I agree. Congress should clean their own house up and not worry about baseball.

Must read. "Only the Ball was White" Boomer Sooner!

by boomer1 on Jan 15, 2008 4:21 PM CST up reply actions

baseball

has clearly shown that it can't self-govern itself, evidenced by the fact that only after government pressure did baseball change their steroid testing...further it is ridiculous that baseball and other sports don't test for hgh.

by Agreen07 on Jan 15, 2008 2:45 PM CST up reply actions

and you do?

and before you say something about the antitrust exemption, please be able to elaborate

by ab03 on Jan 15, 2008 1:08 PM CST up reply actions

Uh

Don't you think there are a few thousand more pressing problems these grandstanding blowhards ought to be focused on?

Rex Hudler is in demand as a motivational speaker.

by Brian Thomas on Jan 15, 2008 2:07 PM CST up reply actions

I prefer they focus on

things that won't lead to the commitment of vast amount of the nation's wealth.

Their focus on something as silly as the game of Baseball works for me. At least they aren't passing legislation on a multiBillion dollar entitlement, or declaring War on some pissant country.

"We should have bombed it (Auschwitz)"-President Bush

by DJCahill on Jan 15, 2008 2:12 PM CST up reply actions

what about the youth

of this country?

If congress hadn't gotten involved, steroids would still be an alarming problem among the youth of this country. This needed to b done.

by Agreen07 on Jan 15, 2008 2:49 PM CST up reply actions

hmm

i wasn't aware that the only way to police steroid usage in youths was to police the MLB.

my high school got busted for steroids a couple of years back - guess what sport those kids played. hint: not baseball.

by ab03 on Jan 15, 2008 4:22 PM CST up reply actions

Wait

Just for clarification, you are saying that steroids is no longer a problem among youth in this country and that congress getting involved by way of lecturing baseball players and executives is what eliminated steroids as a problem?

Am I missing something?

by Brandon Wilson on Jan 15, 2008 4:54 PM CST up reply actions

No

I'm saying that there is a strong correlation between mlb's strictness on steroids and usage by high school/ college kids taking steroids. The more prevelant steroids and hgh are in the majors, the more accepted the drugs become in sports culture. Consequently, the greater the usage, the more kids will use it to simply be on a level playing field with their cheating peers.

by Agreen07 on Jan 15, 2008 5:10 PM CST up reply actions

seems like

a pretty indirect and highly suspect way of dealing with a problem.

by ab03 on Jan 15, 2008 6:01 PM CST up reply actions

wrong

There is absolutely not proven correlation between steroid use in teens and steroid use among pro athletes. I could just as easily argue that there is a correlation between press coverage of steroid use and use among teenagers. Should we also censor the press to help stem the tide of steroid usage?

by Brandon Wilson on Jan 15, 2008 7:09 PM CST up reply actions

Yah

I feel ya now.

So, all Congress needs to do next is have a methamphetamine hearing. Speed use among high schoolers will consequently plummet.

Next, smokin that rock conferences, bubonic chronic summits, underage beer bonging colloqiums, sexy cheerleading pow wows, you get the drift.

Its all about "strong correlations."

Perhaps, if there are honorable persons left in Congress, they could commence a C student symposium. Why, I beg of you, is our nation not doing more about the abysmal plight of America's C students??

Its a bloody shamockery...

Rex Hudler is in demand as a motivational speaker.

by Brian Thomas on Jan 15, 2008 7:17 PM CST up reply actions

It's not a shamockery

It is a travashamockery - which is obviously much, much worse.

Solid effort from you there, been missing those zingers lately, but you missed the "bangin' it in the backseat roundtable". Teenage sex would be a thing of the past.

Juevos Daniels: biggest stones in the business.

by tricer on Jan 15, 2008 7:27 PM CST up reply actions

Whoa whoa whoa

Whoa.

Traveshamockitude is not a concept I toss around lightly, kind sir.

This issue requires further deliberation. At this point, it is a mystery wrapped around a riddle inside an enigma surrounded by conundrums.

I hereby propose adjournment to the think tank until we can establish "direct correlation."

Rex Hudler is in demand as a motivational speaker.

by Brian Thomas on Jan 15, 2008 8:16 PM CST up reply actions

WOW

I want you to give my eulogy.

by Spoorts!! on Jan 16, 2008 12:19 PM CST up reply actions

That

doesn't make sense at all. That was a horrible analogy.

by Agreen07 on Jan 15, 2008 8:09 PM CST up reply actions

My analogy WAS ridiculous

Just like your "strong correlation" nonsense...

Rex Hudler is in demand as a motivational speaker.

by Brian Thomas on Jan 15, 2008 8:18 PM CST up reply actions

Brian Thomas

you sir are ridiculous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

by Agreen07 on Jan 16, 2008 1:19 AM CST up reply actions

Senator Ted Kennedy

That made me reminisce about his baseball knowledge of Mike McGwire and Sammy Sooser, circa 1998.

It's baseball. You don't always get what you want, and you don't always want what you get. --Ed Coffin

by txranger7 on Jan 15, 2008 1:05 PM CST up reply actions

If a member

of Congress doesn't take the time to learn and/or execute the correct pronunciation of names or correctly identify pertinent milestones of central figures in the hearing they are taking part of, then their cogency should be in question.

Several people on this board decided to impart similar logic when addressing NYTXFAN's thread about his email to TR. The lack of attention to detail can prevent the overall message from being taken seriously. The problem is that this wasn't an email to a local baseball writer, this was a member of Congress during an official hearing.

That's it. I'm running for Congress.

by jparks77 on Jan 15, 2008 1:40 PM CST reply actions

You

are going to lose to AGreen07's "What about the children!" campaign. Sorry.

by JBImaknee on Jan 15, 2008 4:03 PM CST up reply actions

I mean

I do think these congressmen should know how to correctly pronounce the players' names, but just because one can not, IMO isn't a big deal.

by Agreen07 on Jan 15, 2008 4:13 PM CST up reply actions

Agreen07

doesn't know the first thing about children. I am the candidate for children. I can keep the children happy. I have a killer mustache.

My name is Jason Parks and I approve this message.

by jparks77 on Jan 15, 2008 6:21 PM CST up reply actions

JParks77

knows children like Michael Jackson knows children.

I am here to help the children.

I'm Agreen07 and I approve this message.

by Agreen07 on Jan 15, 2008 7:07 PM CST up reply actions

It's all political PR

Steroid are just an easy issue to "address". It's like bringing Vick in so you can say that you disapprove of eloctrocuting puppies. Duh. This is just no risk face time for the politicians.

"When I was a pup, we got spanked by presidents 'til the cows came home! Grover Cleveland spanked me on two non-consecutive occasions!" LBrooks

by WyoRanger on Jan 15, 2008 6:17 PM CST reply actions