← Autodidact Archive · Original Dissent · xmetalhead
Thread ID: 17387 | Posts: 3 | Started: 2005-03-18
2005-03-18 16:06 | User Profile
[I]What does everyone think about this latest sports scandal? Why is the US government involved in this matter??? Where was Barry Bonds? Why do the commentators take Mark McGwire to the mat for his alleged "crimes" but Mr Bonds seems to be wearing an impenetrable Teflon suit? As a baseball fan, I'd love to see 'roids disappear and be banned from the game and also ALL records achieved under use of steriods be revoked or asterisk'd* if it can be proven the player was indulging in banned substances.[/I]
[IMG]http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/050317/050317_steroid_hmed1p.h2.jpg[/IMG]
[B][SIZE=3][COLOR=Red]McGwire refuses to answer on steroids[/COLOR][/SIZE][/B] Congressional committee grills players, leadership
WASHINGTON - On Capitol Hill instead of a baseball field, wearing suits instead of uniforms, they walked into the room, stars all, forced by subpoena to testify before Congress whether they cheated by using steroids.
Heads turned, strobes flashed and necks craned to get a glimpse of the humbled heroes.
Five current and former players, some future Hall of Famers, bemoaned steroids as a problem for their sport but denied they are widespread.
Mark McGwire hemmed and hawed, his voice choked with emotion, his eyes nearly filled with tears. Time after time Thursday, he refused to answer the question everyone wanted to know: Did he take illegal steroids in the historic home run summer of 1998 or any other time?
No matter how hard the congressmen tried, McGwire wouldnââ¬â¢t say.
ââ¬ÅIf a player answers ââ¬ËNo,ââ¬â¢ he simply will not be believed,ââ¬Â McGwire said in his opening statement. ââ¬ÅIf he answers ââ¬ËYes,ââ¬â¢ he risks public scorn and endless government investigations.ââ¬Â [url]http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7173995/[/url]
[B][SIZE=3][COLOR=Red]Poll: Most want steroid records tossed[/COLOR][/SIZE][/B] By 2-to-1 ratio, Americans want enhanced marks out The Associated Press Updated: 12:47 p.m. ET March 17, 2005
By a 2-1 margin, Americans think professional baseball players who have broken Major League Baseballââ¬â¢s rules by using performance-enhancing drugs should not be allowed to remain in the record books, a poll found. [url]http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7219820/[/url]
[COLOR=Red][B][SIZE=3]McGwire was biggest loser at hearings[/SIZE][/B][/COLOR] COMMENTARY By Mike Celizic NBCSports.com contributor Updated: 9:25 a.m. ET March 18, 2005
There werenââ¬â¢t any winners in the congressional hearings on steroids. The representatives failed to ever explain why they were holding them. And the baseball people whose feet were being held to the fire came off as evasive and defensive.
And no one came out of the day with more damage to his legacy and reputation than Mark McGwire.
He came in as the larger-than-life slugger who hit home runs that traveled higher and farther and more frequently than the Washington-New York shuttle. He left as a puny and whiny figure, a man whose only defense or explanation for some of the most celebrated moments in baseball was that he didnââ¬â¢t want to talk about it. [url]http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7225023/[/url]
2005-03-18 16:12 | User Profile
IN ALL SPORTS that crap should be illegal, I know that they will be investigating all sports in the very near future, at least I hope so.
2005-03-18 16:23 | User Profile
I think using steroids in competition, be it professional, amateur, or Olympic, is cheating. Period. They should be banned and a testing system should be in place. Major League Baseball definitely knew that steroid use was rampant among its players, but they declined to do anything about it because offense and record-setting sell tickets. I would bet dollars to donuts that Barry Bonds did steroids, and his excuse that he 'didn't know he was taking them' is absolutely ridiculous. I have lifted weights since I was 13 years old, and I know how much work and time goes into putting on even 5 or 10 pounds of muscle. For someone to pack on 35 or 40 pounds of solid muscle virtually overnight, and then claim that he was oblivous as to the cause is total BS. There is simply no way you could confuse steroid-enhanced results with steroid-free results -- they are entirely different animals. As for Congress' involvement, I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, there are certainly a lot of more important topics they could be investigating. On the other hand, however, MLB has a monopoly specifically granted by Congress, so Congress does have some responsibility for oversight of that organization.