Baseball Musings: Where There's a Will...

March 15, 2005

Where There's a Will...

I just watched Will Carroll on The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch. Most of the show was devoted to an interview with Jose Canseo. Donny Deutsch, the host, appeared to be in the interpolating from small sample sizes school. So-and-so took steroids and got sick, so they must be bad. Will did a good job arguing against that point. I was also impressed with Jay Crawford, from ESPN's Cold Pizza. He wasn't buying into the hysteria, and seemed to have given the subject a lot of critical thought.

Deutsch also joined the "Penalties aren't stiff enough" chorus. I'm still surprised that people think the MLB penalty system is weak. As far as I know, most companies deal with employee drug problems not by firing or suspending, but requiring treatment. It's very difficult to fire someone, both on the employee and the manager. There has to be room for forgiveness and redemption. I actually thought the origianl policy had this right; you don't get outed as a user until your second positive. Players were given a chance to get clean. (That's not to say there weren't other problems with that policy such as frequency of tests.)

This goes to a point that Jay Crawford made; that these hearings may be glorifying steroid use. What if McGwire gets up and testifies that he used PEDs? He doesn't look like a monster. When he set the single season home run record in 1998, he wasn't raging; he was hugging everybody. He hugged his son, he hugged his teammates, he even hugged the guy who was battling him for the record. He's rich and famous. Women ask Tom Glavine, "Where's Mark?" Some young people might see all that as a good thing. They might be better off wondering about the truth. Or Congress might be better off bringing up people who have been hurt by steroids so the ugly side is seen.

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Posted by David Pinto at 08:51 AM | Cheating | TrackBack (0)

Comments

I'm one who thinks the penalties are weak. Very weak.

Ten days for the first offense? That's nothing. Five strikes before you're out? (Well, Steve Howe would think that is tough.)

As I said in a post on my site the other day: "No way can Bud Selig look parents in the eye and say 'We're doing everything we can to set a good example for your kids.'"

I truly feel baseball is doing the absolute minimum it has to to keep the Feds off their back. They just want to get this thing shoved back under the rug because ticket sales are strong.

Steroids are particularly damaging when used before the age of 23. Baseball must set the example, in my opinion, to kids that steroids have no place in sports. It's baseball's obligation to its fans, and in my opinion right now you can score it e-Selig and e-Fehr.

Posted by: Matt at March 15, 2005 01:59 PM

"As far as I know, most companies deal with employee drug problems not by firing or suspending, but requiring treatment. It's very difficult to fire someone.."

Dave, no offense, but what world do you live in?

Our civil liberties under the "war on drugs" are in a continual state of erosion.

Not only do 40% of employers now ask for a pre employment piss test, but many have a zero tolerance policy that stretches far beyond the work place. Firing is easy in "at will" work states.

And it isn't just the illegal drugs, surely you heard of the company that recently banned employees for smoking cigarettes at ANYTIME, even at home, away from work, right? Four employees at that company were fired for refusing to play along and take the test to detect nicotine in their system.

I suggest you add this blog to your regular reading:
Drug War Rant
http://blogs.salon.com/0002762/

Posted by: Edw. at March 15, 2005 02:45 PM

so matt,

what penalties ARE good enough for you with ONE positive test? when you don't even know if it is false or maybe from a LEGAL not banned supplement? you wanna ruin someone's life for a mistake? i don't hear you going on about chewing tobacco which is MUCH worse. or alcohol. or greenies.

and edward,

how can any company ban the use of a LEGAL drug outside of the workplace?

Posted by: lisa gray at March 15, 2005 09:20 PM

Lisa,

It's pretty easy. Here's one of several stories on it:
"Weyco terminated four of its employees this month after they refused to submit to a smoking breath test in light of the company's new policy that bans smoking at all times.
http://www.detnews.com/2005/metro/0501/27/A01-71823.htm

It's offensive on the part of the company, but not illegal.

A boss in a private company can pretty much fire you for any reason including him just not liking the way you look or act or the music you listen to. It's difficult to get fired from academia or from a government job, but in the private sector? Easy.

I fear it's going to get worse before it gets better. This is just the tip of the old iceberg and the whole steroid hoopla/hype is caught up in this desire by those in power to regulate every aspect of our lives.

Posted by: Edw. at March 16, 2005 11:17 AM

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