Demain, dès l'aube...
... we'll all be waiting for the delivery of the controversial Mitchell Report, several hundred pages of evidence accumulated over the last 20 months despite the stonewalling of the MLBPA and its minions. At 2 p.m. tomorrow it is expected that a list of somewhere between 50 and 80 players will be presented to the media, including some of the game's top names. Reports out of ESPN.com have the blame being spread evenly between Major League Baseball and the MLB Players' Association. Tell us something we don't know.
If Mitchell has managed to take full advantage of the reported independence of his investigation, this will truly be an impressive feat. From the get-go Mitchell was dogged by accusations of partiality due to his connection to the Red Sox and his supposed possession of Bud Selig's favor. Even more impressive would be if the reported recommendation of independent outsourcing of baseball's drug testing were to be taken into consideration or put into place at some point in future collective bargaining agreements.
Unfortunately, the likelihood of that happening is marginal. The MLBPA had nothing to do with Mitchell's appointment, or any part of the investigation, for that matter. Their primary interest being to protect the players' rights, the Players' Association would likely barricade any realistic route to legitimate testing. It's no stretch to imagine the commissioner's office attempting to push through independent testing, the MLBPA refusing and threatening a strike, and then MLB deciding to include some watered-down, pointless clause that keeps the peace, mollifies the most simple-minded proponents of testing, and makes sure the cash machine keeps moving.
In fact, the only guaranteed result of this whole fiasco is great headlines, as reporters and columnists everywhere will now have something to carry them through the Christmas lull and into the run-up to pitchers and catchers. The saddest part is that its all at that expense of the players whose names will be buried in the mud. Punishments will be handed down from on high for old offenses, and victims of the system will be tarred and feathered in all of our varied multimedia town squares.
Part of me can't wait to see the report, but there's definitely still a part of me that wants to bury my head in the sand and keep whatever false perception of the game's sanctity I still hold onto.
If Mitchell has managed to take full advantage of the reported independence of his investigation, this will truly be an impressive feat. From the get-go Mitchell was dogged by accusations of partiality due to his connection to the Red Sox and his supposed possession of Bud Selig's favor. Even more impressive would be if the reported recommendation of independent outsourcing of baseball's drug testing were to be taken into consideration or put into place at some point in future collective bargaining agreements.
Unfortunately, the likelihood of that happening is marginal. The MLBPA had nothing to do with Mitchell's appointment, or any part of the investigation, for that matter. Their primary interest being to protect the players' rights, the Players' Association would likely barricade any realistic route to legitimate testing. It's no stretch to imagine the commissioner's office attempting to push through independent testing, the MLBPA refusing and threatening a strike, and then MLB deciding to include some watered-down, pointless clause that keeps the peace, mollifies the most simple-minded proponents of testing, and makes sure the cash machine keeps moving.
In fact, the only guaranteed result of this whole fiasco is great headlines, as reporters and columnists everywhere will now have something to carry them through the Christmas lull and into the run-up to pitchers and catchers. The saddest part is that its all at that expense of the players whose names will be buried in the mud. Punishments will be handed down from on high for old offenses, and victims of the system will be tarred and feathered in all of our varied multimedia town squares.
Part of me can't wait to see the report, but there's definitely still a part of me that wants to bury my head in the sand and keep whatever false perception of the game's sanctity I still hold onto.
Labels: Commentary
Ryan Brodeur at 9:03 PM
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