May 02, 2004
Crazy Like a Fox
The BALCO probe took a new turn yesterday with federal investigators obtaining all the results from all the drug tests taken last year. Doug Pappas has the politics pretty well covered here. But I really wonder about this series of events (from the ESPN article linked above):
- Investigators wanted all the results from 2003.
- The MLBPA, MLB and investigators negotiate that down to the ten who testified.
- The union reneges on that agreement.
- Federal investigators sieze all the results.
- The Union had a chance to destroy the evidence and didn't.
When the MLBPA is involved, I always work on the assumption that Donald Fehr and company are the smartest people on the planet. Since what the union wants is no testing, what better way to get there than by having confidential results released by the federal government? Now, the MLBPA can break the agreement because the results were not kept confidential. And because they didn't destroy the results, they don't look like they were trying to hide something.
Yes, a few players have to sacrifice their reputations, but it will keep prying eyes out of their toilets for good. I think the tradeoff is worth it.
Posted by David Pinto at
10:26 AM
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Cheating
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David - I think the only way the union could dump testing is to break the current CBA. That would be a public relations nightmare for them. Four things to consider:
1. Millions of Americans have to undergo drug testing as part and parcel of their employment - so the players get no sympathy for undergoing some sort of invasion of their civil rights.
2. If there is a work stoppage over this - for once public opinion will be on the side of the owners. They can claim that all they want is a clean game on a equal playing field. They could even field replacement players who have undergone drug testing and the public would still be OK with it.
3. A majority of the player (my guess) aren't willing to fight over this because in some of their eyes - all they are doing is protecting and enabling the cheaters who may be costing the honest players money by putting up superhuman numbers.
4. You put this in the category of "cheaters" but it looks like you are coming out in favor of cheating.
David I think its amazing that most people have forgotten/ dont mention what most of the White Sox players wanted to do last year. In the drug 'testing' done last year refusing a test counted as a positive and with enough positives testing became mandatory. The Chisox wanted to as a group refuse testing to increase the numbers of pissitives thus triggering and increased step in testing. I loved this... a team banding together for the good of the game to level the playing field. Do you remember the SNL skit "The all Drug Olympics"
I say either allow all of the drugs or none of them. Lets stop this mamby pamby is he or isnt he crap.
