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<<.....McCain, R-Ariz., made the threat after Fehr refused to accept the senator's challenge to agree to the more comprehensive policy found in the NFL. McCain said sports such as baseball are "aiding and abetting cheaters" with a weak testing policy.
Fehr said that he couldn't commit to any changes in the 2002 collective bargaining agreement, which called for anonymous tests last year for the first time. Five to 7 percent of those survey tests came back positive for steroids, which triggered testing with penalties this year.......>>
This is Donald Fehr, baseball union chief, who also happens to be a USOC board member! How can he keep that job?
.hr said that he couldn't commit to any changes in the
>2002 collective bargaining agreement, which called for anonymous tests last
>year for the first time. Five to 7 percent of those survey tests came back
>positive for steroids, which triggered testing with penalties this
>year.......>>
The funniest thing I've heard of in years. MLB, which keeps arcane stats down to three decimal places, yet reports that five to seven percent MLB players tested positve for steroids on pre-anounced tests.
This laser-like precision is tantamount to recording the all-time HR leader as being Hank Aaron, 420 to 490.
Eleanor Clift, on The McLaughlin Group on Friday, rhymed off a bunch of reasons why the current administration is totally out of touch with the general public. She used this as one example. The merits of an idea are often reinforced by those who happen to be against it. Her shrieking and shrill protestations firmed up my position.
>I saw that show as well. Eleanor Clift often spouts absurdities and this was
>no different.
There is a "journalist", formerly respected up here, named Stevie Cameron, whose hatred of Brian Mulroney turns out led her to do a bunch of things that most fellow journalists totally disavow now that they know about it-RCMP informant(and lied about it). That's what happens when you wear your hatred on your sleeve like Clift does. Difficult to take you seriously.
When this whole thing came out (maybe on a different board) I predicted Congress would threaten Baseball with a loss of its anti-trust exemption if it didn't make sweeping changes. I hope to have to change my login to "The Amazing Kreskin", but would be equally happy to see the sport lose that status, as it makes affording to go to a game absurdly overpriced.
The senate hearing is on c-SPAN right now. Senator McCain and others are asking great questions of Bud Selig and Donald Fehr. When President Bush mentioned the steroid issue in the State of the Union, I was skeptical that it would make any difference, but it looks as though is has sped up the process.
>I saw that show as well. Eleanor Clift often spouts absurdities and this was
>no different.
This is certainly off topic, but the entire cast of The McLaughlin Group is recruited solely for their abilities to be hateful and spout absurdities, from both the left and the right. The show reflects quite well the arrogant personality of McLaughlin himself. I can't stand watching it for any length of time.
On the subject of Mr. Fehr, I seem to recall a USATF press release a year ago opposing his taking on any leadership role regarding the USOC because of his stance against drug testing in MLB.
"If that is so — and McGwire has made himself almost invisible since he retired — it was McGwire's choice to make. If he traded his health for a 70-home-run season, he has to live with it. The union wasn't responsible for holding McGwire's hand and preventing him from using potentially harmful substances."
I think this link will work since I got it from google.
I don't know how Ben does it then. It's all over SI this week though. There is no link to it but there is a great article about a group of Mexican runners in California's San Joaquin Valley. Reilly's column is good too. And from the Selig interview:
"SI: Going back to gambling in the early 1900s, cocaine in the '80s and now steroids, it has only been when these issues made it into a federal courtroom that baseball got really tough. Do you regret that didn't happen sooner in this case?
Selig: If you're asking me if [we had gotten tough sooner and] this didn't happen, of course. Of course I don't like it. It is in no one's best interests. Unfortunately, sometimes it takes a crisis."
The SI article paraphrased this quote from Bonds' lawyer. Hands up everybody who realizes that the sentence is typical slick lawyering that leaves him an out.
"We continue to adamantly deny that Barry was provided, furnished or supplied any illegal substances at any time by Greg Anderson."
And Sheffield's mouthpiece:
"Gary Sheffield has never knowingly ingested a steroid. . . . and Gary Sheffield has never knowingly applied an anabolic steroid cream to his body."
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