Conduct Detrimental to the Game of Baseball

So acting for life commissioner Bud Selig has decided to open an investigation into the steroid era of baseball. He has appointed former Senate majority leader George Mitchell to the role of investigating presumably Barry Bonds, and other players implicated by steroids in the recent past. Mitchell is an excellent choice, as he will be impartial and he should be respected and far enough removed from the situation to be able to make an unbiased assessment of the situation.

The biggest names involved besides Bonds are current Yankees Jason Giambi and Gary Sheffield and presumably former players Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Rafael Palmeiro should also be investigated. This investigation could have a significant impact on this years pennant races and could alter the record books by possibly adding an asterisk (or syringe) in the records books next to players found to be guilty or explicitly implicated by the forth coming “Mitchell” Report. This could have a wider reaching scope than the Dowd report, which sunk Pete Rose in 1989, primarily because this has the potential to affect many high profile players both past and more importantly the present.

Some say, even if Mitchell confirms what the general public already thinks about this situation, then Selig’s hands will be tied, because prior to 2003 steroid use was not explicitly prohibited by Major League Baseball. Others are saying that even if Selig suspends players based upon the findings of this investigation, the players union will step in and fight to the death to protect the implicated players, and get them back into the game as soon as possible. They will argue that steroids were not illegal at the time, they will take the league to arbitration, they will threaten to strike, and they will say the next CBA negotiation will be incredibly difficult. In the end none of this matters. Selig must act strong and decisively, or else his legacy will be worthless.

However there is one possibility that I would strongly recommend but doubt Bud Selig is willing to consider. The lifetime ban. The precedent has existed since 1920 and the commissioner can make his mark on the game in a most positive way by invoking the ghost of Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis.

For those of you forgot, one of Landis’ first acts as commissioner was to ban the eight Chicago White Sox accused of throwing the 1919 World Series. He took this action even though they were never convicted of any crime, as the court case was left with a hung jury, nor was their enough circumstantial evidence to actually prove that the eight threw the games. What Landis did was state that the eight were banned for conduct detrimental to the game. The players were obviously and complicity associating with gamblers, whether they actually fixed any games did not matter to the Judge. The integrity of the game was what mattered to new commissioner, and showing the public that baseball was serious about putting this incident in the past and disassociating itself from the seedy underworld. That would be considered a nuclear option today, but I think that is what is necessary to restore the integrity of the game.

I have not read the Game of Shadows by Mark Fainura and Lance Williams, but I have read the excerpt in the March 7, 2006 edition of Sports Illustrated. If Bonds did 10% of what was alleged in the excerpt, then Selig has no choice but to ban Bonds for life. Without having the benefit of the investigation yet, I cannot determine who else should receive this sentence, but in order to restore the integrity of the game, a serious and permanent penalty must be imposed on all those involved. If Sheffield and Giambi are implicated, then they deserve to be reprimanded or banned as well, depending upon the depth of their transgressions. As a Yankee fan, this recommendation poses a huge risk. But as a baseball fan, the integrity of the game and knowing that the league is serious about keeping the playing field level is much more important for the long term health of this sport.

Good luck Senator Mitchell