Lip Man 1
03-14-2005, 01:52 AM
This may be of real interest...
Meet The Press- Baseball Hearings
I just got through watching Meet The Press which I had taped earlier in the day. The middle section, about 20 minutes, dealt with the upcoming Steroid / Baseball hearings.
Tim Russert had on both representatives who are in charge of the committee, Republican chair Tom Davis from Virginia and Democrat Henry Waxman from California. Frank Thomas’ name and Curt Schilling names were not mentioned at all during the interview.
It was an interesting conversation.
Some general themes before some specific quotes.
I wouldn’t want to screw with Davis. This guy seems tough as nails with a no BS attitude. Among the general comments made were:
1.That this is a national health issue that’s why the committee is holding hearings. Kids are dying because they feel to succeed in athletics they have to use steroids and that has to stop.
2.If baseball players / reps don’t show up, they will be forced to. Subpoenas that aren’t heeded will be turned over to the justice department for follow up’s. In an extreme case arrests could be made and jail time issued.
3.This may only be the first hearing. If the committee doesn’t get answers, they will call other people and hold other hearings.
4.The committee is extremely pissed off with MLB. They can’t understand why ownership is fighting them on this, also Davis said MLB has until Monday noon to comply with the request to turn over a detailed explanation as to what the ‘new’ drug testing policy is. Davis said after two weeks MLB still hasn’t given him an answer as to what the policy is, how it will work and what the effects will be. The committee doesn’t think a ten day suspension is enough, they want the same policy for MLB (and the other pro sports) that the Olympics have...zero tolerance. One and you’re done.
5. Davis wants to know how someone like Steinbrenner can order no facial hair and beards on the Yankees and gets his way despite the CBA, but can’t order no steroids, period. He wasn’t singling out the Yankees but basically he said he’s heard some owners have turned the other way to this issue. Said it’s possible owners may be called in to testify at future hearings.
6. Insisted that if Bonds were called, the focus of the hearing would be lost, that it would be zeroing in on him and not the issue of steroids itself. (That sounded like a cop out to me...)
7. Waxman said this has been going on for ten years and MLB refused to do anything about it, that’s why the committee has to do something.
8. Davis said MLB’s antitrust exemption isn’t an issue yet, however he stated that in addition to anti trust regulation, MLB gets some tax breaks (i.e. depreciation of player’s value). Insinuated that if MLB doesn’t cooperate the government could start looking into these tax issues.
Here is what I thought was the most interesting question of the interview. (These are direct quotes taken from reviewing the tape of the show...)
Russert: "Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire. Why are these two men being asked to attend the hearing?"
Davis: "They’ve been named. They’ve been accused by former colleagues (notice pleural) of having used drugs at this point...they’ve been publicly accused. They have set records and there is a wide spread feeling that maybe they cheated."
He was very direct, straight forward, no hedging. Also notice he made no distinction between McGwire and Sosa. This will be interesting. I’ll probably tape it on CSPAN and watch it late Thursday night after the NCAA’s.
Lip
Meet The Press- Baseball Hearings
I just got through watching Meet The Press which I had taped earlier in the day. The middle section, about 20 minutes, dealt with the upcoming Steroid / Baseball hearings.
Tim Russert had on both representatives who are in charge of the committee, Republican chair Tom Davis from Virginia and Democrat Henry Waxman from California. Frank Thomas’ name and Curt Schilling names were not mentioned at all during the interview.
It was an interesting conversation.
Some general themes before some specific quotes.
I wouldn’t want to screw with Davis. This guy seems tough as nails with a no BS attitude. Among the general comments made were:
1.That this is a national health issue that’s why the committee is holding hearings. Kids are dying because they feel to succeed in athletics they have to use steroids and that has to stop.
2.If baseball players / reps don’t show up, they will be forced to. Subpoenas that aren’t heeded will be turned over to the justice department for follow up’s. In an extreme case arrests could be made and jail time issued.
3.This may only be the first hearing. If the committee doesn’t get answers, they will call other people and hold other hearings.
4.The committee is extremely pissed off with MLB. They can’t understand why ownership is fighting them on this, also Davis said MLB has until Monday noon to comply with the request to turn over a detailed explanation as to what the ‘new’ drug testing policy is. Davis said after two weeks MLB still hasn’t given him an answer as to what the policy is, how it will work and what the effects will be. The committee doesn’t think a ten day suspension is enough, they want the same policy for MLB (and the other pro sports) that the Olympics have...zero tolerance. One and you’re done.
5. Davis wants to know how someone like Steinbrenner can order no facial hair and beards on the Yankees and gets his way despite the CBA, but can’t order no steroids, period. He wasn’t singling out the Yankees but basically he said he’s heard some owners have turned the other way to this issue. Said it’s possible owners may be called in to testify at future hearings.
6. Insisted that if Bonds were called, the focus of the hearing would be lost, that it would be zeroing in on him and not the issue of steroids itself. (That sounded like a cop out to me...)
7. Waxman said this has been going on for ten years and MLB refused to do anything about it, that’s why the committee has to do something.
8. Davis said MLB’s antitrust exemption isn’t an issue yet, however he stated that in addition to anti trust regulation, MLB gets some tax breaks (i.e. depreciation of player’s value). Insinuated that if MLB doesn’t cooperate the government could start looking into these tax issues.
Here is what I thought was the most interesting question of the interview. (These are direct quotes taken from reviewing the tape of the show...)
Russert: "Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire. Why are these two men being asked to attend the hearing?"
Davis: "They’ve been named. They’ve been accused by former colleagues (notice pleural) of having used drugs at this point...they’ve been publicly accused. They have set records and there is a wide spread feeling that maybe they cheated."
He was very direct, straight forward, no hedging. Also notice he made no distinction between McGwire and Sosa. This will be interesting. I’ll probably tape it on CSPAN and watch it late Thursday night after the NCAA’s.
Lip