A Little Baseball Talk II

It's hot stove time for die hard baseball fans, and at the moment the stove is so warm that its metal sides are glowing.

Since Fidel leftists have tried to become a part of the grand old game, sometimes unsuccessfully (Castro had other plans than pitching for the Yankees) and sometimes successfully, as in the case of former Players Union rep Marvin Miller who is quoted today by Sports Illustrated as being against the new tougher steroid policy.

BOSTON (AP) -- Former players' union head Marvin Miller panned baseball's new steroids agreement, saying Thursday that there is not enough evidence of the drugs' dangers to support the new intrusion into the athletes' lives.

"I don't believe it's appropriate to search anybody -- either his home, or his garage, or his trunk, or his bladder or his bloodstream -- without getting a court order showing probable cause," Miller said. "I disapprove of all kinds of testing unless there is probable cause to believe that the person being tested has done something wrong."

Yeah, yeah, yeah, Marvin. You ever hear of Lyle Alzado? You always disapproved of anything that might smack of common-sense limitations on the rights of the proletariat, or that you suspected might weaken your precious union. It doesn't matter that the new agreement was hammered out with full participation of union representatives. The players, you see, are worried about the integrity of the game and the essential unfairness of allowing some players to "pump up" their performance even as it shortens their lives. There is no medical disagreement on the long-term effect of steroid use by athletes. It's a bad thing. Miller, who ought to know better, claims that steroids might affect athletes in football or weightlifting (or bar bouncing?), but not baseball:

"If you tell me it will help the performance of a football linebacker -- maybe. If you tell me it would help a professional wrestler -- maybe. If you tell me it would help a beer hall bouncer -- maybe. If you tell me it will help someone become governor of California -- maybe," he said. "But hitting major league pitching more often and farther? You've got to have more evidence than I've seen."

Hey Marv, take a look at Barry Bonds' "before and after" photos. (I'm sure you can find them.) As a fan of the game, the Oklahomilist is glad you're in retirement.