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Posted By: Chris Counts

It is not my intention to burst the bubble of this board’s Bonds-Haters, who like Bonds-Haters everywhere, seem to clearly be enjoying the latest revelations about Barry’s chemically-induced fitness regimen. No doubt many have waited a long time for this magical moment to dog pile on Barry, and I can’t say he deserves a whole lot less.
But I can’t help but think that by bashing Barry, baseball fans are missing what I believe is much bigger problem. In my estimation, baseball has a big credibility problem over steroids and Barry is only a symptom of that problem.
This isn’t the first time baseball has had credibility issues, but the current crisis is arguably the game’s biggest public relations nightmare since the Black Sox threw the 1919 World Series. And given the game’s high level of popularity right, there is more at stake than ever before.
So how did baseball’s powers-that-be deal with the gambling crisis of 1919? They hired Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis to clean up the game. I honestly don’t believe Charlie Comiskey and his fellow owners had any real intention of cleaning up the game, but whether they liked it or not, Landis cleaned up the game with an iron fist.
Now Landis was far from perfect. In fact, the game probably would have integrated earlier if not for the commissioner’s personal prejudices. But he was a strong, seemingly independent leader, and more than anything that is what baseball needs today.
It’s time to close the door on the Bud Selig era. The much-maligned present commissioner has been at his job far too long (14 years at last count). Besides his complete failure to deal with the issue of illegal drugs in baseball, Selig has taken many positions that have adversely affected baseball’s integrity, from being the owners’ puppet on labors matters and advocating advertising on uniforms to the Twinsgate scandal where he tried to contract a team whose owner Carl Polhad had loaned him a large sum of money.
There is little doubt steroids have been around for decades, just as amphetamines were in preceding decades (and yes, amphetamines — from greenies in the 60s to cocaine in the 80s — are performance-enhancing drugs. If you don't believe me, look at Lonnie Smith's stats in 1982). And there is little doubt that baseball’s present leaders have been aware of the game’s drug issues for decades. But the owners, addicted to record profits they attribute to the past decade’s chemically-induced home run frenzy, are too busy counting their cash.
The cynical will say money will always trump idealism and the nature of power will always corrupt. But I believe baseball — which is becoming more of an international sport with each passing day — has yet to see its greatest era. But for that to happen, strong, independent leadership is neccessary, and that will never come from Bud Selig