FanNation - The Republic of Sport

In descending order I measure ineptitude as: natural stupidity, practiced incompetence, and lastly major league baseball (MLB).

For our most recent example let's look at Jason Giambi.

Jason recently provided baseball's only guiding light on how baseball should handle PR the steroid issue.   He said:

"I was wrong for doing that stuff. What we should have done a long time ago was stand up -- players, ownership, everybody -- and said: 'We made a mistake.'"

"We should have apologized back then and made sure we had a rule in place and gone forward. ... Steroids and all of that was a part of history. But it was a topic that everybody wanted to avoid. Nobody wanted to talk about it."

I felt like applauding when I heard this. It is absolutely and completely the right thing to do. But did the baseball commissioner and other players support him? Did they get follow this leadership and thereby put discussion and issues around this subject to rest?

Of course not.

First, Giambi's team (the Yankees) has tried to use this newest essential admission of steroid guilt as a way to void his contract.

Second, Commisioner Bud Selig has told Giambi he should cooperate with the steroid investigation with the newest threat that he will be suspended if he doesn't.

That's the way to get people to cooperate, threaten the ones honest enough to infer the truth we already know. Also be sure to do it through the press so they will descend on him like wildfire, ensuring any confidential information Giambi wants to keep quiet will be scooped instantly.

The answer to this mess is so simple I can not believe that no one else (besides Giambi) is smart enough to see it.

Someone please pass this to-do list to the commissioner:

1) Write a memo to the Yankees: shut up and eat the contract. Yes, you signed a player who had inflated numbers because he was taking steroids. Steroids, in case you haven't heard, are illegal. You gambled that baseball would not get its act together enough to get steroids out of the game. You lost. Eat the contract.

2) Quit passing the buck and ask yourself: What Would Roger Goddell Do?  Meet with players one on one, don't take notes, and ask the questions which will get you the answers you need but are worthless if you are subpoenaed  (Did you take (or witness) any sort of performance enhancing drugs or suspect anyone of doing them? What can we so to keep these drugs out of the game? etc). Like any good reporter take the sources and off the record comments to the grave.  Someone doesn't want to meet with you?  Fine. They are inelligible for the Hall of Fame, period.

3) Embrace the asterisks.  After a few months of investigation it would be abundantly clear that steroids were rampant so craft a statement similar to what Giambi said, apologizing for making mistakes, and adding the asteriks to all players who played in the "Power Era" (let's say 1992 when the first steroid distributor bust through 2006 when a real plan was in place).  An asterisks would not signify guilt, just that the player played when steroids were prevalent.  It will be up to the fans (and more accurately law enforcement officials if so inclined) to decide who was innocent or guilty.

4) Continue to vigorously uphold the newest policy, upgrading it as soon as possible, and take the lead in ensuring baseball is seen as a fair game and not a refuge for steroid monkeys.

Now is that really so hard? PLAY BALL!!!