Jamal Who?

Major League Baseball just issued its fourth steroid suspension today to minor leaguer, Jamal Strong. Strong is a 26 year old that has never been considered much of a home run threat, maybe they looked into him because of his last name? Here’s my opinion on the situation: Give me a break with your attempt to calm the public’s concerns about steroids.

It is insulting to all intelligent people that love this great game that MLB is handing out suspensions to around 40 or so minor league players and just a handful of major leaguers – none of whom are anywhere near established. What about the superstars? What about the guys that EVERYBODY suspects? Did they all get clean immediately last season knowing full well that testing would happen this year? Or have you tested them? Why is it that when the San Francisco Giants and New York Yankees were tested about a month ago Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi weren’t tested? C’mon – it’s a joke.

Steroids in baseball and sports have tainted my opinion of not the players, but the leagues in which they play…and the idiots that run the leagues. The ‘turn and look a blind eye’ routine is making me sick. When you suspect that a player or players might be doing something illegal or something that will enhance their performance do something about it. Don’t take it out on the guys that don’t even have a fighting chance. When there is a major corporate scandal in a company the first person to take the fall is the President or CEO. How come nobody has called for Bud Selig’s resignation?

MLB would rather keep Pete Rose - the all-time leader in hits out of the Hall of Fame, but refuses to come clean with a much bigger problem. This steroid problem made hitting 45 homeruns look typical. It helped guys run faster, throw harder and hit better but wasn’t addressed in a serious way until the United States Congress stepped in. Did Selig and his fellow officers of MLB not realize that guys looked more like professional wrestlers than your average athlete?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy that these minor leaguers are getting suspended – it’s cleaning up the game and it’s also going to keep these guys healthy longer into their lives. I just wish people would be straight with us…and I hope that baseball returns to the game that I grew up loving.