Sen. Mitchell meets Malcolm Gladwell (Roids Pt. III)

My counterparts made some solid (passionate) points below. But by in large, I happen to disagree with their takeaway. If only we could find some means to wager on our differences of opinion. Gentlemen, I challenge thee: find a bet for us out of the Roids Report.

Let's break the law on our own terms.

Anecdotally, the $20M Mitchell spent doesn’t bother me in the least -- not when prescription drug bills (more/less written by Big Pharma) cost $800 BILLION MORE than Congress estimates. $20M: that’s not even a rounding error on the 847th page of a prescription drug bill.

There’s everyday governmental pork. Then there’s loin for the state fair. And healthcare could host a 4-H for all of Manhattan.

Alright, sorry about the diatribe, just had to get that off my chest.

Back on the subject at hand, I don’t blame the players per say, though I’d like to see anyone found guilty of steroid usage banned for life. They knew they were breaking the rules and they broke them anyway. What sort of message does it send if the League's reprimand starts with an amnesty program.

I don’t blame the players' union either; a union is null and void the day it stops representing its members' wishes. You can't fault the elected messenger (Fehr) if the members aren't clamoring for change.

In reality, any time there’s money on the line people will be inclined to cheat. Raise the stakes and make the playing field worth millions: you’re going to get more than a few takers. Accordingly, there are only two groups that could have brought the steroid era to its knees: non-users (players) and the League itself.

The fact that so few players were willing to expose (or even talk about) Extreme Makeover: Baseball Edition, shows how prevalent usage really was. The way I see it, non-users wouldn’t have allowed the likes of Hundley, Sosa, or Matthews Jr. -– players who underwent transformation a la the Incredible Hulk and then cashed in -- to nab huge contracts, taking from their own slice of the pie. They wouldn’t have allowed them to get away with that unless usage was an accepted part of the clubhouse.

I’m not suggesting that Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken Jr. welcomed drug usage into their dugouts. Rather, I bet most rumors were swept aside before they made waves with the elders. Besides, who wants to rock a ship that’s getting more crowded by the day?

Who does that leave? You betcha. I blame Major League Baseball.

A decade before Sosa and McGuire battled for 62, there were rumors of steroids in the game. And MLB did nothing. They did nothing in the 80s and nothing in the 90s. Only now, after a Congressional investigation and Jose Canseco's smoking needle, is the front-office pleading hands-on involvement.

“We will do what the report recommends.” You gotta be kidding me Selig. You don’t belong with Skilling or Lay, but you’re no Boy Scout either. You saw the packed stadiums and took a pass on investigating their causation. In your own way, you backdated a few (BALCO-laden) stock options and cashed in on the added juice of the game. Your actions (or lack thereof) will probably earn you another seat on a corporate Board, but in actuality you belong with Wynona Ryder: guilty of an undercover shopping spree.

But after the smoke settles and we're left to evaluate the ashes, I do think this report will matter. This report, with its canceled checks and magnifying glass pointed at the Rocket, might just be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.

Outwardly, conversationally, and even at the ballpark, we’ve talked about the Steroid Era in certain terms. But until last week, it was mainly just talk and a few minor suspensions. And whether you want to admit it or not, a lot of fans were still playing dumb: citing Bonds, Sosa, and Giambi as an unrepresentative minority.

No mas.

Sixty-eight names. Enough for an all-star at every position. And for dessert: a 99 mph fast-ball aimed at the best pitcher in a generation.

A cooperative trainer with long-standing relationships and records. Canceled checks all over the place, dating back for years (nobody will accuse these players of ignoring GAAP). And days after the Report, Andy Petite has already come forward, admitting he used HGH.

It smells a whole lot like da truth.

Mitchell’s influence may not be measurable or immediately felt. Baseball will be played in the spring, and the crowds will be bigger than ever. But MLB's front-office, toothless to-date, is finally starting to get its act together.

That's what happens when you get caught: you pay a fine, feign responsibility, and move forward knowing that your indiscretions will be remembered -- whether you’re Exxon, or Enron, or FEMA.

So thanks Senator Mitchell. You anted a few paltry paper clips. A few memorable ounces. But that meager addition may have been enough to tip the scales forever.

I think we've got ourselves an era.