I’ve been chewing on this for a while, trying to decide how to say this, but he’s right, and maybe not in the way he intended.
When I turned in the first draft of the book, the drugs and steroids chapter was flat and boring, reflecting my disgust with the whole topic. My editor called me about it, saying that compared the rest of the book it pretty much sucked. I replied that I was so disappointed, so angry about the whole topic that it was hard to write about. Write about that, she said, and see how it goes.
The result is the chapter you get: it’s a lot angrier and pointed compared to the rest of the book, a lot more pointed, and contains a giant statistical digression into one of Bonds’ seasons that’s a little eye-popping.
I would apologize if I were Selig. Not for the players, or the entire scandal, but certainly for the huge part baseball’s owners played in it. As it stands, baseball’s pretended that it played no part in tolerating, much less encouraging, the use of performance-enhancing drugs for twenty years, and now they’re shocked – shocked! – to discover it was as prevalent as it was.
I would say, not in so many words, were I Selig at this point:
“Baseball’s leadership failed to act early when we had the opportunity, and we wasted subsequent opportunities. Our poor labor relationship hurt cooperation on issues, like steroids, that hurt the game as a whole, and I’m personally responsible for one of the most egregious examples. In fighting so hard over baseball’s revenues, we hurt baseball’s future.
“Many people in baseball didn’t see what was happening until it was too late, but many knew and did nothing. Some actively helped. While they all bear some responsibility, those of us who led baseball created an atmosphere where it was acceptable to look the other way, where those who spoke up or attempted to raise warnings were ignored. We helped to create a game where those who did not participate were faced with a devil’s choice – to potentially operate at a competitive disadvantage, or to shrug and join in.
“As owners, we created an environment where players stood to benefit hugely from using steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs, while facing no potential penalties. If nothing else, if even in an ideal world we could not have struck a deal for testing, we as teams should have looked for ways to reduce the financial incentives to players, by being more cautious in how we valued players.
“Our errors encouraged a level of hysteria that undermined the game. How could we dispute that half, or even three-fourths of players, were using steroids if there was no testing, no surveys of any kind to offer us a more accurate picture? In the absence of truth, it’s no wonder that lies and rumors flourished, and that’s our fault.
“Baseball made many mistakes both in action and in standing by, that harmed our fans’ perception of the game. We accept the blame, and I’m sorry for my role. We can’t undo what’s happened, but we will do better.”
That’s what I’d say if I were Selig. But if I were Selig, well…
Selig’s ducking of the topic, and particularly the embarrassing spectacle of MLB trying to avoid Bonds’ pursuit of the all-time home run record, is ridiculous. As a baseball fan, it makes me want to put my head in my hands. This is what we’ve come to: one of baseball’s greatest marks is being challenged by someone who clearly owes that challenge to sometimes-legal, often-illegal performance enhancing drugs, and the commissioner is hiding in his office hoping Bonds gets hit by a bus or tossed in jail for perjury or something intervenes to save Selig from having to face up to his own culpability.
There are many parties who played parts in this farce. That they can’t coordinate a group confession doesn’t mean that individual acknowledgment and contrition wouldn’t be helpful.
