McCain: I enjoy useless legislation

[ryan patrick]

McCain Wants MLB to Tighten Drug Policy

By WILLIAM C. MANN
Associated Press Writer





WASHINGTON (AP) -- Sen. John McCain on Saturday demanded immediate action by representatives of major league baseball's players and owners to tighten the sport's drug-testing policy "to restore the integrity of baseball" or face possible congressional action.

"I warned them a long time ago that we needed to fix this problem," McCain told reporters after attending the Army-Navy football game with President Bush. "It's time for them to sit down together and act. And that's what they should do. If not, clearly, we have to act legislatively, which we don't want to do."

Expressing dismay over recurring reports of steroid abuse by some of the game's top stars, the Arizona senator threatened to legislate stricter rules if the sport fails to police itself.

"I'll introduce legislation in January, but I hope I don't have to do that," he said, speaking to reporters at Andrews Air Force Base.

The long-simmering steroid allegations hit the headlines this week with reports of grand jury testimony in San Francisco that linked to steroid abuse such stars as the game's all-time single-season home run champion, Barry Bonds, and New York Yankees slugger Jason Giambi.

The San Francisco Chronicle was able to review sealed transcripts containing the testimony of Bonds, Giambi and Gary Sheffield.

But "I don't care about Mr. Bonds or Mr. Sheffield or anybody else," McCain said. "What I care about are high school athletes who are tempted to use steroids because they think that's the only way they can make it in the major leagues."

In an interview televised Friday night on ABC's "20/20," the head of a nutritional supplements lab implicated in the story added the names of top track and football stars to those he said had used illegal substances. Victor Conte, head of Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative, said he didn't know whether Bonds, who plays for the San Francisco Giants, had used steroids.

McCain said he watched that interview, "and it's very clear that there was a number of people involved in this."

He demanded quick action by Bud Selig, the commissioner of baseball, and the players' union head, Don Fehr, to solve the problem.

"To restore the integrity of baseball, Commissioner Selig and Don Fehr must meet immediately - not merely by spring training as the commissioner has promised - and agree to implement a drug-testing policy that is at least as stringent as the one observed by the minor league program," McCain said in a Friday statement.

McCain added in a Washington Post interview that "I'll give them until January, and then I'll introduce legislation."

It is unclear how much support such a proposal would have in Congress - the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., complained last year that McCain's idea would rewrite baseball's collective bargaining agreement.

Selig said he is committed to ridding baseball of performance-enhancing substances and is demanding that the players' association to adopt a stronger testing policy modeled after the minor leagues' more stringent program.

"The use of these substances continues to raise issues regarding the game's integrity and raises serious concerns about the health and well-being of our players," Selig said.

Union officials will discuss the issue at their annual executive board meeting, which starts Monday in Phoenix.

Union lawyers and lawyers for the commissioner's office also will hold previously scheduled meetings to discuss Selig's repeated calls for more frequent testing and harsher penalties for steroid use, said Michael Weiner, the union's general counsel.

The current policy was adopted in September 2002 and runs until December 2006.

© 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy.

[BeautifulLoser]

(Playing Devil's Advocate here...)

That's not useless.... Baseball is America's game, and if it's being played by a bunch of drugged up cheaters, it doesn't really represent America that well to the rest of the world... (I know, I know, our president doesn't represent us well either, but hey..)

Plus, kids look up to baseball players. If they see baseball players doing drugs and getting rewarded for it, they're going to see that. That's not good.

[GlasgowKiss]

Originally posted by BeautifulLoser
(Playing Devil's Advocate here...)

That's not useless.... Baseball is America's game, and if it's being played by a bunch of drugged up cheaters, it doesn't really represent America that well to the rest of the world... (I know, I know, our president doesn't represent us well either, but hey..)

Hey dont sweat, no one care.

[Corganist]

Originally posted by BeautifulLoser
(Playing Devil's Advocate here...)

That's not useless.... Baseball is America's game, and if it's being played by a bunch of drugged up cheaters, it doesn't really represent America that well to the rest of the world... (I know, I know, our president doesn't represent us well either, but hey..)

Plus, kids look up to baseball players. If they see baseball players doing drugs and getting rewarded for it, they're going to see that. That's not good.

I can do you one better:

Baseball is a part of interstate commerce, and thus its within Congress's power to regulate it. Baseball takes up a decent sized part of the economy, and the current steroid problems have made consumers turn away from the game...affecting the economic viability of the game. If government regulation is what is needed to fix this, and thus keep the economy running along without any bump in the road, then so be it.

/Stuff like this is why I don't like McCain. Conservative my ass.

Originally posted by Corganist
/Stuff like this is why I don't like Bush. Conservative my ass.

[Corganist]

Originally posted by Jason Smith

Sure. I don't think Bush is all that conservative either. So what?

[ryan patrick]

yes, neither Bush nor McCain are conservative.

but anyway, how do these fake conservatives get away with constantly denouncing democrats as "pro-big government" and "pro-more government regulation" and then they introduce legislation like this, or want to expand the powers of the FCC. why doesn't anyone ever call them on it?

[Nimrod's Son]

Originally posted by ryan patrick
yes, neither Bush nor McCain are conservative.

but anyway, how do these fake conservatives get away with constantly denouncing democrats as "pro-big government" and "pro-more government regulation" and then they introduce legislation like this, or want to expand the powers of the FCC. why doesn't anyone ever call them on it?

McCain never claimed to be "conservative."

He's a lot of of a classical progressive consevative anyway than a "neo-con" like Bush.

[jczeroman]

I agree. McCain has made some stupid laws but I don't think he is the persona of this rash of anti-conservativism in the republican party.

[The Omega Concern]

what if Bonds and some of these other guys have taken sports medicine to new heights and have figured out a way to take these supplements in moderation to not suffer the serious side effects?

then what?

everyone is reacting on the presumption that Steriods are tantamount to Cocaine or something. Sports medicine has taken off the last 20 years and I concur with Victor Conti when he says, "It's time to redraw the line".

This Witch Hunt is the government trying to keep Humans from becoming something they can't control. Their scared and the coming enlightnment of "Fountain of Youth" technologies and science scares them.

[Nimrod's Son]

Originally posted by The Omega Concern
what if Bonds and some of these other guys have taken sports medicine to new heights and have figured out a way to take these supplements in moderation to not suffer the serious side effects?

then what?

everyone is reacting on the presumption that Steriods are tantamount to Cocaine or something. Sports medicine has taken off the last 20 years and I concur with Victor Conti when he says, "It's time to redraw the line".

This Witch Hunt is the government trying to keep Humans from becoming something they can't control. Their scared and the coming enlightnment of "Fountain of Youth" technologies and science scares them.

Maybe that's why Giambi's knees are shot and he's developed a tumor at the age of 34

[neopryn]

Originally posted by The Omega Concern
what if Bonds and some of these other guys have taken sports medicine to new heights and have figured out a way to take these supplements in moderation to not suffer the serious side effects?

then what?

everyone is reacting on the presumption that Steriods are tantamount to Cocaine or something. Sports medicine has taken off the last 20 years and I concur with Victor Conti when he says, "It's time to redraw the line".

This Witch Hunt is the government trying to keep Humans from becoming something they can't control. Their scared and the coming enlightnment of "Fountain of Youth" technologies and science scares them.

haha

[jczeroman]

Originally posted by The Omega Concern
Their scared and the coming enlightnment of "Fountain of Youth" technologies and science scares them.

This is a society-wide problem. We see it in gun-control also among other things -- where people blame technology and progress instead of those who abuse these things.

[The Omega Concern]

im not blaming the technology...Im just stating a simple question that has a conclusion:

What happens when the Scientist and their guinea pigs design safe steriod measures?


Who's to say they haven't already? Who's to say Barry Bonds isnt that example?


Now if proof to the contrary is established, my question is answered at this point and time.

It's obvious Giambi used incorrectly. But when I hear people go on about Wille Mays and the Babe and how Bonds is cheating them...COME ON!!! wake up, Sports Medicine is a science that has progressed about on par with computer chips over the last 20 years and yet people think nothing of using Lyle Alzado as an emample of what can happen to steriod abusers.

Binge drinking can kill as well, let's go back to prohibition.

[Nimrod's Son]

Originally posted by The Omega Concern
im not blaming the technology...Im just stating a simple question that has a conclusion:

What happens when the Scientist and their guinea pigs design safe steriod measures?


Who's to say they haven't already? Who's to say Barry Bonds isnt that example?


Now if proof to the contrary is established, my question is answered at this point and time.

It's obvious Giambi used incorrectly. But when I hear people go on about Wille Mays and the Babe and how Bonds is cheating them...COME ON!!! wake up, Sports Medicine is a science that has progressed about on par with computer chips over the last 20 years and yet people think nothing of using Lyle Alzado as an emample of what can happen to steriod abusers.

Binge drinking can kill as well, let's go back to prohibition.

It is my opinion that anabolic steroids need not be a criminal offense, but MLB has every right to ban it in their sport.

[jczeroman]

Originally posted by The Omega Concern
im not blaming the technology...Im just stating a simple question that has a conclusion:

lol.. I was agreeing with you...