By Geoff Walter / SNY.tv

 

Regardless of your personal stance on the subject of steroids in sports and how to enforce anti-drug policies, Jason Giambi does not deserve to be blackmailed by MLB Commissioner Bud Selig into revealing information to former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell about "that stuff" that he says he did in a USA Today interview. We don't need euphemisms to know that "that stuff" was performance-enhancing substances, but Selig is really beating a dead horse.

 

The Yankees must have known what was going on with Giambi, but they went ahead and signed him in 2001 anyway. Giambi already had a thinly-veiled apology a couple of seasons ago, already suffered through the worst slump in his career before winning the 2005 Comeback Player of the Year Award, but his willingness to continuously open up his mouth and insert his foot is mind-boggling. Why can't he and Selig just let things lie?

I really don't think the fans care anymore. Most know that players have taken illegal substances and they still come out to the ballparks. They're not concerned anymore with what people did in the past as MLB officials seem to be because they know those things can't be changed, except for one case.

The only remaining lightning rod continues to be Barry Bonds due to his pursuit of the home run record. If he didn't have that many home runs, you can rest assured that no one would ever say the word "steroids" around him. Case in point: when the Giants were in New York for a series with the Mets at the end of May, inflatable Barry Bonds syringes were passed around while shouts of "You took steroids!" rained down from the rafters even though the Giants left fielder has never failed a single steroids test. During that same series, Guillermo Mota pitched in relief after coming off a 50-game suspension for a positive test. Barely any boos, hisses, or catcalls were heard at Shea. That's hypocrisy for you.

Selig could look ahead and create policies, procedure, and a means of testing coupled with rigorous enforcement and substantial penalties. Instead, he seems content to continue to dig up old dirt on guys that don't mean very much anymore, muscle them into back rooms and threaten them with suspensions for things which, at the time, didn't violate any league policies or rules! I've got news for you, Bud, your idle threats are meaningless. Giambi has been on the disabled list since June 1, so your threats of suspension mean very little to him now. Besides, he's no rat.

 

Wanna argue with the Ref? Don't like the call? Go ahead and make your own!