 Sunday, February 17, 2008
Why Congressional Hearings Are Ok
The Tank (and everyone else I know) oppose Congress investigating the Steroids and HGH issue in MLB. The Tank even wrote a dramatic piece on it saying he wants a tax refund. Most people say that the government has better things to do. I am a laissez-faire guy, one who thinks that less government is better and one who thinks that government regulation of business is in general bad. A capitalist at heart. Baseball is a business, a private business. I testified in front of the US Congress telling them to leave Microsoft alone 10 years ago. You would assume that I am opposed to the government holding hearings about MLB, right? Wrong. Private business is suppose to regulate itself, make sure that it provides a fair environment for competition, a good marketplace for consumers, and follows the law. I believe in government intervention in two scenarios: monopoly and market inefficiencies. Market inefficiencies exist in business all the time and the government has the expectation to come in and defend the consumer or workers. A good example of a market inefficiency is automobiles. Without governmental regulations, we would all be driving cars running at 15 miles per gallon. A market inefficiency exists in MLB with large markets and small markets and MLB tried to address that on its own. While the solution is not perfect, I am in favor of the luxury tax since it represents the industry self-regulating. That is the free market at work. Yankee fans who complain (and Mets and BoSox fans who will soon be complaining) I tell them, think of the alternative: Government controls over MLB payrolls. Since the workers are unionized, there are few market inefficiencies-even thought the players tend to be underpaid- from a purely economic point of view, not a "holy crap, he makes that much?" point of view. Remember that these players have a window of 10-15 years to make all the money in their life. Take a time value of money economics class and realize that some of the contracts are not as large as you think they are. There are other inefficiencies, like someone like A-Rod or Santana really only can work for a few employers (Mets, Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, maybe Cubs), giving the few employers the power, not the player. Look how A-Rod came crawling back to the Yankees, and despite the large contract, look how few options Santana actually had. This leads to players strikes every so many years, and that is ok too, I'll take a strike every decade or two rather than government price controls. MLB is a monopoly. There are no other professional baseball leagues in the USA. Combined with a handful of other sports (NFL, NBA, NHL) the MLB is also part of a professional sports oligopoly. This means that we have to hold baseball to a higher standard then say the corner grocery store. Baseball is expected to enforce the law of the United States and Canada and HGH and Steroids are illegal. Baseball is doing a bad job at policing itself, it lacked a drug policy until recently. Without a drug policy, then the government must step in. For example, if you were a drug dealer at a Wall Street firm, and your company had no policy to deal with your drug dealing and your customer's usage, the government would step in and arrest those who are involved. This is not that much different. Allegations are showing up that the league turned a blind eye on it all that was happening. MLB was not policing itself. Even the Mitchell Report has many questions as to its fairness. This my fellow sports fans is a clear case of an market inefficiency. A market inefficiency by a monopolist no less. Where else does the consumer go for remedy? The government. I don't like that is has come to this, but it has. If it takes the government to clean up baseball, then so be it. For its credit, the Government does not want to police baseball, but has simply held hearings. That is a warning shot. The next step will be to institute legislation. Baseball better get its act together before it comes down to that. It has been suggested that the commissioner needs to be investigated. I don't agree. I think he should be fired. Posted by Steve in Cairo, Egypt.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Mets Start Arriving to Camp and Put Last Year Behind Them
Pitchers and Catchers have arrived and position players show up to Spring Training next week. Jose Reyes arrived in camp 4 days early and said that he is ready to win. Reyes took responsibility for batting .205 in the stretch in September and not being on base to mount rallies. But then he moved to 2008: "We have to do it this year. That's it!" he said. Willie had a press conference and addressed the issue. "I didn't really start feeling like myself until probably holiday time," manager Willie Randolph said. "We were one of the best teams in the National League, or probably the best team in the National League last year, until we went into a funk." In other news, Orlando Hernandez expressed his desire to start and not be in the bullpen. It looks like he will leave camp the 5th starter, but anyone who thinks he can deliver 175 innings is out of their mind. He will probably deliver 100 max and you will see Mike Pelfrey start in AAA and make spot starts as well as fill in whenever Hernandez or Pedro Martinez goes on the DL. Expect Pelfrey to see at least 15 starts this year and be a regular started in CitiField. Posted by Steve in New York
Friday, February 15, 2008
Steroids Ruin Valentine's Day
PermaGuest Outlaw Jack mentioned a rumor about President Bush pardoning Roger Clemens. Steve replied that it originated from McNamee's lawyer. This misinformation is part of this "trial by media" which Jack, many others, and I dislike. This is one of the many problems with this entire Clemens' Congressional Circus. More disturbing than Clemens' guilt or innocence is the way that the many procedural and structural issues that I wrote about yesterday. I am sad for everyone who was there and sadder for our country. I'll take a good old fashioned "trial by jury" than "trial by media" anyday.
Gotta get back to doing taxes. Ugh!
Posted by a depressed Tank in NY.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Clemens' Congressional Circus
I really hoped to sit down Wednesday and do my taxes. I really lost a day of my life and want a huge tax refund as I felt my tax money wasted by our elected representatives.
It was painful watching Roger Clemens, Brain McNamee, Charlie Scheeler (Senator Mitchell's representative), and our elected representatives. I can live with a innocent or guilty Roger Clemens. What I disliked was the trying of this case in the media prior to yesterday's testimony. What ever happened to "innocent until proven guilty?" Everyone deserves their day in court, even one as unusual as a non-traditional courtroom like Congress.
I started taking notes for a post but felt like I was scoring a boxing match. I had hoped to save the boxing report for the Klitschko-Ibragimov fight next Saturday night at the Garden. Here's how I scored it:
Hurt Clemens: (1) Andy Pettitte's and Chuck Knoblauch's testimony. When your best friend goes against you, it's hard to survive it. Pettitte even testified that his Dad gave him the HGH. (2) Contacting his nanny. This doesn't look good as potential tampering of a witness. Helped Clemens: (1) Brian McNamee has much less credibility than Clemens. Where do I start? Congressman Waxman said that "Mr. McNamee has twice failed to tell government investigators the truth."
(A) In the decade since the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal in 1998-1999, we have gone from trying to figure out the meaning of "'is' is" to "It is what it is." If you figure out the new meaning of "is", please feel free to comment in our blog. Many thanks to Steve to troubleshooting the dasBlog issue last week.
(B) His medical credentials: I have heard of correspondence degrees. But PhDs to a university that has no building? Come on. Maybe Congressman Issa was right when he said that PhD stands for Piled Higher Deeper.
(C) Holding onto syringes is the ultimate "get out of jail card." As Congressman Soulder pointed out, what is on them? Are they admissible? (Suggestion: Let's get some conclusive results on these syringes before admitting them as evidence.)
(D) Jose Cancesco's barbecue/"luncheon": Clemens has Blue Jays radio announcer and Roger's golf receipt hurt McNamee's claim that Clemens was at Jose Canseco's house.
(2) Why didn't Senator Mitchell's staff contact Roger Clemens? David Justice went through the same thing on Michael Kay's ESPN 1050 Radio show the day after the Mitchell Report came out. The Players Union did a bad job of representing the players and Clemens paid the price. Andy didn't find out that he was going to be in the Mitchell Report until five or six days before its release. (3) Abscess on Roger's behind: The trainers didn't find it but McNamee did. I can't address this further, more than I want to know. TMI.
(4) The LA Times was wrong with Jason Grimsley's testimony and had to issue an apology last year. Will Senator Mitchell have to issue one if McNamee's credibility continues to be brought into question?
Verdict: This is hard to say because of the following:
(1) This did NOT take place in a real courtroom.
(2) How admissible is the evidence? Not only physical but the "he said, he said" nature of the proceeds.
(3) Cross examinations: Roger's counsel tried to stand up for him but were NOT allowed to address the panel.
(4) Conflict of interest: As I have stated months ago, baseball is bereft with conflict. It starts with Commissioner Selig who transferred ownership of the Brewers to his daughter Wendy. He still maintains an office in the new Miller Park in Milwaukee. He is a fox guarding the chicken coop.
The next fox guarding the chicken coop is Senator Mitchell. As I mentioned months ago, Senator Mitchell has a conflict of interest as a Red Sox Director. How can Senator Mitchell be impartial?
Even Congressman Kanjorski who has known Senator Mitchell for over 25 years and wanted him to be a Presidential candidate had his doubts on other issues. I agree with Congressman Kanjorski that "We would have liked to talked to God." Me too.
(5) What does the House Government Oversight Committee have to do with any of this? Congressman Chris Shays was quoted in Wednesday's New York Post as saying "I feel we've gone beyond our mandate. Our mandate is not to decide the legacy of individual baseball players."
Where Do We Go From Here:
(1) I don't know. We are going into some unchartered territory.
If you can get an impartial jury, is Clemens guilty beyond a reasonable doubt? Will he be indicted?
In a weird way, this makes me look forward to a Barry Bonds trial because it will be a circus but in a more traditional legal framework. OK, I am trying to somehow comfort myself and it's not fully working. I will have to get a prescription for Prozac.
(2) Will this really clean up steroids amongst kids? Probably NOT because there are NO enforcement exercises. This is an exercise in futility and another waste of our tax dollars.
(3) Does this better Commissioner Selig's legacy or worse it as he closed the barn door AFTER the horse got out? MLB owners should NOT have extended Commissioner Selig's contract this year. MLB owners should NOT have extended Commissioner Selig's contract this year. Get a truly independent commissioner.
(4) Baseball better clean up or they will have to deal with the Congressional Circus on a regular basis. Just ask anyone affected by Sarbanes-Oxley what government overregulation can do to destroy your industry.
Posted by a disappointed Tank in NY.
P.S. The Senate isn't going to let the House have all the fun. Watch for Spygate hearings in the near future. More wasted tax dollars. I better go back and finish my taxes before the Congress wastes my refund.
 MLB | Steroids
 Thursday, February 14, 2008 12:33:19 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Who is lying: Andy Pettitte or Roger Clemens?
According to the AP: Roger Clemens told Yankees teammate Andy Pettitte almost 10 years ago that the Rocket used human growth hormone, Pettitte said in a sworn affidavit to the US Congress. Pettitte also testified that a few years ago he asked Roger what to say when asked about HGH and Clemens replied that Pettitte misunderstood the previous exchange in 1999 or 2000 and that, in fact, Clemens had been talking about HGH use by his wife in the original conversation. So Pettitte came clean. Pettitte exposes Clemens as a liar and a cover-up artist. McNamee made accusations about both Pettitte and Clemens and team Clemens has went on a smear campaign, saying that McNamee will do anything to discredit the Rocket. Is best friend Pettitte next in the smear campaign? Pettitte has implicated himself, and validated McNamee, in his testimony. Pettitte has everything to lose, nothing to gain, and absolutely no reason to lie about Roger Clemens. I believe Andy Pettitte. Roger Clemens better come clean soon. He testifies in front of Congress today at 9:30 AM EST. If he tells the truth, maybe we can forgive him. But there better be some answers in that testimony. Posted by Steve in New York
MLB | Steroids
Wednesday, February 13, 2008 7:44:20 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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Tuesday, February 12, 2008
D-Day for the Rocket
Roger Clemens has to testify in front of Congress, under oath, about his involvement in the performance enhancing drug scandal. He has to be careful, any false move can land him in jail for perjury. Roger's former teammate, Andy Pettitte will not have to testify today, he testified last week and testified counter to what Roger Clemens is suppose to say today. One of them is lying. Considering that Pettitte said he tool illegal drugs and confirmed what was in the Micthell report, my money is that Clemens is lying. Posted by Steve tuned into C-SPAN.
MLB | Steroids
Tuesday, February 12, 2008 11:25:18 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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Monday, February 11, 2008
Why Is Pedro the Fox Guarding the Chicken Coop?
I didn't want to believe my eyes when PermaGuest Outlaw Jack informed me of a YouTube video showing Mets pitcher Pedro Martinez participating in a cockfight in the Dominican Republic.
As I said and wrote about Roger Clemens, Pedro is innocent until proven guilty. The video could have been (a) doctored, (b) used a celebrity impersonator, (c) done long ago before Pedro learned the errors of his way, or (d) some of the above.
Upon further research, I was shocked to read in AM New York that Pedro admitted to it. He was an honorary soltadore, the person who releases the chickens to fight. The chicken that Pedro released reportedly died. Fellow Dominican and Hall of Fame Pitcher Juan Marichal also participated as a soltadore in this shameful event.
Animal cruelty is wrong and shouldn't be tolerated, much less celebrated. Though cockfighting is legal in the Dominican Republic, I will have to boo Pedro the next time at Shea. As an honorary Dominican, he let me and others down.
Posted by a disappointed Tank, animals and humans best friend.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Spring Training This Week
The Mets and Yankees pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training in Florida this week. The key to the Mets is is Carlos Delgado going to bounce back from an off year, will Pedro Martinez stay healthy and will the bullpen and new ace Johan Santana come through. The Yankees face a bit of a question mark with left field and first base and the rotation will see some competition from the kids. We'll see how it all works out, but with the Knicks a laughing stock and the Super Bowl over, it is time to start thinking about baseball! Posted by Steve in New York
Saturday, February 09, 2008
Amateur Female Jello Wrestling Sunday at 8 p.m. at Arlene's Grocery
Dana Sterling Presents:
Amateur Female Jello Wrestling!
Sunday, February 10th, 8-11:00pm
(6:30 Wrestle Lesson)
at Arlene's Grocery
95 Stanton Street (between Ludlow & Allen), NYC.
Subway: F to 2nd Ave
Hey Ladies, want to wrestle? RSVP at
danasterling@gmail.com
"Think the days of female empowerment through mortal combat were over? Think again--as this tongue-in-cheek sporting event brings ready-made deserts back to the ring where they belong." - TimeOut New York
"Sterling has successfully created a space that gives women permission to forget the hassle of deflecting criticism for their bodies' inadequacies and regress to a time when they felt comfortable being ridiculous. All it took was a creative impulse and the help from a little gelatin." - New York
Press
"After the match all the girls felt exhausted, but empowered (like the feeling you get when you watch the 'Charlie's Angel's' movie- watching fabulous females fighting evil and kicking some badguy ass.) Really makes ya wanna be a Rockstar Fighter Chick and change the world!" – Uncoolkids.com
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