Too Much Time Passed in Congress on our National Pastime?
Once again, our nation’s most pressing issue has leapfrogged a myriad of other crises, occupying the time of Senators and Statesmen from every state in the union. In a time of international conflict, environmental catastrophe and large scale economic uncertainty, what is on the mind of our country’s elected officials? Baseball. Granted, as we close out the dog days of August and teams gear up for a playoff push over the final fall weeks, baseball is probably at least occupying more brain space than usual for fans of the game nationwide, is there really a place for MLB-related issues to occupy should-be jam packed list of concerns for Congress members? Just recently, Roger Clemens was formally indicted by a Federal Grand Jury, charged with lying to Congress, while under oath, and obstructing congressional inquiry. But the question remains, exactly what business does Congress have poking around in the affairs of professional baseball?Sure, the shutdown of Stephen Strasburg for the season might be fine for dinner table chatter among Senators and House Representatives who keep up with local teams on their own hours, but when it comes to official government business, one can be pretty sure the founding fathers didn’t intend for the legislative branch to check and balance the rules regarding performance enhancing drugs.Certainly, if Clemens is indeed found guilty of the charges he faces, which many close to the situation suspect is the most likely outcome, he will be punished as would any American who plainly tells bold face lies in a Congressional hearing. The issue at hand is not whether it is right or wrong to punish Clemens for perjury, but whether Clemens, not to mention Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and a host of other professional baseball players who have found themselves under the cloud of steroid suspicion surrounding the sport, should have been called to Capitol Hill in the first place. Clemens ultimately stands to lose up to 30 years of his life for what boils down to cheating in baseball, a game, not a matter of life and death.