Memo To Congress: Stay Away From Baseball
Less than a day after former Senator George Mitchell issued his report on the use of steroids in baseball, two Congressman are calling for investigations and hearings:
About two hours after the report was released, two congressmen at the forefront of Capitol Hill’s involvement in the steroids issue asked Mitchell, Selig and Fehr to testify at a House committee hearing Tuesday.
California Democrat Henry Waxman and Virginia Republican Tom Davis the leaders of the panel that held the March 17, 2005, hearing at which Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Palmeiro testified want to know “whether the Mitchell Report’s recommendations will be adopted and whether additional measures are needed,” they said.
Also, a Congressional subcommittee will hold a hearing on Jan. 23 relating to steroid use in professional sports.
I know I’m being slightly naive in asking this question, but why does Congress need to get involved in this matter at all ? Let Major League Baseball decide how to deal with it, and let the fans decide how they are going to treat the players named in the report. Not every problem in the country demands a Congressional subcommittee’s attention, and this is certainly one of those times when Congress would be best advised to butt out.
