by Digger

Baseball's much publicized, scrutinized, blogged, beaten to death steroids/HGH saga will continue. Presiding over baseball with a blind eye towards integrity while keeping both hands open for record revenues at any cost... Major League Baseball Owners extended Commissioner Bud Selig's contract thru 2012.

Selig, a former Milwaukee Brewers owner, was expected to replace Fay Vincent only on an interim basis back in 1992. Vincent was very vocal with his displeasure of MLB owners who conspired back in '92 against the players by rigging contracts. MLBPA was ordered to pay $280M back to the players. During this termoil, it was Bud Selig and White Sox owner Reinsdorf, who lead the successful charge to remove Vincent from his post. Selig was then to take over temporarily.

An obvious conflict of interest question was raised soon thereafter and Selig relinquished control of the Brewers club to his daughter (as if that would fool anyone).

The owners now had what they had wanted all along. An insider they could control while baseball continued to operate with antitrust exemption. During his reign, steroids and human growth hormones stories ran rampid. MLB continued to refute rumors and failed to investigate claims by insiders and former players including MVP's admitted usages. During this time baseball players were hitting home runs at historic rates. Fans were returning to ballparks in record numbers. Scoring was up, television revenues were increasing, merchandizing and marketing venues were in full swing. Baseball owners were enjoying record revenues... and continue to do so.

Selig and baseball people in the know all acted as if they were astonished, amazed, flabbergasted to learn steroids rumors were true following the BALCO scandal. As all good coverup artists do... this group of conspirators tried to falsely pursuade the public they were to take serious action. This serious action amounted to hiring former Senator and current Red Sox Exec Mitchell to prepare the now famous "Mitchell Report" which basically gave a free pass to baseball owners and employees associated with the scandal.

If anyone believes baseball owners were in the dark, or Commissioner Selig, team doctors, trainers etc... then stand in line to buy a bridge. Most amazingly, our drive by media types have fixated more on players names than ownership accountability. In some cases, players were tipped off by league and team officials of impending drug tests thereby furthering a league wide coverup. Mitchell barely addresses this issue. Selig and owners have been given a free pass. And now, Selig gets rewarded by his buddies for diversionary tactics well done.

The tell all of tell all's was Selig's testimony before Congress and the world a couple of short years ago when his opening statement lauded baseball's profitability and record revenues. As is this was to justify intentional ignorance... it was laid out for all to hear before lying of not being in the know despite countless newspaper reports from previous years. Maybe the FBI should be directed by this side show hearing to investigate truthfulness of Selig's comments.

Even Congress got in on the act protecting one of their own by praising Mitchell's work "and" Selig's. What a joke. I wonder how many of those elected individuals receive campaign contributions, and how much, by this powerful group of owners and their billion dollar businesses?

Selig received praise for his new stance on combating the games existing and now exposed problem. You've got to be kidding me! Here's a guy still in the boys club of owners who initially stonewalled any attempt to tackle this problem when it was first presented.

Of course the owners want to keep Bud in place. He's one of them. He makes them money. Don't be fooled for a minute thinking owners are happy to be ridding the game of cheaters. They were enablers in the highest form. Had the league been struggling at the gate, rest assured owners would have exposed players and contract cancellations would have soon followed... and soon thereafter another union vs ownership war would have taken place. Instead, baseball executives and general managers often discussed trades based upon who was juiced and paid for their services accordingly.

How is it during this age of media pit bull's does investigative journalim fly out the window? This story is aching to be researched in depth... and driveby's stay focused on diversionary statements instead of getting below the nonsense and into the guts of what's happening.

One of the first things Selig should have done, if he was a true Commissioner with backbone, was to levy absurd fines against all teams. It's the only way to make them shape up... hit 'em where it hurts... right smack in their wallets at no less than $50M/club. Afterall, if baseball was and continues to "enjoy" record revenues, then even $50M is a slap on the wrist easily recouped in short order.

Every team was in the know, each team employed cheaters, and at least one club official or employee from every single team had personal information something was seriously awry. Who told them to shut up or look the other way? And who stymied MLB's security from furthering ivestigations?

No wonder Selig has been rewarded for the of sports all time biggest scandals. He protected the puppet masters. And now he's here to stay, at least thru 2012.