A few days ago, I read that Major League Baseball is giving Bud Selig an extension so that they can keep him until 2012. It's clear to me that their intent is to put the entire steroids scandal around his neck and then hang him out to dry; why keep him for another four years? Do they really think it will take that long to accomplish that goal? Or do they want to get him to stick around so he can clean up his "own" mess?

The question of responsibility in the whole performance enhancement debacle is a complex one. On one hand, we are talking about a professional sports league filled with grown men who are (presumably) capable of managing their own lives and their own choices. On the other hand, wouldn't enforcing a drug testing policy have mitigated (if not reduced) the problem to start with? In my opinion, the answer lies in the perception that Major League Baseball cannot have its cake and eat it too, i.e., integrity and performance do not go hand in hand. The great American pastime is also a great American powerhouse business, and it is clear that many people in that business believe that they cannot maintain their professional integrity and still give Joe Blow Up In The Stands what he wants to see.

I don't think that's true though. Watching baseball, for me, falls somewhere between waiting for paint to dry and watching a cat lick its rear end. That makes me think that the people who are interested in watching professional baseball do so for a love of the game that extends beyond watching incredible physical feats that could be powered purely by hard work and talent, but clearly are not, in light of the Mitchell report. Sure, the fair weather fans may be the ones who don't care about steroids, the ones who just want to see something amazing whether it occurs naturally or not. But the real fans, the ones who stay and watch a game until it gets called due to lightning, the ones who buy season tickets, the ones who think of baseball as the epitome of talent, skill, and sportsmanship- those people don't want to see their beloved sport sullied by this kind of scandal.

The people who support the MLB are the ones the league has let down.