Selig: Record book review might be called for -- or not

CBS SportsLine.com ^ | Nov. 9, 2005 | Scott Miller

[kingattax]

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. -- For the first time, at the general managers meetings here Wednesday morning, commissioner Bud Selig hinted at a review of baseball's record book once a tougher steroid program is in place -- but then he quickly reeled that back in just when it got everybody's attention.

"The whole record thing is on table -- after we get this cleaned up, we can look at that," said Selig, who continues to lobby the players union for a stricter steroid-testing program - and emphasized again that he will support Congressional legislation in lieu of an agreement with the players. "I'm not saying we will do anything because there doesn't seem to be a practical way of doing anything about it."

The comments are especially relevant now with Barry Bonds perched at third on baseball's all-time home-run list at 708, ranking just behind second-place Babe Ruth (714) and with all-time leader Henry Aaron (755) within his sight.

Selig did not address Bonds specifically, nor did the commissioner discuss the whopping single-season homer records of Bonds (73) or Mark McGwire (70) in recent years.

When asked a follow-up question regarding a possible review of the record book as it relates to the steroid age, he backed off.

"I know there has been a lot of pressure," he said. "I never say never to anything, but look, there is no medical data from 2003 (because baseball's first steroid-testing system was implemented in 2004). I ask people how in the world you would do a review, and they have no idea.

"What I said is, I have focused on getting this cleaned up. That has taken a lot of my time.

"Having said that, frankly, there is no pragmatism, there is no data that exists to do that. When we're all done with everything, when we have a system, a tough system, in place, we'll look at everything."

Earlier this year, Selig proposed a tougher system to the players in which they would receive a 50-game suspension for a first steroid offense, a 100-game suspension for a second and a lifetime ban for a third.

Currently, first-time offenders are suspended for 10 days. A second offense nets a 30-day suspension, a third positive test gets a 60-day suspension and a fourth offense gets a year.

Don Fehr, director of the players union, has said he will work with Selig to develop a stronger testing system than the one currently in place -- and the union has agreed to include an amphetamine ban -- but to date, the union and the owners have yet to agree on stronger punishments.

Meanwhile, Congress, led by Sen. Jim Bunning, the Hall of Fame pitcher, continues to push anti-steroid legislation, and Selig acknowledged the government is in position to move more quickly than baseball has.

"There's no question that Congress is on a very fast track," he said.

As for the current atmosphere, Selig again expressed his desire to get the steroids mess cleaned up.

"The thing that's bothered me the most is that there is a lot of innuendo, a lot of finger-pointing and accusations with no empirical data to support it," he said. "My wife and I saw the Edward R. Murrow film the other night (Good Night, and Good Luck) and the whole Joe McCarthy thing (in which the Senator essentially led witch hunts aimed at those he suspected of being communists) ... you can say a lot of things about a lot of people, and it's very troubling to me."

[SpringheelJack]

I don't think there's any way it could happen. Nobody put an asterisk next to the 1919 World Series or 1877 National League pennant, nor every batting championship won by a Colorado Rockie; the numbers are what they are, and the main goal of statistical record-keeping is to record what happened, however it happened. There are lots of events in baseball's history which are pretty iffy and will make your eyes roll.

That will not stop, however, a mental asterisk being put beside these numbers, and such an asterisk will be next to McGwire, Bonds and Sosa regardless of what Selig does. I'll sure have one.