UPDATE: Baseball and Steroids

There is simply too much out there on the potential congressional hearings to try and keep up. To summarize, Congress is going forward with the hearings, has subpoenaed the players, and as expected, has threatened baseball with the loss of its antitrust exemption and tax exemption, if it does not comply. Are the legislatures in charge of this grandstanding? Or are they doing the nation a great service? I leave the decision with you.

For more on this, Only Baseball Matters has excellent coverage (here, here, and here).

One thing I will comment on: if it turns out baseball players were juiced, what about their records and awards? Mike commented on this a while back in regards to Mike Greenwell and the AL MVP award and I have been meaning to jump in. This is a tough question. I am never one to overturn what happens on the field, but something seems different when cheating is involved. After all, the NCAA reverses the outcomes of games and takes away trophies and banners when it is determined an ineligible player participated (I think this is even more objectionable than cheating involving one player's achievements, by the way, but that is a subject for another day.) So, should Greenwell get the AL MVP? Should McGwire's record be wiped from the books? How about Bonds's?

I am going to have to think about this one. I have some initial thoughts but I want to clarify them before I post anything. I would be interested to hear any thoughts or ideas that people have. Do the records stand? Are they erased? What about the Hall of Fame?

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