Marvin Miller, who built baseball’s players union into one of the strongest unions in the world, doesn’t fault Commissioner Bud Selig for requesting much stricter penalties for steroid offenders. He blames current union leaders for setting the precedent in January.
Miller, critical of the union for reopening the current agreement to alter the steroid policy in January, told USA TODAY on Sunday: “When a union goes down the path of making unwarranted concessions, it doesn’t buy them anything.”
Miller (above), 88, union executive director from 1966 until he retired in 1988, added, “From the beginning of this whole thing, it was clear to me that any concession whatsoever was going to lead to this and worse.”
“I do not know whether steroids are a serious health problem and almost nobody else does either. …” Miller said. ” On the other hand, I feel when you have a health issue involved you ought to err on the side of caution.”
I find it interesting that most of the sports-yack radio & tv programs of the past week were with filled outraged guys who couldn’t fathom how Terrell Owens hds the gall to renege on his Eagles contract. The same legal experts will be equally quick to tear Donald Fehr to shreads when he doesn’t capitulate to MLB’s demands. So it’s official, Bud Selig is smarter than he looks.