So it’s come to this — Bud Selig (allegedly) threatening to suspend The Giambino (above, right) if he refuses to sing to former Senator George Mitchell. Never mind that the Mitchell Investigation carries no legal authority and no other players have been publicy castigated by MLB for their refusal to squeal.
While I’m uncomfortable defending Jason Giambi for well, anything, this does smack of retribution for the part-time player having the temerity to suggest the entire baseball industry owes the public an apology. The Commissioner is very found of citing the number of new stadiums that have been constructed while on his watch, but perhaps not so pleased that anyone — especially a uniformed pleab like Giambi, might imply, however indirectly, that such cash cows were a byproduct of The Steroid Era.
The Catbird From The Nosebleed Seats’ Jeff Kalliman writes,
The softly nagging question before the house is likely to remain: Is baseball government really interested in getting the ˜roids out, with Giambi™s unexpected May bombshell a profound enough new launcher; or, are they more interested in just clamming Giambi”and anyone else who might have similar comings-clean prodding them”the hell up.
But it also causes a subordinate question: one as to whether Selig forgot this little portion of that statement from last week: Discipline for wrongdoing is important, but it is also important to create an environment so players can feel free to honestly and completely cooperate with this important investigation.
Somehow, an actual or implicit suspension threat, tied to a coming meeting with a designated investigator, won™t seem like trying to foster such an environment, to some people, at least.