FanHouse Don Fehr

Turns out GM Kenny Williams isn't the only member of the White Sox brass that gets indignant upon hearing he could have done more to stop baseball's steroid era: team owner Jerry Reinsdorf sounded off during an interview on Comcast SportsNet, not only claiming innocence but also explicitly blaming the head of the players' union, Don Fehr:

''We would have loved to have done more, but Don Fehr wouldn't do it. People should start to realize that we could have been testing for steroids years and years ago, but Don Fehr wouldn't do it because he said it was an invasion of privacy, and the result of that is that Don Fehr is going to cost players entry into the Hall of Fame because if we could have been testing for steroids years ago, some of these guys who are now on the bubble who got themselves in trouble would have gotten off steroids. ... Steroids is strictly a Don Fehr problem and creation.''

(Reading between the lines, I think he's trying to say that Don Fehr may hold some responsibility.) I don't doubt that the players' union resisted testing, but it's a little convenient for Reinsdorf to assign 100% of the blame on them without admitting that the owners as a whole made a lot (a lot) of money on juiced up players. If this was really a point of contention among the owners, they did an amazing job keeping it a secret the entire time.

Blood testing is perhaps the next major step in baseball's gradual evolution toward creating a baseball future that more greatly resembles Minority Report. Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on your perspective, MLBPA head Don Fehr has vehemently opposed blood testing, which obviously means that Don Fehr does steroids. What else does he have to hide? (This message has been paid for by Hillary Clinton Steroids Swiftboaters for Truth.)

But the argument remains: Should Major League Baseball start testing players' blood? Should those samples be frozen for future scientific investigation? Most players might disagree; Derek Jeter, however, has no fear in those Yankee eyes:

"We get pricked by needles in spring training, anyway, so I don't think it's a big deal," the Yankees' captain reiterated yesterday.

How brave! Unfortunately for Jeter, blood analysis would likely require a computer system, and since computers can't teach us anything about baseball, we're back at square one. Oh well.

Shocking news: Politicians enjoy the spotlight! With all of the attention the Mitchell Report is getting, it was only a matter of time before Congress would try to parlay the overwhelming public interest into a little face time in front of the cameras. After all, why should Sen. George Mitchell get all the fun -- he's not even still in office!From Mike Fish on ESPN.com:

Mitchell, who headed the 20-month probe of the game's so-called steroid era, had no sooner left the podium at a New York hotel than joint leadership of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform invited Mitchell, Commissioner Bud Selig and union leader Don Fehr to appear at hearings Tuesday. Simultaneously, a subcommittee of the Committee on Energy and Commerce jumped into the fray by requesting that Mitchell and baseball representatives testify at a Jan. 23 hearing.

If reading thoughts and reactions to the report by various senators and representatives is your thing, I suggest you read the entire article, set your Tivo to record C-SPAN next Tuesday and circle Jan. 23rd on your calendar. But if you're like me and kind of annoyed at watching elected officials ride the coat-tails of pop culture for fame and publicity, write or call your representative or senator and tell them they have more important matters to attend.

Read FanHouse's full coverage of the Mitchell Report.
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