That said, I've got to ask the question...why did Congress even have this hearing? I understand that February in Washington can be a hellishly boring time and place. I can also sympathize with the needs of the Members to do something, anything, to make themselves look and feel important. After all, the public's opinion of Congress has been in a trough for most of my lifetime. But the question of whether or not baseball players enhanced their performance with certain drugs (whether or not those drugs were illegal) is far beyond the Constitutional scope of federal power. Matt Welch of Reason was on this like white on rice. It adds credence to the theory that Congress would best help the country if it did nothing but sit silently on its hands.
And then there's Francisco Rodriguez. For anyone not aware of this saga, the Mets' closer got into an altercation with his fiancé's father, who was taken from Citi Field by ambulance. The next day, K-Rod was arraigned on third-degree assault charges, and was put on the restricted list - a two-day suspension, without pay. The following Saturday (the 14th), he pitches, but feels something wrong. Two days later, a torn ligament is discovered in K-Rod's pitching hand - an injury that is directly related to the prior incident, and an injury that requires season ending surgery. The Mets have placed Rodriguez on something called the "disqualified list," which I didn't even know existed prior to this whole thing. They also converted his contract to a non-guaranteed variety, and might even try to void the whole thing.
As expected, the Major League Baseball Players Association has filed a grievance against all of the Mets' actions. I hope the Mets win - and not just because I'm a fan. This kind of