Bud Seilig & The MLB vs The Roids: Round Two

I like to ask questions to my reader(s) on my blog. Here's a good one....

What the heck is going on with these whiners who are against imposing harsher penalties for MLB athletes who illegally use anabolic performance enhancing steroids? Go Bud Seilig, I'm a fan of yours.

Granted, I'm about as big a baseball fan as any normal person is - that is, I'm not a freak who stalks baseball players but I do love to keep up with the league on Sportscenter, I have my favorite players, and I LOVE my favorite team, but I love the game itself even more. (Sidenote: Therefore I do not like the Wankees).

With that established, in protecting our wonderful pasttime fans of baseball need to support harsher penalties to preserve the purity of the game, or at least what's left of it. Bud Seilig, the MLB commissioner, has proposed a 50 game fine for first time offenders, escalating after the second offense to (I believe) 100 games, and after the third offense a player would go the way of Pete Rose, and I don't mean eventually to the hall of fame. I know, I know, you can't believe anyone would contest this either, right? Well, as it stands now a player receives a 10 game suspension after the first offense. Need I say more? This is by far the most aggressive proposal ever made by a MLB commissioner regarding drug penalties. Go Bud, go.

In the past the MLBPA has disputed some of Bud's agressive attacks on steroid use, but at this point, with the threat of congressional interaction looming, they have little room to keep Bud from hitting a home run for his stepped-up punishments. Here's what's going to happen and what has happened very recently. The chief MLBPA rep actually replied in agreement this week to an email sent by Bud regarding harsher penalties. Now the table is set. At the meeting they are planning now the two ol' boys of summer are going to play catch and toss for awhile. Bud will start out at 50, the MLBPA will tone it down a bit, then Bud will go for 100 after two and again Bud will get toned down. Here's the kicker. Bud, and the MLBPA, know Congress will not settle for anything less than a lifetime ban on the "three strikes and your out" agenda. We'll probably see something like 30 games, 50 games, and BAM - you go yard. Not exactly as beautiful as Bud's proposal, but I'll take it over what we have now anyday... and that's a closer better than Smoltz.

Your thoughts, please.

Go Braves!