United Liberty

The nanny statists are now telling the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) that they should ban members from using tobacco products during games:

The day before game one of the World Series, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and other senators are asking Major League Baseball to ban players from using tobacco products at games, especially smokeless or chewing tobacco.

“Tomorrow night, an expected 15 million viewers, including many children, will tune in to watch the first game of the series. Unfortunately, as these young fans root for their favorite team and players, they also will watch their on-field heroes use smokeless tobacco products,” wrote Durbin and other senators to MLB executive director Michael Weiner.

“During the upcoming negotiations over the bargaining agreement, we write to ask that the Major League Baseball Players Association agree to a prohibition on the use of all tobacco products at games and on camera at all Major League ballparks. This would send a strong message to young baseball fans, who look toward the players as role models, that tobacco use is not essential to the sport of baseball.”

During Sunday evening’s game, important to New York City given the tragic events 10 years prior, Major League Baseball forced players from the New York Mets to take off NYPD and FDNY hats they were wearing in the dugout:

Mets players wanted to wear the hats of first responders Sunday night while they played the Cubs on the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11, but Major League Baseball “said it’s a no-go,” said Josh Thole, the Mets’ union representative.

“They contacted the club and said it’s an absolute ‘no chance’ at all,” Thole said a few hours before the Mets lost, 10-6, in 11 innings at Citi Field. “I guess the fines would be (prohibitive). I spoke with some of the guys and with Terry (Collins) and he said the same thing. They came down on the club very hard and there’s nothing we can do.

“They sent out a big memo that was very adamant about what they wanted done.”
[…]
So the Mets wore black hats with a blue bill and an American flag sewn on the left side. But during batting practice and a moving pregame remembrance ceremony, the Mets wore hats reading “NYPD,” “FDNY,” “PAPD” and initials of other first-responder organizations. Afterward, each player was supposed to autograph his hat and they were slated to be auctioned to benefit various Sept. 11 charities.

Baseball prefers that teams commemorate specific causes with uniform patches or batting-practice displays rather than actual game hats, MLB spokesman Pat Courtney said in an email. MLB doesn’t want to set a precedent for teams choosing to honor different events. The Nationals, for instance, wanted to wear hats honoring Navy Seals in a game earlier this season, but MLB said no.

“Tomorrow, Roger Clemens goes on trial for lying…to politicians. Which is like trying a woman for flashing her breasts at a stripper.” – Radley Balko

Roger Clemens went on trial this week for lying during an investigating into the use of performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) in baseball. Mind you, he is not being put on trial for actually using the drugs – and he shouldn’t be; rather telling a the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee in 2008 that had not used them.

I get that no one forced him to come forward, but it’s laughable for Clemens to be indicted for lying to and “obstructing” a parliament of whores, to quote P.J. O’Rourke. And let’s face it, there are plenty of other things more important that a trial to avenge the delicate sensibilities of members of Congress.

John Stossel rightly notes that this is both a waste of time and taxpayer resources (emphasis mine):

When the Feds went after Barry Bonds, the taxpayers had to cough up more than $55 million to pay for it. I bet Clemens’ case will cost at least that. Why should you have to pay for this?

At the time Clemens allegedly took steroids, lots of players did, and the substances weren’t even illegal in private MLB.

Congress loves such hearings because they bring the narcissists the media attention they crave. Since 2000, there have been 11 congressional hearings related to Major League Baseball.

Clemens may have lied to Congress about using Performance Enhancing Drugs.