The Sheila Variations

Rose is a spineless little worm of a man. The only reason he's "expressing regret" (note the lack of the word "apology") is because it's his only chance to see the inside of the Hall of Fame without buying a ticket.

The man disgraced himself and the game. Yes, there are wife beaters, racists, alcoholics and drug addicts in baseball; but the game's First Commandment is "Thou Shalt Not Gamble".

And there's a damn good reason why it is.

Dude, I added your name to the list, just as you were commenting. Weird.

I mean, I don't think Pete Rose should go to hell or anything like that - but it seems like if you break the rules to that degree, and you disgrace the game to that degree - then it's over for you.

You blew it.

Many others face that temptation and say No. You said Yes. You blew it.

One of life's little coincidences.

The Dowd Report is very dry reading, but it contains all the information that John Dowd acquired while investigating Rose for Commissioner Giamatti.

I expect Rose's supporters will now retract all the terrible things they've said about Giamatti and Dowd.

I think Rose should probably be allowed into the HOF, with an asterisk. I don't think he should ever be allowed back into baseball in any formal capacity.

However, I also think that all the people who are getting hot and bothered about Pete Rose are failing to see the forest for the trees. The real threat to the integrity of baseball is the proliferation of performance-enhancing drugs. I'm sickened by the way MLB is turning a blind eye to this cancer that eating away at the game. The players and owners are equally culpable. If someone doesn't have the guts to step in and say "enough" and start serious enforcement with harsh penalties similar to those for betting, baseball will be ruined by the mis-use of technology just as surely as if they legalized titanium alloy bats with laser-guided auto-gyroscope swing compensation. There is NO excuse for this - it's purely and simply cheating to gain an advantage over the players who refuse to cheat, as well as those who use less effective designer drugs.

This issue is very near to my heart because uncontrolled technology is also on the verge of destroying auto racing. Sports regulatory bodies must stop thinking and operating as if we're still in the 1950's. The technology certainly does exist to catch the cheaters, but most regulatory bodies are pathetically unsophisticated about technological matters. If they can't get their collective heads out of their asses, all sports will devolve into purely technological exercises in coming decades. The stuff that's on the horizon - DNA manipulation, special-purpose nanobots, etc. make today's issues look almost benign by comparison.

It never fails to shock me when I see old pictures of Ted Williams, Joe DeMaggio - and see how lithe and thin they were - compared to the jacked-up beefed-up bigshots today.

How is uncontrolled technology ruining auto racing? Forgive my ignorance. I know absolutely nothing about it.

Mike,

I would be open to considering Rose's admission to the Hall, but only if it happens after he's dead and the plaque is hung on the wall in the middle of the night. He doesn't deserve to be at a celebration in his honor after all that he's pulled.

I agree that performance enhancing drugs are the major threat today, and MLB's new policy is a pathetic joke. When I look at the numbers being put up today, I barely pay them any mind. Sosa, McGwire and Bonds have their fat numbers because of steroids, small parks and a juiced ball.

Sadly, the Players Union is far too strong to ever permit a reasonable steroid policy, and because of that, it's popularity will continue to decline.

Sheila, you don't need to go back 50 years. 20 will do, check out Darryl Strawberry circa 1984.

Utility infielders pack more muscle these days.

I guess those 2 came to me cause they were childhood heroes. I can see Ted Williams' swing in my mind!

I suppose Darryl Strawberry was on different drugs entirely.

Strawberry was a childhood hero of mine, and an important object lesson on "the real world".

Red, I could talk on this subject for days but I'll try to keep it short enough to avoid putting you to sleep.

Technology has a deleterious effect on racing in two ways. The first, traditional way involves the best-funded teams gaining an insurmountable advantage by pursuing high-tech options that are not prohibited by the rules. An example would be someone in a limited class that only pays $300 to win an A-Feature spending $3000 on a high-tech crankshaft that provides him with an additional 30 horsepower. In and of itself it doesn't guarantee a win, but his competitors will be fighting a steeply uphill battle if they don't respond in-kind. Most of them simply won't be able to afford to do that. This issue can be addressed by improvements in the rules designed to make for fairer competition.

The second, more insidious problem is using currently undetectable technologies to cheat. The thing that has been sweeping the countryside lately is computerized electronic traction control. This basically removes driver skill as a variable in the outcome of a race altogether - the driver just sits there and holds the throttle on the floor and lets the computer handle everything. At this point in time, most racing organization tech inspectors have no idea how to find such a tiny, easily hidden device. This is very similar to the situation with baseball and designer steroids.

Racing has always been an expensive sport in which extraordinary effort is required to have any chance at success - all racers undestand that. However, when you know in advance that you can't possibly beat someone because they have a faster car and their software will prevent them from making any mistakes, what's the point of even having the race? Why spend all that money and effort when you know the game is rigged?

Those are the primary questions facing auto racing as we move into the 21st Century, and the answers are not at all clear.

Bill, the owners are just as unwilling to put the good of the game ahead of maximizing profit as the union. The most obvious indicator of how little respect the owners have for the game is the fact that Bud Selig is still the commissioner.

Yeah, the owners are just as bad for the game. Especially the used car salesman in charge.