FROM Jack Cafferty:
Roger Kahn dubbed them "The Boys of Summer" in one of the finest books ever written about American sports.
Baseball has long been the great escape in America. An afternoon at any major league park watching wholesome, fresh-faced young kids playing a truly great game at its highest level provided the perfect escape from the tedium of the job, the drudgery of the commute, the tensions of the marriage and the problems with the children.
A hot dog, a cold drink and the cry of "play ball," was always a lot better and a lot cheaper than spending an hour on some shrink's couch.
But they had to go and ruin it for us.
When Mark McGwire, with a neck the size of a tree trunk, was shattering home run records and waving his bat around at home plate like a toothpick, we should have known something was up. And it was.
Now comes the depressing news that a bunch of our heroes were jerking us around and have been linked in a 20-month investigation to performance-enhancing drugs: Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi, Lenny Dykstra, Andy Pettitte, Mo Vaughn, Gary Sheffield... It's a long list, with dozens of names on it, according to George Mitchell's investigation.
This is a betrayal on a massive scale. The behavior is every bit as criminal as any politician who betrays the public trust. We came to watch you guys play baseball and you've let us down.
Here’s my question to you: How much damage will a massive steroid scandal ultimately do to Major League Baseball?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Robert from Redding, California writes:
Jack, How much long term damage is done to baseball will depend on how the scandal is handled now. There has to be accountability. Those cheaters who are still playing should be banned for life, and many of their records and awards invalidated. Only that will prove to the fans that baseball is serious about cleaning up the game. "Looking forward" is not enough.
Mike from Minnesota writes:
The scandal would be to turn your backs on the players who followed the rules. We have the St. Paul Saints minor league team. I think people will come to watch players who follow the rules. Think of the guys who didn’t use these drugs. I’ll never go to another game if they let these guys off the hook.
Billy writes:
I don't think steroids will ruin baseball at all. There is drug use in every sport. As long as baseball is starting to test for steroids and other illegal drugs, there shouldn't be a problem. In all honesty I don't understand why this issue is even as big as it is as.
John in Michigan writes:
It should do a lot of damage and it better. Every person who is in the record books linked to this should be given an * and stripped of their title, whether it be a Cy Young Award, MVP, or Golden Glove Award.
Terry in Florida writes:
I am not excusing the baseball players, but when will a similar investigation be done in the NFL? Does anyone really believe those monster physiques we see each Sunday are all natural?
J writes:
A culture of sensationalism simply will not care. Entertainment for the masses is all that matters. Welcome to Rome.
James writes:
Pine tar leads to harder drugs. What did we expect?
Maybe Jack will read yours tomorrow.