Bud Selig Is In a Foul Temper

With leaks swirling and accusations that MLB isn't doing everything it can to stymie steroid users, USA Today's Hal Bodley caught the wrath of commissioner Bud Selig yesterday. Mr. Selig, it seems, is none too happy about the situation ... or the thought (humbly shared by this writer, might I add) that Selig and Mitchell aren't all that excited about finding out much about performance enhancing drugs. Bodley writes:

Selig's demeanor on this subject reinforces my belief Major League Baseball wants to keep everything about steroids hush-hush. After all, the game has never been more prosperous, and Selig is doing everything in his power to keep the focus on the field.

"Your perception is totally wrong," Selig snaps. "When I called George Mitchell last March (2006), I told him he could go anywhere, look at anything, examine whatever he wanted to. I think we've done everything we can now, but we need to look back on what happened, to learn."

Fine, but why then the current gag order?

"If I really didn't want that stuff to come out, I wouldn't have gone to George Mitchell," Selig says. "He's a man of impeccable credentials, who's very aggressive. This notion that we really don't want things to come out is wrong. I want whatever he finds to come out."

Suuuuure you do, Bud. Sure you do.

Excuse my cynicism, but the onus is on Selig now. If, when Mitchell's investigation is complete, Major League Baseball doesn't live up to the promise and release his findings -- or, even worse, the findings are reported against Selig's wishes via an anonymous leak -- we'll know just what Selig was hoping for all along: blind ignorance, or perhaps willful stupidity, regarding the issue of PED's in baseball. Unfortunately, that helps Selig and the owners and cheaters, and hurts everyone else.

Previously on the FanHouse:
Guess What: Union Won't Give Up Medical Records
If Sammy Sosa Pees In a Cup, George Mitchell Wants to Know About It