The antitrust exemption angle is why Congress got involved with major league baseball in the first place, as was stated above.   It's also a big part of the reason for the upcoming hearings involving Clemens et al., as well as the Raphael Palmiero/Mark McGuire hearings a few years ago, but I believe there's more.   Baseball IS the American game.   The home run records broken under the cloud of steroids matter greatly to those of us who have followed baseball since we were children and appreciate the sanctity of stuff like this.   Sure, there are Congressmen who think it'll play really well back home to have their names attached to hearings about baseball.   But now it's all come to a head.   Bud Selig has hidden his head in the sand and played dumb for way too long, as has everyone else with a financial stake in the game.

    I don't know what I really expect from these hearings, but I do know this as a baseball fan: records broken illegally should not stand.   Pete Rose has been kept out of the Hall of Fame because of his wagering on baseball as a manager, even though it's perfectly clear that his playing career warrants his place in Cooperstown.   Roger Clemens threw a splintered bat at Mike Piazza during a game, and now he's trying to tell us it was the B-12.   Please.   It's time to clean up baseball, and if the "Commissioner" and the owners don't care enough about tradition, history, and the glory of this All-American game to bother, then Congress might as well have a whack.   Whether they'll accomplish anything remains to be seen.   

    Steve Goodman is no doubt turning in his grave....

                                       'Ray