The American Spectator

Reader Mail

(Page 3 of 16)

br> Michigan /p>

Mr. Young tries to dismiss the efforts of Arlen Specter in the baseball investigation of steroids, but it was not until after Sen. Specter threatened to get involved, and the House humiliated MLB in their initial hearings, that MLB launched their own investigation into the steroids issue. It took Congressional intervention, and the threat of further intervention to rouse baseball from its "see no evil" posture about the prevalence of steroids in the game. I never thought that this was something that Congress should have been involved in, but even I can see the good that Congressional intervention had here.

As for SpyGate, the NFL has mishandled this from the jump by trying to pooh-pooh it at first, then by destroying the evidence, and pretending that fining the team was a serious punishment. And if the NFL really wanted to make a statement it would have pulled BOTH of the Patriots first round picks, instead of letting them hang onto a top ten pick they got in a trade. Personally I don't see the need for a Senate investigation, but I can't say that someone independent of the NFL doesn't need to take a close look at the investigation launched by Roger Goodell. The NFL has behaved in a way that screams cover-up, and it is especially plausible as one the major marketing themes of the NFL has been pushing the Patriots dynasty; what happens if the NFL has to openly admit that their golden boys achieved their status through blatant rule breaking? That certainly sounds like a reason for the NFL to try to cover their tracks to me.

And it's not just people at NFL message boards who have serious misgivings about this either. Because of the notoriety of the SpyGate scandal, we now have former Patriots player Ross Tucker exposing the fact that the Patriots broke the rules covering the players on injured reserve by allowing them to practice. It is stuff like this that should trouble the NFL, but they seem content to look the other way as their rules are flouted by one of their glamour teams.

p>So if Sen. Specter wants to stay after the NFL, then fine because we have seen just how much they are willing to overlook when they are "policing" themselves! br> -- Eric Edwards br> Walnut Cove, North Carolina /p>

A couple of points, if I might. First, you might want to inform Mr. Ryan as to which teams are the favorites of Sen. Specter. Sen. Specter is from the Philadelphia area and was, is, and always will be a devoted fan to all teams coming from that city. The only time that he gives a whit about any teams from Pittsburgh is during campaigns and when they can possibly serve to put him in front of the TV cameras. He was offered $500K by the chairman of the Judiciary committee to pay for a Senate staff investigation, but turned it down. That would not have gotten him the TV air time that he wanted. If George Bush had kept his big nose out of it, Specter may well have been defeated in the primary the last time around. Then we would have been rid of this erstwhile Sen. Schumer in training.

Secondly, perhaps Mr. Ryan, or Sen. Specter, can inform us as to what state or federal law the Patriots have violated to give the esteemed Senator jurisdiction in this matter. If they don't have enough to do to take care of the legitimate business of the country, perhaps they could go the heck home and quit harassing the American public. America is never safe when Congress is in session.

p>All that said, I believe that the combined fine levied against the Patriots should have been $1 million, instead of the $750,000 and the Pats forced to surrender their highest first round pick, regardless of whether they got it in a trade or wherever. I would also have suspended Belichick for the remainder of the season. But that is simply because I see Belichick as a thoroughly arrogant, paranoid, and unpleasant person. Technically he is a part time genius, but as a person, not so much. I also have not had anything good to say about the owner, Bob Kraft, since he went all nuclear because then coach Parcells called receiver Terry Glenn "she." Kraft's wife didn't like it, so Kraft had a hissy fit over it. Big PC deal. Athletic coaches and military drill instructors say a lot of things to and about their charges to motivate them. Anyway, I am NOT a Patriots fan. br> -- Ken Shreve

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