The War in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, abortion policies, immigration policies, healthcare policies, energy policies, foreign policies, steroids in baseball, Homeland Security, “spygate,” economic issues…these are all very important matters that our politicians should be discussing and contemplating. Hmm….something seems odd about that previous sentence. What has happened to our country? Sports are no longer just “games.” If they were “games,” then our own politicians would not be holding hearings on steroids and investigating professional football teams for spying.  Senator Arlen Specter is investigating the New England Patriots because they have been accused of spying on other teams in the NFL. I want to repeat this one more time so that people can understand how ridiculous I think this is…Senator Arlen Specter is investigating the New England Patriots because they have been accused of spying on other teams in the NFL. I do believe that “spygate” is an issue that needs to be seriously addressed, but it is absurd that a Senator has the right to go into the league and start an investigation.  There should be an investigation…but not by a Senator of Pennsylvania. Why would any true sports fan want that? How could any true sports fan feel comfortable with our politicians becoming a deciding factor in sports? How could anyone watch the Clemens hearing and not notice that the Democrats favored McNamee and the Republicans favored Clemens? I could not believe that even when dealing with sports, their opinions were split by party lines. Do people not find that absurd?

I have a vision…The 2009 State of the Union will go something like this:

“My distinguished and fellow citizens…we gather here tonight to discuss matters of great consequence to our beautiful nation. With all the promise and pride our people have shown since its birth, we have now been put in jeopardy by two obstacles that will be very difficult for our nation to overcome: steroids in baseball and “spygate.” Even the cruelty of Al-Qaeda can not match what the incompetence of Bud Selig, and the slyness of Bill Belicheck with a camera have done to our country. The validity of homeruns and Super Bowl titles is by far the most important issue this country has ever faced. Only through the hard work of Senator Mitchell, Senator Specter, and many Congressmen and Congresswomen, has our country emerged from these tragic events thus far.  Can we get through this difficult time? All I can say is we will work….we will fight…and I promise…we will emerge victorious!”

Give me a break.

The Mitchell Report has proven to be a disaster, and the hearings have been embarrrassing for everyone involved. The Mitchell Report accused players and trainers…but only a fraction of those that are guilty of doing steroids. The hearings have been painful to watch on both sides…not just for the players. When did Palmeiro get his 300th hit again? The members of Congress have made absolute fools of themselves on a consistent basis. Are we going to have a Congressional hearing on every single conflict in sports? I hope not. I understand the importance of these issues, but our Senators and Congressional members should not be involved. Their place for debate is elsewhere. For the record, I am as far from a New England Patriots fan as possible.