Thursday, March 20, 2008

Window Dressing

The Mitchell-requested and Selig-promised background checks of clubhouse personnel have begun:
Employees subject to the examinations were asked to sign waivers authorizing MLB's new Department of Investigations or an outside contractor to obtain the required information. The screening begins with a consumer background check, meaning financial and criminal histories are being probed. Halem says if any irregularities are found, investigators would expand to a more thorough inquiry in which friends and associates would be interviewed.

This, of course, is all about closing the barn door after the Radomski and McNamee horses escaped. Query: Weren't both of those guys clean as whistles before being hired by teams? Is there any indication that either of them wouldn't have passed the background checks if they had been in place when they were brought on?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

As is often the case, it's not so much about the effectiveness of the procedures as it is the appearance. Would most of the post-9/11 security procedures have prevented 9/11? Probably not. Has making it more difficult to buy Sudafed than it is to buy vodka made a dent in the meth problem? I doubt it.

Selig is frequently criticized for his inaction during the "steroid era." He cannot be accused of that now, regardless of whether the action has any real benefit.