Not Smart, Bud

Apparently, Bud Selig is seriously considering suspending Alex Rodriguez for admitting that he used steroids from 2001-2003.

From nydailynews.com:

"It was against the law, so I would have to think about that," Selig told the paper. "It's very hard. I've got to think about all that kind of stuff."

"He's open to everything. That doesn't mean he can do everything. He's keeping all options open," MLB spokesman Rich Levin told the Daily News, referring to Selig."

There are so many things wrong with suspending A-Rod that it's ridiculous.

For starters A-Rod used admitted to using steroids five years ago when there was no steroid testing or punishments for players who tested positive. Suspending A-Rod now would be some kind of ex post facto and would probably do more harm that good to Selig's image.

And how about the other 103 players who tested positive for steroids who were on the same list as A-Rod? How can Selig justifiably suspend A-Rod while not taking action against any of the other 103? It's unfair enough that A-Rod was the only name to come off this list and suspending only A-Rod would make this look like a witch hunt.

And finally, when will the higher ups at major league baseball take some of the blame for this mess? It's easy to place all the blame on the players, because hey, they took the stuff, but the fact remains that there was no testing or punishment for steroid use and many owners turned a blind eye when they heard rumors about steroids. Ultimately, profit overtook the purity of the game and for that, owners must take responsibility.

The steroid era is going to leave a painful and permanent black eye on baseball. And you know what, the A-Rod confession was probably just the start of it. I'm sure there were hundreds more who used steroids and some (if not most) of those names will eventually get out. It's easy for Selig to make an example of A-Rod right now, but he would be setting a horrible precedent and be awfully unfair.