Selig the Prostitute

For any Chappelle fans out there who saw his stand up "Killing Me Softly", he has a skit about how women dressing like prostitutes confuses guys. He then compares it to dressing up like a cop and having a woman run up to him for help, with him responding "just because I dress like a cop, doesn't mean I am one." Classic skit.

Anyway, I watched this skit last night, and found the irony in the news dropping that Dirty Bud Selig let Jason Giambi off without any punishment despite Giambi's backdoor public admission about steroid use. OK Bud, let me get this straight - you talk tough for years about battling steroids, about changing the culture of the sport to prevent "cheaters" from tarnishing America's pastime, all the while turning a cold shoulder towards Barry Bonds (and his Human Growth Hormone head) chase to 755. You want to be the Sheriff that comes in and clean up town, leveling the playing field for all and bringing the shine back to the game pretty much all of us grew up playing.

So what does Selig do with the one player who has come out and admitted a mistake in steroid use? (NOTE: I'm not including Sheffield's mildly retarded Andrea Kraemer conversation because he claims he didn't do it intentionally). He gives him a friggin' plea bargain because he was impressed (in part) that Giambi loves 'da kids (like Trick Daddy). Next thing Bud's probably doing is picketing for Michael Vick's release (and subsequent Valtrax commercial, but that's neither here nor there).

Selig could not have whiffed more on this. Maybe its tough to suspend Giambi for the whole season. The Player's Union would be up in arms, and he and George Mitchell waited so long that most people forgot Giambi cooperated to investigate anyway, reducing public support for such punishment. But to let him off without so much as a 5, 10, 15 game suspension? What kind of precedent is this setting - particularly with a player that (1) everyone knows took steroids; (2) admitted he took steroids; and (3) isn't some Double-A nobody that doesn't even make the papers for his 50 game suspension for violating the substance abuse policy. This totally trashes his credibility when it comes to being baseball's "lawman" against steroids. Then for him to state that he's not investigating any other active players leaves everyone with the question what the hell was he doing in the first place?

I'll tell you what - dressing like a prostitute.