Commissioner Selig Talks Drugs, Replay, Baseball
June 23, 2008 -- The Florida Marlins and Tampa Bay Rays are baseball's biggest surprises this season, and baseball seems poised to incorporate instant replay after having resisted longer than other sports. Still, the matter of performance-enhancing drugs is not going away. In an interview in his Milwaukee office, baseball commissioner Bud Selig sat down with ESPN.com's Howard Bryant and discussed these and other subjects.
Despite the resignation of Peter Magowan (as managing partner), have you decided to take disciplinary action against the San Francisco Giants for their inclusion in the Mitchell report?
I've been talking to a lot of people about it, but I have nothing to say at this time.
Major League Baseball once again toughened its drug policy. What feedback have you received from Congress, and are you certain that you have satisfied their mandates?
We do have the toughest testing policy. It's clearly working, but I'm talking to trainers all the time, I'm talking to doctors all the time, and the medical people involved, and Dr. Gary Green, who is our expert. And I'm satisfied with the results. Congress? I don't hear a thing. I think they are more than satisfied. Look, I hired George Mitchell, whom I have a lot of respect for. And I said it before: There weren't a lot of happy people -- both with my place, at the union, anywhere -- and I didn't care. But I thought it was the right thing to do. And we adopted all of his recommendations. So, I think Congress, the last two times I was there, they were great to me. Nobody says anything to me. The only word I get out of Washington is that they're done with us.
Yes, but U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., recently asked baseball to provide additional information regarding yours and the union's testimony from the 2005 hearings.
We recently had a request from Congress on a narrow factual issue, but I have seen no indication of dissatisfaction with the actual program and the progress we have made.
You have always referred to yourself as a purist. Are you on board with the momentum toward instant replay? How much of a role should it play in your mind?
