The cries should be loudest in Philadelphia, New York and San Francisco --- and Tampa Bay.

But they’re not.

Fans and baseball owners in those cities should be expressing outrage that their prospects of winning the World Series are seriously hampered by Cliff Lee.

Lee just happens to be one of the best post-season pitchers in baseball.

Last fall, he went 4-0 with a 1.56 ERA in five postseason games, including two wins against the Yankees in the World Series.  He was a major reason the Phillies were playing October baseball at all. 

And his performance in his three playoff wins this year has been remarkable.         

After being traded to Seattle, he was later sent to the Texas Rangers, bolstering a team that always faded in the second half of the season. 

Now, having advanced to the League Championship Series (the only MLB franchise that had never done so) --- in which Lee had two of the three wins, including the decisive last game --- the Rangers are a threat to go all the way.

There’s only one problem.  The Lee trade should never have happened. 

The fact that it did is a direct affront to every team owner, player and fan.

All except the Texas Rangers, that is.

Why?

Because the Rangers were in bankruptcy at the time of the trade.

Instead of getting their financial house in order --- and paying their creditors ---, Texas pulled out the most improbable victory of the season.

But unlike most games, where there is only one loser, the Rangers’ achievement came at the expense of the other 29 teams.

*****

How did a team in bankruptcy hit this home run?

That bastion of hypocrisy, Major League Baseball, came in as the relief pitcher.

Last year, it loaned the Rangers $18.5 million. And when the team’s ownership defaulted on its $525 million debt, MLB came through with another $21.5 million.

Let’s get this straight.

A team that can’t pay its bills or meet payroll receives a loan from the League --- whose money comes from the teams themselves --- and then uses that money to acquire arguably the best pitcher in the game.

Hmmm.  Something with that picture just isn’t right.

It’s similar to the U.S. government subsidizing companies, such as the GM bailout, while victimizing those who have done nothing wrong. 

For example, Honda gets punished for having efficient operations and fiscal responsibility, being forced to compete against the unlimited resources of the Government.

But here’s the difference. Honda still makes a superior product, so it will continue to rule the day, although its road to success will be bumpier.

Not so with the Rangers.  The “product” they acquired --- with OTM (Other Teams’ Money) --- is superior to virtually all others on the market.

How many millions is a playoff appearance worth?  A League Pennant?  How about a World Series appearance, let alone a Championship?

For the other teams that missed the postseason because of Lee’s prowess, that’s millions down the drain --- because of what should have been an illegitimate trade.

The Rangers’ competitors, albeit unwillingly, have given that team the rope --- in this case money --- to hang the rest of the League.

And should we even mention the riot potential in Philadelphia if the Phillies meet Texas in the World Series, only to lose Game 7 to Cliff Lee?

*****

Most disturbing, but least surprising, is the lack of on-the-record displeasure from the baseball executives.

Too many business leaders exhibit cowardice, instead of guts. And since baseball is a business, team owners are no exception.

Two things are certain:

1)      Most, if not all, of the owners are still furious that the Lee trade was permitted to occur, especially those who were vying for playoff spots.

2)      But you won’t see any of them voice their opinion --- at least for attribution.

Oh, we’ll see anonymous quotes deriding the decision, but none will dare cross the biggest hypocrite of all, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig.

Just look at the “unnamed” executive on the Lee trade, as reported in the New York Times: “The Rangers are acting as if they can go out and spend money…. money they don’t have…. for players.”

Not only does Selig know he won’t be opposed, he counts on it.  So the arrogance only grows.

Let’s call a spade a spade. It’s business as usual.  And because it continues unchecked, all of baseball suffers.

Do we really think it’s a good idea to have a Rangers’ championship blemished with an “asterisk?” It’s a definite possibility.

Asterisks in the record books --- delineating that a particular feat was flawed --- are becoming commonplace. How many more will it take before the whole sport implodes?

For once, owners would be wise to come in from the cheap seats and step up to the plate.

The integrity --- what’s left of it --- of America’s favorite pastime depends on it.

Chris Freind is an independent columnist, television commentator, and investigative reporter who operates his own news bureau, www.FreindlyFireZone.com

Readers of his column, “Freindly Fire,” hail from six continents, thirty countries and all fifty states. His work has been referenced in numerous publications including The Wall Street Journal, National Review Online, foreign newspapers, and in Dick Morris' recent bestseller "Catastrophe."

Freind, whose column appears nationally in Newsmax, also serves as a guest commentator on Philadelphia-area talk radio shows, and makes numerous other television and radio appearances, most notably on FOX.  He can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

(This Freindly Fire column archive was originally published on February 14, 2008)

Here we go again.

Congress is conducting yet another circus, this time looking into allegations of steroid use by baseball superstar Roger Clemens.

The star witness against Clemens is his former trainer, Brian McNamee, who has two spectacular claims:

1. He injected Clemens with Human Growth Hormone (HGH) and steroids, and

2. He saved bloody needles that he used on Clemens.

Shall we analyze each?

Let's start with the second, just because it's more fun. The items in question would be used for DNA analysis and to determine the presence of steroids and HGH. Sounds reasonable enough until the second part of the equation is brought to light.

The needles are seven years old. Seven years!

I don't normally tune into CSI, but I have to believe that over the better part of a decade, such "evidence" might become a bit contaminated.

There isn't a court in the country that would allow these needles (and some bloody gauze) to be admitted as evidence. So why the charade?

Of course, there is also that little thing we call the law that seems to escape most on Capitol Hill and in the media. Let's assume McNamee did in fact inject Clemens with steroids in 2000. So what? Not only would Clemens not have committed any crime, but here's the ultimate kicker: He wouldn't even have broken baseball's rules.

Consumption of any drug - cocaine, heroin, steroids - is not illegal. Period. There is no gray area. It is the manufacture, distribution and possession of such substances that are against the law. You want to prove Clemens "supplied" the steroids? Good luck. About the only thing more difficult to prove is perjury.

The most mystifying aspect of the "steroids era" is why the media continues to drop the ball on informing the public when baseball outlawed steroids. Most fans will tell you "the mid-90s." Not even close. Try 2005.

Now that's what I call being on top of things, Commissioner Selig!

Selig and Major League Baseball rode to glory during the steroid era, and now, hypocritically, they pass the buck and feign innocence.

Instead of getting tough on the present players, they would rather generate headlines by destroying the names, accomplishments and legacies of baseball's best with not a shred of evidence backing up their claims. That's pathetic.

Unlike Selig, Freindly Fire does back up its charges. All we hear from Selig is how MLB is getting "tough" on steroid use. How tough? Just ask Mike Cameron. He's the Gold Glove outfielder who just signed a $7 million contract with the Milwaukee Brewers (ironically, the team Selig owned throughout the steroid era) - but he has to sit out a paltry 25 games at the beginning of this season because he tested positive for a banned substance --- for the second time!

What punishment do they give you for the first offense? A bonus?

Why is Selig allowed to remain commissioner? And where was Congress' tough questioning during Selig's testimony last month?

So let's get this straight. It's OK to demonize players and stigmatize their families with no evidence, but more importantly, it's OK to do nothing about solving the steroid problem.

Only in America.

Lip service, empty promises and hypocrisy. Maybe Bud Selig should run for Congress.

Chris Freind is an independent columnist and investigative reporter who operates his own news bureau, www.FreindlyFireZone.com

Readers of his column, “Freindly Fire,” hail from six continents, thirty countries and all fifty states. His work has been referenced in numerous publications including The Wall Street Journal, National Review Online, foreign newspapers, and in Dick Morris' recent bestseller "Catastrophe."

Freind also serves as a weekly guest commentator on the Philadelphia-area talk radio show, Political Talk (WCHE 1520), and makes numerous other television and radio appearances.  He can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it