(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