Ken Rosenthal provides showcase for Paul Byrd's place in history and his book.

Rosenthal, a "conscience of the game" jumps on the Paul Byrd bandwagon. On June 9, MLB.com itself promoted Byrd's upcoming book.

• Rosenthal still promotes a widely publicized point about the Mitchell Report that doesn't hold water:

"Byrd, as part of an agreement between MLB and the players' union in April, avoided discipline for using performance-enhancing drugs, along with all of the other current and former players named in the Mitchell Report."...

• This could not be true for the following reason: Troy Glaus was excused from further discipline on December 6, 2007 on the grounds he hadn't violated the players' agreement in effect at the time of his alleged behaviors (in Glaus' case, paper documentation he purchased steroids).

Others were also excused by Bud Selig on or before 12/6/07 for the same reason. 1/13/05 was the cutoff date for the old players agreement, and the reports on Paul Byrd's purchases ended about a week before the cutoff date. Therefore, since Glaus and others had been absolved, all other players had to receive the same treatment. ie If you hadn't failed a drug test before 1/13/05 you were free to go.

• All the build up for the April amnesty decision was fake. The amnesty had occurred on or before 12/6/07 when Selig let Glaus and others go. To acknowledge this would be to admit MLB intervened in investigations that properly should have been handled by the Mitchell Report. In meeting with MLB, Glaus and others were guaranteed they would not have to meet with Mitchell. This fact is in the Mitchell Report, but no one mentions it.

Someone should go away for a long time because of this. MLB is rehabbing Paul Byrd, Sammy Sosa, and Mark McGwire. All made possible by media partners with financial incentive to remain in MLB's favor (ie their job, career, access, and celebrity status). And passive fans willing to accept a Daddy.

Tweet Stumbleupon StumbleUpon