Lunatics running the asylum

By Piet Van Leer Sports Central Columnist

John Burkett's recent decree that, if selected, he would boycott the All-Star Game further cemented my already cynical opinion of the players union -- taking ridiculous stands that signify nothing except their inherit greed. Where to begin?

First off, it's John Burkett -- not Pedro Martinez or Derek Lowe. Burkett is the third best pitcher on his team, and it's not like he's the John Smoltz of Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and Smoltz of the mid-'90s. Burkett's sole reasoning to believe he could be selected on the All-Star team stems from the Red Sox giving him incredible run and bullpen support.

Burkett believes his stance will ignite a public backlash against the real culprit, Bud Selig. I don't know if Burkett realizes this, but the majority of the public watches the All-Star Game to see the best players. It's not like we sit at home and get violently angry because of where the game is played, and how it is inextricably linked to Bud Selig. I just want to see Barry Bonds against Pedro Martinez.

What makes me even crazier is that the players union does everything in their power to make Selig look good. Selig says the owners won't lockout the players this year, so the World Series will remain in tact. The players say they will possibly strike in July. Who wins that PR war?

The players' public relations department is in one long nightmare. Everything they say and do is unbelievably flawed. How can they justify a strike when the average salary is $2 million? The public can't empathize!

They're too busy trying to figure out how to afford an Astros ticket after Curt Skilling and Kenneth Lay (of Enron fame) robbed the town blind! People are trying to figure out how they are going to live, and Burkett thinks he's making a stand by disavowing the All-Star Game in Miller Park? Get real!

And what's with this new civil liberty argument concerning steroids? What an absolutely unbearable idea it is to make sure steroid use isn't running rampant in the major leagues! To make someone pee into a cup to prove the 35 pounds of muscle they put on in the offseason is certainly inhumane!

I was watching "When it Was a Game" the other day. The video of Joe DiMaggio, Stan Musial, Bob Gibson, etc., was awesome, but what really stood out was the size of the players. Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays were tiny! Even the power hitters from the '80s look like midgets compared to the guys on the field today.

The players union will lose all public credibility if its current platform continues. Frank Thomas thinks they should play out the year, then negotiate. When asked why he won't be more vocal with his stance, he says he's just one player. I take that to mean there is only one player who has half a clue.

Article courtesy of Sports Central.