Letter of the Day: Too late on steroids

Too late on steroids

EDITOR: On Friday, columnist Lowell Cohen indignantly listed reasons why he won't vote Barry Bonds into the Hall of Fame ("Why I won't vote to put Bonds in the Hall of Fame"). He assumes the position as protector of the integrity of the game, saying he takes "the honor of baseball more seriously than Bonds did." I'm glad we have such morally virtuous and righteous writers protecting our best interest.

I can't help but wonder where Cohn, ESPN and other outlets were during the steroid era. Our media were publishing articles, books and stories about home run chases and broken records. They enjoyed their share of baseball's unprecedented attention and profits during that time.

In politics, our media is considered the fourth check and balance. In sports, shouldn't it be the same? The media caught on, but they took their time. After interacting with players on a daily basis, it still took years for the truth to come out. Cohn is now going to make their incompetency right by not voting in steroid users. Unfortunately, he is 20 years too late.

Fundamentally, I don't disagree with Cohn. But let's not pretend he is doing a public service. As our moral leaders, the media owe us an apology for not being that fourth check and balance. Where were Woodward and Bernstein when we needed them?

EDDIE THIELE

Santa Rosa