Would The Issue Of Steroids and HGH, Had Been Different w/Peter As Commissioner?

With the recent admission from Mark McGwire about his steroid use, from as far back as 1990 with the Oakland Athletics, continues to remind fans of the lie; that still permeates all sports, especially baseball, and the questions that fall upon every player who achieves success in all aspects of the game, particularly if that person; becomes a statistical phenomenon. 

Because of the every increasing scrunity over players statstics and the reasons for there success; the question becomes what could anyone do to stop steroids in baseball, and particularly what could any commissioner do to stop steroids from entering the game?

Unfortunately, for the previous two commissioner and the current commissioner; the belief that steroids did not exist, or the delusional idea that baseball did not have a steroid problem.  While former MLB commissioners Peter Ueberroth and A. Bart Giamatti was dealing with collusion scandal of the mid 80's involving baseball's owners, and Fay Vincent was in the midst of the fallout from the Pete Rose scandal and as a result all these commissioners did not notice the budding steroid problem; that would soon come.

But in the case of Bud Selig, an owner who people would assume would have a better understanding of the situations going on with not only his own team; but with the state of baseball at the time, especially after the baseball strike of 1994, and the anger that the fans had against both players and owners going into the 1995 season; which may explain why owners, executives and even the commissioner overlooked, in order to bring fans back to the game.

Before the start of the 1995 season, only 11 players had hit 50 or more home runs during the course of the regular season, since Babe Ruth hit 54 in 1920; but things were happening even before the 95' season, when the season abruptly ended on August 12,1994; Matt Williams of the San Francisco Giants led the majors with 43 home runs, and Ken Griffey Jr. of the Seattle Mariners had 40 home runs, however at the season's abrupt end, 8 other players had hit 30 home runs or more, of which 4 of those men( Bagwell, Thomas, Bonds and Belle), had hit 35 or more home runs, with close to 9 weeks left in the regular season; it had already begun.
Since the 1995 season, 13 different players have hit 50 or more home runs, with 3 men(McGwire, Sosa and Bonds) achieving 60 or more; Mark McGwire achieved this feat in back-to-back years(98'-99'); while Sammy Sosa achieved that feat three times(98',99',01').

Along with these amazing feats of home run brilliance, also came the overall success of a player from average; to borderline hall-of-famer in a season, and with the success of these players and teams, the revenues of virtally every team in the majors exploded; there is a definite idea that everyone turned a blind-eye; to the possible steroid and HGH use, particularly in the front offices of MLB. Until they had no other choice; when Congress needed to intervene and grandstand, in front of the entire country regarding this issue.

So it leads to the title question of this post; would it have been different if Peter Gammons was commissioner, the answer, is probably yes. There would have to be some significant fighting between players and ownership; but before the Jose Canseco book "Juiced" appeared; there would have been a system of random drug-testing; before a congressional intervention.  I am not saying that Peter Gammons would have changed the landscape of baseball; so that players would not find ways to circumvent the testing; but the rules and conditions would have been enforced, and pushed by Gammons, the owners, and players that would have stood with the commissioner.

What about Marvin Miller?

While looking through BaseballReference. com, I decided to look at the career of Curt Flood, and from there I went to Wikipedia; to look at his life, and I stumbled upon the name of Marvin Miller. 

Marvin Miller, may be the most important baseball person; who never played an inning in his lifetime, yet he help pave the way for the contracts; that Major League players now enjoy currently.  Even though Curt Flood, lost his case in 1969; it would take another five years before baseball players; would be able to breakaway from the reverse clause; that had held players down for so long, and ushering in the free-agency era. 

So why not Marvin Miller for MLB Commissioner, one word...hatred.  The owners past and present have an unbelieveable distain for the players that receive large contracts today; because of what the owners did to the players before free agency was instituted, under the leadership of Miller and that anger has never gone away. Even though Miller would probably make an excellent commissioner; the owners would rather have a lockout; than to have Marvin Miller commissioner of Major League Baseball.