One of Littlefield's best

Paul Meyer writes that "the Kendall trade might go down as one of Littlefield's best, although there's still work to be done with it" in today's Q & A.

I like it but would emphasize the "may" in that sentence. We have to reserve judgment with trades. If Humberto Cota has a breakout year and goes to the All-Star game as a catcher next year, that Jose Guillen trade, years ago, will look pretty good. OK, that probably won't happen, but you get the idea. We just don't know what Kendall, Lawton, or Redman will do next year or the year after that. It looks like the team made some good calculated gambles. We'll see if they pay off.

The fans are still ranting about steroids as though they have the power of Popeye's spinach. Get a clue, people. I don't want to insult anyone who feels ripped off by the whole Barry Bonds and Balco story. That anger is real if maybe displaced.

But I keep thinking that mega-wealthy athletes and the player's union are being presented to the public as a kind of scapegoat. That ruins some of the pleasure of the game for me. I wish certain powerful people would stop demagoging the issue.

Fans and other people should recognize that steroids have become a political issue all out of proportion to the few facts we have about those drugs. This is the story of drugs in America: always getting demagoged. First it was alcohol, now it's illegal drugs. I don't expect any of this to change overnight. If you are reading this and remain unpersuaded, and still believe that steroids did for Barry Bonds what spinach did for Popeye, maybe you have time to consider Will Carroll's good editorial for the gray lady. The facts about steroids fail to support the hysterical conclusions some people are pushing as they seek to gather an audience impressed with their righteousness.

Baseball is not broken. Nothing's wrong with it. It's just as messed up as it's always been. It reflects all of things we do and values we hold. It reflects our stupidity and our intelligence. It reflects our generosity and our selfishness. It reflects our industry and laziness. I could go on. For me, this is what makes it great. Or at least important. For all of us.