Loosey-goosey indeed

Major League baseball needs to make up its mind once and for all and unify its stated policy on steroids with its actual policy. Ban them for real or admit you really don't care and allow their use -- just pick one and stick to it.
I say this because after watching ESPN's Peter Gammons interview A-Rod yesterday, it occurred to me that there is no way for any player to be completely honest about banned substance use without bringing MLB down like a house of cards, Watergate-style.
The interview was going swimmingly, with Gammons probing delicately and tastefully and Rodriguez responding cagily, acting like the awkward dork he always appears to (but can't actually) be. Suddenly, Gammons asked Rodriguez which drugs he had taken and Rodriguez hesitated for like a month before dribbling out some half-baked prevarication about it being "such a loosey-goosey era" that he really...wasn't...sure...what he took.
Right, I said to myself, and noticed the blood vessels pumping in poor Gammons' temples. Is anybody in baseball a bigger control freak than A-Rod? Wouldn't he know, to the molecule, exactly what he was shooting into his glutes? But as he struggled to find the right weasel phrase to hold Gammons off, I could hear the doors slamming in his head as he tried out responses and rejected them.
Imagine the truth -- which is obviously that everyone in baseball knew about the juice, from Bud Selig on down. It's not just that they turned a blind eye -- they had to have encouraged it. While certain hitters got a bump in their stats while they were juicing, the main effect of steroids on baseball has been quicker recovery from injuries, leading to more consistent seasons and longer careers. Steroids in baseball are less a performance-enhancing drug than a durability-enhancing drug. Durability, when you think about it, is a big part of the money in baseball. Fans develop attachments to favorite players, and the more games and more years those players can stay active (and winning), the more the teams make in gates, broadcast contracts and licensed merchandise.
(Case in point - the other day in the NBA, San Antonio went to Denver the day after a hard night at Golden State. Spurs coach Greg Popovich decided the altitude wouldn't do his big three any good, so he sat Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. Fans were livid -- *Denver* fans -- and many complained; many left. Knowing the visiting stars might not play when they come to your town -- bet that won't make cash-carrying fans think twice next time tickets are for sale?)
A-Rod thought about all that, and then he thought about his paycheck, his reputation and his future in baseball -- coaching, commentating, endorsements (GNC anyone?) -- and concluded the best thing to say was, "I didn't really know what I was taking."
And Gammons looked like he was going to have another aneurysm.
Nobody is bigger than baseball, but Peter Gammons is a pretty major edifice. Be a damn shame to lose him over such foolishness. That's why I say MLB needs to get it together, pick a position and stick with it.
Either embrace steroids and let the '89 A's unretire or get ready to start producing dramatic teaser commercials featuring David Eckstein squaring up to bunt, and highlight reels of Kevin Youkilis' greatest walks.