Spygate's over....

            Gas prices are around $4 a gallon and may even climb up to $5 this summer. The price of the food is soaring higher while housing prices are tanking and families are struggling to meet their next mortgage payments.

The economy is teetering on a recession.

            Yet our distinguished senator from our beloved state of Pennsylvania has his eyes set on the New England Patriots’ A/V club. While most politicians are focusing their efforts on solving some of the nation’s great problems, Senator Arlen Specter is spending his time in office trying to discover the true extent of the Patriots’ cheating. He’s going so far as to suggest that an NFL-equivalent of the baseball “Mitchell Report” might be in order.

            The Mitchell Report dealt with a drug issue and just how prevalent steroid use was in baseball. Part of the reason for the investigation came from Congressional pressure, in part because of the fear that young athletes in high school may soon follow the examples set by some of the steroid users. Every year, several stories appear in the news about kids dying taking such substances.

            This is a problem.

            This is something that needs fixed.

            But I can’t remember the last time a kid died due to the use of a camcorder. It’s ridiculous to even think about associating the two issues. Despite the absurdity of it all, Senator Specter doesn’t apparently see the difference.

            Usually, the NFL would just look upon this as being a case of some loon standing on a soap box, ranting and raving. However, this is different. This is more like a loon standing on a soap box, ranting and raving while brandishing a weapon. The weapon, in this case, is the NFL’s antitrust exemption.  

It is this antitrust exemption that allows the NFL to pool each team’s television rights to see to the networks as a package. In other words, it’s this exemption that explains why people in Erie are forced to watch a Buffalo Bills game while a Cleveland/Pittsburgh showdown goes untelevised in this area.

Without this antitrust exemption hanging over their heads, no one in the league would pay much attention to Senator Specter or his threats.

            But once he brings up the antitrust exemption, the NFL has no choice but to listen. Even if the subject matter is so inconsequential.

            Usually it’s the media accused of perpetuating a non-story. In this case, it’s the United States government. Actually, it’s just one man in the US government. While Senator Specter is making this out to be a big deal, the public seems to have let out a collective yawn over this whole story. In fact, most assume that video taping opponent’s signals is common practice throughout the league.

In reality, it is common throughout sports. A runner on second base in baseball will usually try to take a peek of the catcher’s hand signals and then convey that to the batter, letting him know of the pitch or location. A basketball player traded midseason will usually shout out plays when they play their former team.

            However, Specter sees this as being a big problem that could soon trickle down to kids in grade school. After all, if the New England Patriots can win a Super Bowl what is to stop kids from trying to cheat in other parts of life? The funny thing is, there is NO evidence that video taping helped them accomplish that feet. What proof? Just look at the fact the Patriots admitted to filming the Browns. You can go out on State Street and just pick out 11 random guys to form a team and still manage to beat those Browns teams of the early 2000s.

            The more I think about it, the more I have a hard time picturing a McDowell Trojan, equipped with a video camera, showing up at a Cathedral Prep football practice, or vise versa. And if there was a strange person dressed in black and orange, holding a camera at a McDowell practice, I would like to think that one of the Trojan coaches would tell that mysterious cameraman to leave.

            Evidently, the St. Louis Rams don’t possess such common sense. The talk leading up to the big meeting between the NFL commissioner and former Patriots’ employee Matt Walsh had to do with the alleged video taping of a Rams practice before the Super Bowl.

            When in reality, there was no video taping. He was there setting up cameras – while wearing New England Patriots clothing – and while there, he did make some mental notes of what the Rams were doing. If the Rams weren’t smart enough to tell Walsh to leave, then they deserve whatever it is they got.

            Going forward, we can just hope that one of Senator Specter’s aides or a fellow senator tells him to back off of his mini-crusade. He’s had his chance to rub elbows with some of the NFL big wigs. So now it’s time to focus on more important things. You know, the things he was actually voted in to look at.