Star Chamber

No baseball player (or executive) should rest easy when the legislature is in session.

Apparently the U.S. Congress is bumming because of the cancellation of the National Hockey League season. It seems that they miss the type of legalized fighting that has endeared the sport to its hard core base of fans, so they have decided to provide a substitute of their own -- congressional hearings on the use of steroids in Major League Baseball.

No better way to create a national spectacle than to take the mask off Batman or to let the entire world know that an unassuming newspaperman named Clark Kent really is Superman. No better way to get attention than to turn the best form of representative government in the world into a game between the Broad Street Bullies and the Capitol Crusaders.

It should be good theater. Forget Canseco, who already told all in his book. Forget McGwire, Sosa, Palmeiro, Bonds, Manfred, Towers, Fehr. Nah, they're all kids play. They'll offer the rumors or bromides, as the case may be, and they'll try to escape unscathed.

No, the star attraction in all of this is the guy who just cannot resist being the center of attention, the guy who is fortunate he is a pitcher in a league with a DH or else opponents would gun for him mercilessly -- Curt Schilling. Because Curt Schilling will talk, and he might just name names.

Putting a bright light on Curt Schilling, giving him a national audience, and, well, it' s like giving your average NFL lineman free tickets to the buffet at the Bellagio. He'll just keep on talking and talking.

Frank Thomas?

What will he say?

Sandy Alderson?

Ditto.

Curt Schilling?

Priceless.

There lot's of people who will testify before this thing is over.

But there's only one Curt Schilling.