Congressman Serrano's Comments at March 17th Baseball Hearing

“Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I was just going to make two comments very briefly. The first is a request, which probably falls more on the shoulders of Mr. Sosa and Mr. Palmeiro than anybody else. If we talk about an education program for young people, please remember that according to statistics, I think that 40 percent of all professional ball players from the rookie leagues up are Latin Americans. And so an educational program needs to include outreach to the , to , to , and to other places in
Latin America
. There have already been scandals reported about signing as free agents people in different parts of
Latin America
who are being beefed up and hurt with drugs. And so I hope that would happen.

And secondly, I hope that as one of the last speakers today, you see us for who we are. I’m not a member of this committee. The chairman and the ranking member gave me the privilege of being here today because I, like so many of these people on this panel, are baseball fanatics.

For me, baseball is not a game. It’s a passion. We may be looked at and some reporters may see us as politicians having another hearing, but the truth is that we’re concerned about a game we love. When Mr. McGwire and Mr. Sosa took us on that ride that summer, that wasn’t just hitting homeruns, that was a country hanging on to heroes. When Mr. Palmeiro -- I will watch you this summer as you become only the fourth player joining Aaron and Murray and Mays to get 500 homeruns and 3,000 hits. As a Latino, I feel proud, and as an American, I’ll be excited.

Mr. Canseco, I wish I could have helped you get those 38 homeruns to reach 500. You stopped at 462. Perhaps baseball stopped you, you claim at times. And Mr. Schilling, even though you did it to my Yankees, you’re still my hero.

That’s who you are. You are not just normal, regular people. It’s not the kids who look at you alone. That’s the excuse we use, saying “this autograph is for my son.”  But it’s for me! I already signed up for Major League game day audio for my computer. I already brought my first 25 packs of baseball cards for this year to add to the closet full of baseball cards that I have at home.

Mr. McGwire, I’ll never sell your rookie card. I’ll leave it to my children and my grandchildren because you’re heroes. There’s no price on my love of this game, and so I hope that when you leave here today and think about it tomorrow and the next day, that you not think of us as another legislative committee. I would hope that you think of us as no different as the people you see in the stands. We’re baseball fans who love this game, and we’re terrified of what could happen to it.

I don’t like the fact that you’re here. I don’t like to see the breakup of the ‘Bash Brothers’ in front of me. I don’t like the fact that Mr. Sosa hasn’t smiled that famous smile. I don’t like the uneasiness of all of you today. You shouldn’t be here. Circumstances put you here. Please save the game. Without this game, this country is in deep trouble and I’d like to yield now to Mr. Waxman.”

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