A few observations from the news recently.

•Dear Andy, Roger Brian and all others involved in the baseball scandal, we'd like to offer you a coaching tip: come clean.

It is becoming tiresome to read the latest revelations about your use or non-use of steroids every day, and quite frankly, there are a lot more important issues going on that should consume the collective mind of America. Stop trying to conceal, spin, hide or rewrite your history regarding performance enhancing drugs. Tell all, and let's get on with life-and baseball.

And, for those who believe that Congress has any power to do anything to ensure the integrity of America's favorite pass time, I am sorry to report that you are delusional. The only thing that is going to make a difference is an honest commitment on the part of baseball's owners, and unfortunately that will happen only when the scandal hurts their bottom line. So, baseball fans, after all is said and done, the future of baseball is really in your hands.

•There was something offensive about watching Congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle gushing over each other about their outstanding success at "coming together in a bipartisan fashion for the good of the American people and the country's economy." They had, they said, forged an agreement to write us tax-rebate checks.

Actually it was all a little sickening. They stood there as if they had found the cure for cancer or done something really important, like cut taxes or agreed to take politics out of the war on terror. In reality what they did was agree to give Americans back some of the own hard-earned money.

Their display was confirmation that these lawmakers in aggregate are a condescending, patronizing group that needs desperately to get a grip on reality.