Friday, March 25, 2005 | 9:05 a.m.
The controls enforced by Nevada's boxing commission took one of the dirtiest sports in the country and gave it a veneer of legitimacy by ensuring that the fight in the ring is as fair as it can be. I think that the Nevada Gaming Commission could inspire similar changes to baseball and that sport's attitude toward cheating and drugs. All it would have to do is not allow wagering on baseball until such time as the sport is prepared to demonstrate that it is fair and clean.
Handicapping games effectively is nearly impossible when bettors have no idea who is abusing steroids or other performance enhancing drugs or who is using corked bats. Betting on baseball is folly so long as the officiating crews are held to no standards whatsoever. All of the numbers are skewed significantly for baseball -- this in a game driven by statistics.
It simply isn't possible for bettors to put money on a clean game and that is where the Nevada Gaming Commission must get involved. It is the function of the commission to ensure that bettors are treated fairly and, right now, baseball bettors are definitely not being treated fairly. Removing baseball from sports books is a tidy solution for everyone involved.
It would be a powerful message if a state as invested in gaming as Nevada stood up and said, "We think you guys need to clean up your sport." Not only does baseball get much needed incentive to change their ways but gaming in general gets the public relations lift associated with appearing fair and full of integrity.
TRACY WINDT
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