It's like clockwork, seriously ... recently, every year around the Baseball Hall of Fame inductions there is news that A) Bud Selig is or isn't considering lifting the lifetime ban against Pete Rose and B) names from the list of players who tested positive in 2003 are leaked.

As for option A, Pete belongs in the Hall of Fame -- but not in baseball. I mean seriously, he has the most memorabilia in the Hall of Fame, so induction is theoretically academic. Enough of that though, I want to take a look at the steroid list and the potential economic impact on baseball.

Senator John Kerry told a Senate hearing on Tuesday that changes are needed in ensuring that Americans have easier access to out-of-market baseball games. It's great to see the politicians finally focusing on what's important.

According to Kerry, "I have no doubt that there are business advantages, but what is the impact on fans? They lose the content. Or, as we will discover today, they are forced to change their TV service to see games. That is wrong. That is a sign that the system is not working."

In a deal announced March 8, DirectTv Group Inc. (NYSE: DTV) became the only provider where people could access Major League Baseball's Extra Innings package, allowing fans to see nearly every single out-of-market game. Under the new deal, according to Kerry, "Once it moves to DirecTV, that access is going to be reduced by about five-fold."

Boston Red Sox fans will note that this is not the first time Kerry has made headlines for comments on baseball. While on the campaign trail, he announced that his favorite player was "Manny Ortez," apparently some sort of hybrid of Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz. According to baseball writer Peter Gammons, "A few years back Kerry went on a Boston station with Eddie Andelman and said "my favorite Red Sox player of all time is The Walking Man, Eddie Yost," who never played for the Red Sox."

If Kerry is successful in his crusade for access to out-of-market games for regular fans, he could regain some of his baseball credibility.