Commissioner Bud Selig spends too much more time on Capitol Hill, maybe he can sit in on a few sessions with President George W. Bush and offer a few tips on Social Security reform, too.

Interesting to watch the Commish come full circle in Washington, D.C., to the point where he was the hit of the day Wednesday with lawmakers -- who praised him for his recent proposals of tougher steroid penalties.

Predictably, players union boss Don Fehr called the legislation known as the Drug Free Sports Act -- in which the Commerce secretary would oversee rules on drug testing and calls for a suspension of two years for a first offense -- too extreme and said that the issue should be bargained by labor and management.

Of course that's Fehr's take. And that's why it is no surprise that Selig has very publicly said he would support government intervention failing a bargained agreement. Because he senses that this is his chance to swing the PR battle fully to his side and to force Fehr's hand through public pressure.

I've been highly critical of Selig in the past on certain issues, including steroids. He came to the party late, far too late, but I do believe his earnestness in wanting a steroid-free game is genuine.

I think he knows Fehr and the union will not travel far enough down that road with him, which is why he carefully proposed a stricter plan -- a 50-game suspension for a first offense, a 100-game suspension for a second offense and a lifetime suspension for a third offense -- and followed that up by saying he would support government help if he can't get what he thinks the game needs.

As for the minor-league rules Selig said he intends to stiffen -- same penalties as described in the preceding paragraph -- again, good for him. You get rid of the weeds by making sure to pull the roots along with them.

Choke off the rampaging steroid problem in the minor leagues, it will help clean up the majors, too.

Still, it's a little disconcerting to hear statements such as the one from Representative Fred Upton, a Republican from Michigan, who said, "Mr. Selig, you've come a long way."

Management and the players union have had an improved relationship since hammering out the last Basic Agreement.

Now if baseball and the government begin to co-exist in friendly fashion, what's next? I shudder to think.

Since I often am accused of jinxing teams, It's only fair to turn the tables and note this: Several readers wrote last week after my column on closers, specifically reprimanding me for devoting several paragraphs to Arizona closer Brandon Lyon and ignoring Pittsburgh's Jose Mesa.

The reason I did so at the time was because Lyon led the majors in saves. That simple. Nothing against Mesa, who has been remarkable in Pittsburgh -- one of the few shining lights in the early weeks of a slow Pirates start.

But when it rains it pours, as we're so often reminded, and now, with Oliver Perez hurting and the Pirates having to shelve him for a couple of starts, Mesa has picked a fine time to blow back-to-back saves against the Chicago Cubs.

What was notable about the Tuesday and Wednesday games, of course, is that until this week, Mesa was perfect this season and had converted 23 consecutive save opportunities. The guy has been nothing short of remarkable.

Then he served up Derrek Lee's two-run homer in the ninth inning Tuesday to send the Pirates to a 4-3 loss. After which, outfielder Jason Bay told reporters he would happily take the same situation again Wednesday.

Under the be careful of what you wish for statute, the Pirates got a similar situation Wednesday -- and Mesa, now 0-3 with a 4.50 ERA, blew another.

His 13 saves, though, remain tied with Lyon for most in the NL. And as solid as Mesa has been -- and as improved as the Pirates have been -- he has many more saves to go before he finishes in 2005.

Of course, that doesn't mean I'm not going to start naming the names of all the folks who wrote last week -- and obviously put the whammy on him with their proactive efforts ...