Admittedly, I didn't think this was a big deal when I first saw the headline. I mean, "Seven Mets Suspected of Using Pot" is not exactly a coffee spit-take sort of story, especially since the big drug story in sports last year concerned allegations that 75% of the NBA (you know, basketball players, as in, real athletes) were using. If it's only 7 players, the Mets clubhouse has to be a den of bible-thumpers. Having been publicly called out by TalkLeft on this story, though, I must confess that however much I would like to see pot legalized, thereby making its legal status consistent with the public's moral consensus on the subject, I have no problem with a team setting standards on drugs and alcohol that are much higher than those of the rest of society. Professional athletes are not jazz musicians, who might need to smoke pot to take the edge off after a night of performing; they get paid substantial sums to be in the ultimate physical shape, and the steady usage of marijuana is seemingly not conducive to hitting a 98 mph fastball from Eric Gagne (I could be wrong about the subject, though; I have it on good authority that one of the few decent players on the Detroit Tigers won't play unless he's baked). But I would hope that the club's policy on drugs would be consistent with its policy concerning beer, booze, and fast food; if the Mets want an explanation as to why their team went south this year, they should look to the star catcher who sees nothing wrong with getting hammered after every game, or the first baseman who apparently views weighing 300 pounds as his career objective.