It is symbolic that on a day when a major storm is supposed to strike that the Mitchell Report will come out and perhaps give us a blizzard of names of drug abusers in the sport.
Who? Well, that’s in a few hours.
It is also symbolic there are to be three statements today from three venues: Mitchell, MLB and the Players Association. So much for unity in dealing with the problem.
Even before the first page of the 300-plus page report is read, there are holes and questions. How impartial can Mitchell, who has ties to the Red Sox, be? With no subpoena power, there’s information not made public. Who will be the fall guys, the GM’s for signing the players? To what accountability have the owners and MLB, who wanted the bashers to sell seats?
I’ll be in Manhattan today covering the story, and plan to post frequently on the blog.
CLICK HERE to connect to The Journal News’ page on the Mitchell Report.
Also, check out my poll on the Mitchell Report.
15 Comments
Perhaps if you realized how much steroid use has filtered down to our children you would feel differently. Sports prowess brings college and pro scholarships so every kid who can is ‘bulking up’. In New Jersey and Connecticut every team that plays in state finals is now drug tested. We all know about kids who go on Spring Break to Mexico and bring back ’stuff’ charged on their parents credit cards.
They are all following the examples of their idols – McGwire, Bonds, etc.
Irregardless of MLB’s assertion that they had no rules about steroids, in fact steroids are illegal in this country and have been for years. The problem could have been solved a long time ago if MLB had not proclaimed the clubhouses ‘off limits’ in a questionable designation. Any police department can tell you many tales about drugs in many places. And, instead of all the roadblocks placed by the Players Asssociation, local police departments could and should have treated those clubhouses like any other place where illegal drugs were being sold and used.
IMO this whole Mitchell investigation is a joke, and may prove to be an effort in futiity, and maybe ruin the careers and reputations of innocent men.
First off, IMO (Instead of me typing IMO a hundred times, please just infer that!)Congress, as usual, is sticking it’s nose where it should’nt be…this is like me telling my kids to clean up their rooms and whip them if they don’t while mine looks like a tornado ravaged town. Mitchell had no subpoena power and only the testimony of Jason Giambi and the former Met clubhouse guy…BOTH with visions of trying to help their own cases. Anyone could have been fingered with a minimum of “evidence” or with just a plain “well, I heard that so-and -so does this” or “this guy is tight with that guy”.
What will this report prove? PED’s were not illegal in MLB until 2003 if I’m not mistaken (sorry, I did’nt do my due diligence on the year) Once the problem was brought to light, MLB and MLBPA should have gotten together on a testing policy and enforced it to the hilt, punishing those who used AFTER the policy was put into effect. It serves no constructive purpose to name names based on hearsay of those who may or may not have used prior to MLB’s ban. “BUT THE RECORDS THESE CHEATERS MAY HAVE BROKEN BECAUSE THEY USED” you may say…Well, maybe yes maybe no. No one should be called guilty based on perception alone..what about players who used meds prescribed for legit conditions by legit doctors? More and more reports are surfacing about doctors who prescribed steroids to speed up recovery from injuries to get them back on the field quicker, not to break records. I truly believe that in these cases, neither the player or doctors acted in a devious or illegal way; no intent to cheat but named all the same.
There are several players who have been named that I don’t know what to believe, McGwire for one. Mac was a big man when he came up and hit 49 bombs his rookie year, and remains big today. I too have walked into GNC and purchased Andro and cratine off the shelf…perfectly legal. The results were nothing short of astounding. I am 5’8” and after 6 mos I weighed 230lbs with a 32 waist and 17 1/2 arms, my bench went thru the roof. I only used 2 bottles total of andro and I used it for nothing more than a tool to help me with my weight to lean down( I have always had a weight problem)
I am totally opposed to steroid use except for medical reasons. Any player who is now found to use for performance enhancement should be punished to the limit BUT only those who have done so since the ban was put in place, as prior it was not against the rules. Call me what ever you like, but I don’t want to remember my favorite players as cheats based on hearsay or innuendo at a time when this poison was not against the written rule.
Sorry for my book-
Annie
I agree with you, however, steroids are a prescription drug, making it as illegal as Vicodin, hydrocodone, or even synthroid or tamiflu! It is the dispensing without a valid prescription that is illegal.
The names are already starting to leak out. I heard Varitek. I heard several Yankees but no Mets.
who cares….they all cheat. How many pitchers are in the HOF that cut the baseball or used spit or vaseline? Countless, thats how many…..
if they want to pump drugs into their bodies that will eventually kill them at a young age, then that’s there stupid decision…
I don’t like the choices for the poll. I think it will make a difference and a permanent one. I think MLB will adopt a steroid policy more like the NFL. Defenders of the current drug policy will point out, correctly, that most (or all) of the steroid use detailed in the report happened before the current policy was instituted and so the report shouldn’t be used as evidence that the current policy is not working. What this report will do, I think, is force those who were in denial about how widespread the problem was to finally admit it.
Yes, the list is leaking out. Alot of major names on it, but I don’t think anyone would be surprised. No major Mets are on the list unless you count the former fat 1bman the Mets obtained for Appier a major Met.
Don: I doubt anyone that is innocent is going to be named on the list. If so, George Mitchell is going to be paying out big time slander payments.
The list has come out. Who the heck is Praxton Crawford.
Brady Anderson, Manny Alexander, Rick Ankiel, Jeff Bagwell, Barry Bonds, Aaron Boone, Rafaeil Bettancourt, Bret Boone, Milton Bradley, David Bell, Dante Bichette, Albert Belle, Paul Byrd, Wil Cordero, Ken Caminiti, Mike Cameron, Ramon Castro, Jose and Ozzie Canseco, Roger Clemens, Paxton Crawford, Wilson Delgado, Lenny Dykstra, Johnny Damon, Carl Everett, Kyle Farnsoworth, Ryan Franklin, Troy Glaus, Rich Garces, Jason Grimsley, Troy Glaus, Juan Gonzalez, Eric Gagne, Nomar Garciaparra, Jason Giambi, Jeremy Giambi,
Jose Guillen, Jay Gibbons, Juan Gonzalez, Clay Hensley, Jerry Hairston, Felix Heredia, Jr., Darren Holmes, Wally Joyner, Darryl Kile, Matt Lawton, Raul Mondesi, Mark McGwire, Guillermo Mota, Robert Machado, Damian Moss, Abraham Nunez, Trot Nixon, Jose Offerman, Andy Pettitte, Mark Prior, Neifi Perez, Rafael Palmiero, Albert Pujols, Brian Roberts, Juan Rincon, John Rocker, Pudge Rodriguez, Sammy Sosa, Scott Schoenweiis, David Segui, Alex Sanchez, Gary Sheffield, Miguel Tejada, Julian Tavarez,Fernando Tatis, Maurice Vaughn, IJason Varitek, Ismael Valdez, Matt Williams and Kerry Wood.
Schoenweiss needs better drugs.
Maybe this explains Ramon’s giant melon head!
This is just the tip of the iceberg.
Other interesting thing is that there are alot of guys who were good, then got hurt. Did they get hurt b/c of roids or did they try after to get back to where they were?
other interesting guys on the list are players who had one big power season then nothing. Dykstra is one of those types.
Schoenweiss needs better drugs against RH.
Here’s something non steroid related about Jose Reyes :
http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/should-jose-reyes-hit-more-groundballs/