Month: December 2007

I don’t think anybody is foolish enough to think that the players named in the Mitchell Report is the definitive list of all players who have used steroids or HGH in baseball. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Surely there have been more than 83 players. These names came from basically 3 or 4 sources. I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that there are more than 3 or 4 sources of steroids for players. Whenever the other “trainers” start to get busted then more names will come out. My opinion is that it’s been pretty much an even playing field and that the number of players who did not juice pales in comparison to the number of players who have. And when you see some of the names in the Mitchell Report it makes you wonder how much of an impact it really has. One thing I think it did prove is that if you don’t have talent all the steroids in the world aren’t going to help. Mike Bell? First of all which Mike Bell? It doesn’t matter they both were blips on the baseball radar. Chad Allen, Gary Bennett, Larry Bigbie. Mike Judd? At first I thought they busted the Beavis and Butthead/King of the Hill guy, too. I think the most embarrassing thing for Nook Logan is that now everybody knows his name is Exavier. Cody McKay is not that surprising when you think about who his dad is. Dave had to be the Charles Atlas of first base coaches. I don’t remember him like that as a player. Can they test coaches?

All of this was done without breaking any of baseball’s rules. Of course a lot of law breaking took place and perhaps some of these players will face consequences. But I don’t think suspensions can be given for anything unless it can be proven that the offenses took place after the performance enhancing drug policy was put in place. All this talk about asterisks and stripping of records and awards is nonsense. Baseball has nobody to blame but themselves. Everybody knew it was happening and they didn’t seem to care until pressured by Congress. Are we going to take away all of Gaylord Perry’s accomplishments and boot him from the HOF? What about the cocaine guys of the 70’s and 80’s? How about Ferguson Jenkins? Heck, Doc Ellis threw a no-hitter on LSD. Are we going to take that away? I bet if anybody knew at the time he was on acid there would have been other pitchers to try the same thing! Anyway I think that what’s done is done and there’s really not much baseball can do. It’s time to move on.

It’s been 8 hours since the release of the report by Sen. George Mitchell on the illegal use of performance enhancers and the response has been overwhelming. 

The media has been busy.  My Google Reader is filled with formulaic articles by beat reporters for each team with the same theme:  Current, former (fill in team name) named in Mitchell Report.  Or if they’re lucky, No (fill in team name) listed in Mitchell Report.

By the way, no current Cubs were listed but some former Cub luminaries such as Matt Karchner, Todd Hundley, Kent Mercker, and Jerry Hairston Jr. were. 

The denials have started to filter in.  Most front and center, Roger Clemens says he is "outraged" about the inclusion of his name in the report.  When I saw his name in the report, I was a tad disappointed but not surprised. 

A valid point made by Mitchell…

"Everyone involved in baseball shares responsibility," Mitchell said during a news conference at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. "Commissioners, club officials, the Players Association and players. I can’t be any clearer than that."

I don’t think that can be stressed more.  How this report will be spun by the MLB executives will remain to be seen but this should not be looked at as a "player’s problem".  There is no doubt in my mind that MLB front office knew that steroids and other performance enhancers were an issue for years and chose to look the other way.

Finally, Congress has already reacted to the report.   Specifically, the Oversight and Government Reform Committee.  Congressmen Henry Waxman and Tom Davis issued a joint statement requesting Bud Selig, and Donald Fehr of the Players Association and Mitchell testify at a committee hearing.   Congressman Christopher Shays from Connecticut wants to address the matter quickly:

"The Mitchell Report shows how pervasive a problem performance enhancing drugs have been in Major League Baseball," Shays said in his statement Thursday. "The common sense recommendations the report has laid out should be enacted as soon as possible. I am looking forward to seeing how serious they take this issue and how quickly they will implement these and other reforms."

Pardon me, but I get a little nervous when Congress tries to solve a problem.  Going on historical evidence, I guess.

 

Link to Sen. George Mitchell’s REPORT TO THE COMMISSIONER OF BASEBALL OF AN INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION INTO THE ILLEGAL USE OF STEROIDS AND OTHER PERFORMANCE ENHANCING SUBSTANCES BY PLAYERS IN MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL (pdf)