The Mitchell Report

[Ventrio]

I know most of us are football fans here -myself included- but I'm also a big follower of baseball.

Last Thursady, at 2pm, senator George Mitchell gave a press conference revealing the results of his "Mitchell Report". This is an extensive study on his team's investigation into steroids in Major League Baseball.

Upon releasing this list, 89 baseball players -former and current- were found to have connections in some way to steroid use in baseball.

Some of these guys are obvious -Mcgwire, Bonds- and some of them aren't very big name players, but a couple of these actually smacked me in the face.

Andy Pettite, David Justice, Paul LoDuca, Eric Gagne and Roger Clemens -to name a few- are on this list, players who I was surprised to find had any connection.

Just wanted to hear everyone's opinion on the matter, if they have something to say.

LIST OF PLAYERS:

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3153646

[Ars Sycro]

Eric doesn't care, but I said:

"I don't. I grew up playing baseball and idolizing some of the players. One of those players (David Justice) was listed in the report, but I take solace in knowing that it said he started years after I stopped caring about him.

But I don't want to see the sport and its records tarnished. If you want a freakshow league, go create a roid league."

[Sittingsideways]

dude, this report wasted 25 million dollars and made no points whatsoever. They just ruined 60 players reputation and on what? just because some unemployed asshole locker room attendant is ratting people out. Apparently brian roberts, a player you would totally NOT expect to take steriods swears by the fact that he hasnt taken steriods and was incorperated into this report just because his team mate was taking them so the "locker room attendant" said that he was taking them too.

Its not like someone can take a pill and just be GOOD at baseball... its atrocious. Is this guy trying to brake the union or is he just trying to ruin the good names of some baseball players that work their asses of to get into shape to play 160 games a year, while this douche bag is sitting behind desks talking to all the wrong people. This was a waste of time.

[Ars Sycro]

The Mets' trainer said nothing about Roberts. That was entirely speculation based off of another player's statement. And yes, I think including Roberts and cases like that is dumb. However, I don't think the trainer had any reason to lie. In fact, he has reasons not to lie. If he lied even once to Mitchell, he's going to go to jail for a really long time [his testimony was under oath and part of a plea agreement with the feds].

But people like Clemens have some serious accusations. In 1998, Clemens went 20-6. That's a great year and seems hard to say that he started taking steroids in the middle of the season and it somehow helped. But if you look at his record prior to the alleged use, he was 6-6. He went 14-0 after the trainer claims he began taking steroids.

Also, the only reason this was a waste of time was because a grand total of 5 people actually spoke to Mitchell. Jason Giambi because Selig told him he had to. The 2 trainers and a former player [who accused Roberts] because the feds said they had to. And Frank Thomas because he's a stand-up guy. You have to blame the players for being unwilling to even speak to the guy about the problem. They don't want their reputations destroyed, so they want to stay quiet and hope it gets ignored. Unless somebody sues Mitchell, I'm believing what the report says.

[dsv]

Its gotten to the point where they just have to make em legal. Everyone's doing it...but at the same time, who cares?

If you're willing to shrink your junk in the process, it's all fair game IMO

[erikpemberton]

Eric doesn't care, but I said:

"I don't. I grew up playing baseball and idolizing some of the players. One of those players (David Justice) was listed in the report, but I take solace in knowing that it said he started years after I stopped caring about him.

But I don't want to see the sport and its records tarnished. If you want a freakshow league, go create a roid league."

Why you gotta bring me into it and not bother quoting what I said???

Here's what he was replying to (my commentary on Facebook):

"Seriously, who gives a fuck? Athletes are monkeys paid to dance for us. Just like every other entertainer out there. When a musician or actor gets plastic surgery or takes drugs to be "creative," we endorse that regardless of personal safety or legality. This should be no different. At the end of the day, the people watching sports WANT to see 500+ foot homeruns and WANT to see some guy hit 800 home runs in a year. Just like everyone wants to drive huge cars and eat McGinormous Saturated Fat Explosions from their favorite eatery. We are in America, land of the free and home of the fatass. Steroids are just another way we demand more, more, more, MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE!!!! Shut the fuck up and talk about something important for once."

[TheRuleofThree]

Well I'll just say this.

First, I haven't enjoyed baseball since I began to understand how it worked.  Between the lack of salary caps and the horrible lack of monitoring with steroids, the sport has been in a serious decline for at least the past decade.  I DO care about steroid use because it levels the playing field.  Either EVERYONE is on steroids or NO ONE, otherwise the concept of competition evaporates and it just becomes a commercial for growth substances.  I'd love to take a cynical view on it but that's the easy way out.

The only thing that will save this sport is a complete revamp of the rules, a fresh face for baseball, and an absolute intolerance for steroids, hormone treatments or any other illegal substance that improves ability.  Anything less is more bullshit and will kill it.

[BuddyGoodness]

"Seriously, who gives a fuck? Athletes are monkeys paid to dance for us. Just like every other entertainer out there. When a musician or actor gets plastic surgery or takes drugs to be "creative," we endorse that regardless of personal safety or legality. This should be no different. At the end of the day, the people watching sports WANT to see 500+ foot homeruns and WANT to see some guy hit 800 home runs in a year. Just like everyone wants to drive huge cars and eat McGinormous Saturated Fat Explosions from their favorite eatery. We are in America, land of the free and home of the fatass. Steroids are just another way we demand more, more, more, MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE!!!! Shut the fuck up and talk about something important for once."

Couldn't have said it better myself.

[greeg7]

I'm a huge baseball fan.  And the report to me misses the big point.

Most of these players, at the time, weren't doing anything wrong (steroid use).  MLB never had any policy in place and ignored users so that the homeruns etc would help sell more tickets.  Baseball should grant amnesty to any player who admits he did it, and move on with strict testing.  Putting asterisks and suspending players does not help the game in any circumstance.  

As for HGH, 2 things.

1. There is no current testing that can accurately find HGH in one's system.  So MLB can't really do much to enforece their ban of it.
2.  There is no significant statistical evidence that shows HGH provides significant improvement in athletic ability (read statistical journals).  For the most part, all HGH does is make your muscles bigger.  But bigger does not imply better/stronger/faster.

I don't really know what to do about HGH.  I think if you decide to use it to try and enhance your game you're a fucking moron.   That's about all I think about it.

Final point: While Rodomski (or whatever his name is) has no incentive to lie, there's nothing saying for certain that he remembers this stuff exactly as it went down.  Moreover nothing is stopping him from embellishing his story a little to make it jucier so that it seems he's giving them legitimate info.  So perhaps he got steroids for one guy a couple times... That may have become 5 times, and he provided HGH too.  I think that the info in the report is probably mostly close to accurate, but not 100%.

[Ars Sycro]

Steroids have been illegal in baseball since the early 90s, so you are wrong when it comes to that.

[greeg7]

Baseball had it on the banned substance list.  MLB didn't test because they didn't care.  They wanted the revenue.  They wanted 500 foot homeruns and they didn't care at what cost.  A blind eye was turned.  So yeah, it was illegal in baseball, but it wasn't legitimately enforced at all.