More stahlinist interference where it does not belong..

I thought the caption contest was a day early!

Many of the names that are likely to appear on the list are already well known:

Troy Glaus (still being investigated)
Rick Ankiel (still being investigated)
Jose Guillen (still being investigated)
Juan Rincon (suspended in 2006)
Mike Cameron (recently suspended 50 games)
Jason Grimsley (pitcher you used and distributed HGH and has apparently cooperated with Mitchell)
Ryan Franklin (suspended in 2005)

That's just a few off the top of my head.

Clemens and Pettitte, along with former O's player, Jay Gibbons, were also linked early this past season. All 3 denied taking steroids.

One thing to keep in mind when it comes to failing MLB's test is that MLB doesn't just test for steroids. They also test for the masking agents and precursors, which do appear in many, many OTC nutritional supplements. So just because a player fails to pass test doesn't necessarily means he failed it because of steroids/HGH. The results are NEVER revealed to the public by MLB or MLBPA, it's just assumed that it was steroids when the possibility exists that that may not be the case. Ryan Franklin insists to this day he didn't fail the test for steroids; he failed it for a precursor and insists he never took them. Just a little something to keep in mind when you hear about failed tests.

It's only a black day for those who refused to accept the clubhouse reality for so many years."He's a friend. He testified in public...I belive him, still do".
George W, Bush about the 'kleig light Congressional testimony of Rafael Palmeiro and his denial of steroid use even after getting caught.

And now Roger Clemens a good friend of the 'war on drugs' President. He hangs out with George Bush and his wife, Barbara, even building a horseshoe pit at his home for the former president. He has a standing invitation to dine at the White House"......
which is probably more than George Mitchell will have, after the release of this report.

Oops, slight error: Rincon was suspended in 2005. Both he and Franklin received 10 game suspensions.

Let the blaming begin....

Crickmore...is there ANYTHING in your world that doesn't relate back to Bush? Jesus, Tickle Me Elmo is probably linked in some nefarious way to the evil Bush Empire in your weird little world.

Well this is primarily a political blog and George Bush established his reputation and much of his fortune as a baseball owner. But to take your point further it was probably the Democratic supported baseball union, more than the owners, that have purposfully closed shop on this issue, so there is plenty of blame to go round..Who and What to you blame Peter F.?

I really can't get worked up about this issue. As much of a sports junkie as I've always been, this doesn't seem to me to rise to the level of indignation people are trying to stir up. Throwing and hitting a ball is not analogous to the real problems we face in this world.

Agreed...John F Not Kerry.

Baseball has been one exception to the anti-trust law. They say they can police themselves don't need government regulation, only voluntary compliance, you know the drill.

"(Players) are not bigger than the game, and they are certainly not bigger than the law," said Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Ky., a former major leaguer and the opening witness. "The same goes for the owners. For over a decade, they turned their heads when it came to steroids. They helped put the game at risk." in 2005

Clemens thought he was bigger than the game and it is only lately that according to Canadian Dick Pound, ex World AntiDoping Chief"the issue of doping is moving up the political priorities list, especially in the US, where many were in complete denial for far too long.

"Getting doping on the radar screen was important".

Crickmore - There's a special place in Hell for idiots like you who let their acute BDS bleed into any and every subject.

Marc..If this makes you feel better?...Mitchell blames the owners and the Player's Association and the law of silence. But there hasn't been much of a lead from any of our major politicians, except for Jim Bunning(Rep) the one exception, who doesn't seem star struck for some reason.

Marc..If this makes you feel better?...Mitchell blames the owners and the Player's Association and the law of silence. But there hasn't been much of a lead from any of our major politicians, except for Jim Bunning(Rep) the one exception, who doesn't seem star struck for some reason.

Peter,

Ankeil admitted to using steroids and Jose Guillen has been suspended 25 games.

Why isn't Luis Gonzales on that list?
We all know he used steroids; did he get them from another dealer?

It seems all these guys got them through the same dealer/connection.

Steve:

Marc..If this makes you feel better?...Mitchell blames the owners and the Player's Association and the law of silence.

I know exactly where the MLB problem lays and is why I gave up watching it entirely over a decade ago. (along with the NFL)

And no anything you may point out, including a display of BDS, doesn't make me feel better.

In fact sometimes I actually feel a little dirty and afraid your infection may rub off.

Imhotep:

Thanks, I couldn't remember if Guillen received the suspension or not. I just looked it up and his suspension is for 15 days and, of course, is being appealed by the oh-so-cooperative folks at MLBPA.

There are a lot of names that don't appear on the list that people have always been rumored to be users:

Sammy Sosa
Bret Boone
Brady Anderson
Todd Helton
Dante Bichette
Sean Green
Larry Walker
Gonzalez (as you mentioned....)

Mitchell said these names in the report are just who he discovered during his investigation.

15 days; you are correct.

That is a hand slap for him. He'll be playing by Easter Sunday.

Someone pointed out to me earlier in the day, the ratio of Yankees being "outted" is WAY higher than Red Sox. It's because Mitchell has Sox connections? The conspiracies abound.

That is a hand slap for him. He'll be playing by Easter Sunday.

Actually, he won't be playing. Easter Sunday is on March 23 next year. ;-)

It's because Mitchell has Sox connections? The conspiracies abound.

I believe Mitchell was asked that question during today's press conference, and I believe he flatly denied the charge.

And of course Yankee fans will grouse about some conspiracy regarding Mitchell's association with the Red Sox--anything to fan the flames of the rivalry. Nah, I think it has more to do with Radomski being with the Mets/NY vicinity at the time. A couple of the Yankee players named in the report weren't on the Yankees at the time of their reported involvement with P.E. drugs--Villone was in Seattle, Clemens in Toronto.

Whatever. This isn't about whose team does or doesn't have the most users. Mitchell was pretty clear in saying that 30 of the 32 teams had P.E. drug issues.

Take the conspiracy with a grain of salt...

If the players were getting ILLEGAL steroids, then it is a law enforcement issue. Personally, I hope baseball fans come to the realization that they have almost absolute power when it comes to major league teams: ticket sales. If enough people stay away, something will get done, and it won't take Congress to do it.

As much as I like sports, it is a very rare thing for me to go to any games, unless I get free tickets. It's just too expensive. Unfortunately, there are so many sheep out there who will shell out money for just about anything that many sports franchises are just raking it in. I don't begrudge them that, but I also don't think that they are necessarily entitled to it. They must earn it.

Force em ALL to do steroids. Then the dumbass fans can watch a bunch of Mardi Gras headed dummies runnin around in their pajamas playin a kids game...

20 million dollars for a report that 2 or 3 honest and courageous players could have tipped (if there are any left. the law of silence)...Of course the baseball fans, particularly the kids, who idolize these chemical dope freaks,and indirectly pay their salaries, are the ones that have been most betrayed. Now the players will hide behind their lawyers. They have the courage to face a 90 mile hour fastball but not the courage to confront a 12 year old kid, on a level playing field.

Says Steve Crickmore
But there hasn't been much of a lead from any of our major politicians,

Says the object of Steve's derangement syndrome:
Athletics play such an important role in our society, but, unfortunately, some in professional sports are not setting much of an example. The use of performance-enhancing drugs like steroids in baseball, football, and other sports is dangerous, and it sends the wrong message -- that there are shortcuts to accomplishment, and that performance is more important than character. So tonight I call on team owners, union representatives, coaches, and players to take the lead, to send the right signal, to get tough, and to get rid of steroids now.

In the State of the Union from 2004.

Hey Bush is just being Bush..He is only part of the problem rather than the solution. His speech was really for the public digest( that he was thinking of the subject)..There was little teeth in it..Only two active players had the intestinal fortitude out of 600+plus players to speak to Mitchell,(what signal is that). Fehr had one short limited interview with Mitchell in a 20 million dollar report. Bush's bully pulpit wasn't effective....It's typical fluff...Read this from Dick Pound who most impartial observers almost single handling put 'dope testing on the radar screen'

We've had great support from the Congressional side... but vis a vis the White House we are just striking out and are very disappointed in the lack of leadership being demonstrated," said Pound.

The Canadian lawyer said the White House position was "all the more inexplicable" given the recent doping developments in the USA.

This was in November 2003, 2 months before the State of the Union speech you quoted, but the White House was undoubtedly still dragging its feet..maybe until yesterday..Hey these are the public stars like Clemens who has a standing dinner invitation to the White House. For raising the public awareness of the illegal drug culture of these 'athletes', Pound couldn't even get in the side door. Bush if he wanted, could invite Pound or the two players that spoke to Mitchell for their public service, to the White House and not Clemens, that might be a good signal to get rid of the dopes and cheats.

But this is a much larger question, no one really cares about the kids who idol worship these stars, who have been so disappointed, because Major league baseball failed to show zero tolerance for doping.

http://markinchicago.typepad.com/my_weblog/2007/12/the-mitchell-re.html

Wow, ugly; see this post I found that offeres some good suggestions to fight against the backlash of this wart on baseball: http://markinchicago.typepad.com/my_weblog/2007/12/the-mitchell-re.html