MLB: The Steroids Era

Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Andy Pettitte, Lenny Dykstra, Mo Vaughn, Jason Giambi, and 70 other Major League Baseball players were named in the Senator George Mitchell Report on the use of steroids by baseball players over the past decade. Based on information from the BALCO investigation, and trainers for the New York Mets and New York Yankees, the Mitchell Report was able to assemble a list of names and events that tie these players to the use of performance enhancing drugs (steroids and HGH) during their time in the big leagues.

Surprisingly, Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa are NOT named in the report!

Read ESPN's slant on the Mitchell Report here.

Read/download the entire 409 page Mitchell Report here.


plez sez: i gotta problem... i don't like the publishing of names in this report! and i'm gonna tell you why...

prior to the 2002 season, players were not tested nor penalized for the use of these performance enhancing drugs (other sports were, but not major league baseball). by their mere acquiescence, team owners gave tacit approval for steroid use as long as the baseballs were flying out of the ballparks and fannies were in the seats. these drugs were a BOON to a sport that had been waning in popularity in the early-90's.

this investigation (by senator mitchell) was kicked off to nail barry bonds... the implication of the other players is an unintended consequence.

if you played major league baseball in any market other than san francisco or new york (mets & yankees), you got away scott-free (ten former atlanta braves were in the report, but they were implicated for the time that they spent with the mets or the yankees)! the report acknowledges the widespread use of these drugs in baseball, yet the investigation was unable to identify any players who did not willingly testify outside of these two cities.

senator mitchell asks that no one named be punished by mlb... even though, only50% of those named are no longer playing! and the few who are still playing obviously represent such a small part of the problem, it would be tantamount to selective prosecution.

most of the evidence that was used to name these guys was circumstantial evidence... basically on the word of two trainers (Radomski & McNamee) who were forced to give up names to save their butts from federal charges! no one's name should have been divulged without a positive drug test.

the investigation had ZERO subpoena power and NO ONE was required to speak with them... so in a sport where it is estimated that almost 10% of the players were users, the ones who would know best about steroid/hgh use were not "encouraged" to testify before the mitchell commission... hmmmmm!

and what of the players who were wrongly accused and named in this report? the evidence against most is shaky at best... you cannot unring the bell. i heard David Justice on an Atlanta sports radio show a few hours ago claiming his innocence, he said that he doesn't even know radomski! he said that there are no checks or credit card receipts for him! david justice could be lying... but then again, without corroborating evidence, those two snitches could be lying, as well.

the mitchell report could have reported on the suspected widespread use of steroids/hgh, it could have offered a remedy to the problem, and it could have suggested punishment for offenders... but it should not have breached the confidentiality of the players by divulging their names without benefit of solid evidence of their drug use.

this whole steroids era foolishness was a media-driven event: the fans don't care, most of the players played with other players who they knew were on "the juice", and the owners benefited from the increased revenues that pumped up stars like bonds, clemens, mcguire, and sosa provided. by swinging his bat, barry bonds basically built that ballpark in san francisco!

real talk: the hall of fame voters and the pencil-necked geek reporters who turned a blind eye to steroids use until barry bonds broke mark mcguire's homerun record whipped up a frenzy and this story... and they would not let it go until the commissioner had to act. by propping up an old fogey u.s. senator to lead the "investigation," you can see from the results that this was a glorified witch hunt and all those names falling into his lap was an accident.

plezWorld would be more comfortable with the report's findings if even a quarter of the teams were more thoroughly investigated, rather than relying on the word of two new york snitches for the bulk of the report. shame on bud selig and shame on major league baseball for being part of this sham. AND now what're the hall of fame voters gonna do... keep roger clemens out or send him to cooperstown with an asterisk by his name, too?!?