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by knapplc » Thu Dec 13, 2007 1:14 pm A few comments on that article…
Sources: Mitchell Report to name MVPs, All-Stars, won't address amphetamines
Won’t address amphetamines? Why not? So are we going to have to go through this again in a few years when amphetamines become the hot topic? They should have addressed ALL PED issues with this report and had done with it. This piecemeal way of doing this is ridiculous.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens and Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte were the first names to emerge Thursday from the Mitchell report.
I’m betting there will be a LOT of pitchers named in this report – maybe more than hitters.
The report by Mitchell will include names of 60 to 80 players linked to performance-enhancing substances and plenty more information that exposes "deep problems" afflicting the sport, one of two sources with knowledge of the findings told the AP. Both sources said the report would not address amphetamines.
If they ONLY name 80 players from the past ten years, I’d say they’re off by about 4/5’s of the whole number. If the culture was so rampant throughout baseball, there’s no way only 80 players took this stuff.
One person familiar with the final version would only speak anonymously but described it as "a very thorough treatment of the subject" and said some aspects were surprising. He said the report assigns blame to both the commissioner's office and the players' union.
You have to wonder what Bud Selig’s exposure will be in this situation. Is he going to skate off without any recrimination, or is he going to get penalized for being the guy in charge while this “scandal” took place, perhaps with his knowledge (at least according to that paragraph).
One source said that while the report will cite problems "top to bottom," it also will expose "deep problems, the number of players, high-level MVPs and All-Stars," as well as clubhouse personnel who allowed steroids and other banned substances in clubhouses or knew about it and didn't say anything.
“Clubhouse personnel.” Does that include owners who knew or should have known and turned a blind eye, or owners who encouraged players to take this stuff, or who encouraged “clubhouse personnel” to make this stuff available to their players? Because I’m certain this happened.
The rest of the report, the sources said, focuses on recommendations that include enhanced year-round testing and hiring a drug-testing company that uses the highest standards of independence and transparency. Baseball's program currently is overseen by a joint management-union Health Policy Advisory Committee, with an independent administrator approved by both sides.
It also was expected to recommend that baseball develop a credible program to handle cases with evidence of athletes receiving or taking drugs but not testing positive for them.
That’s a great idea. There’s no way baseball can be allowed to self-police after being outed like this.
Just last week, Kansas City's Jose Guillen and Baltimore's Jay Gibbons were suspended for the first 15 days of next season, and media reports said they had obtained human growth hormone in 2005, after baseball banned it.
Gibbons must in truth be about a ninth-rate hack if he can’t make it in the Bigs even with Juice. That guy killed my outfield three years ago, the loser.
"I certainly hope after 21 months and getting zip by way of cooperation from the players' association that they'll come up with some recommendations for improvement," said World Anti-Doping Agency chairman Dick Pound. "If not, it's a complete waste of time."
But he said he's not sure baseball would follow any recommendations.
"My guess is that the management side probably would, but the players' association will dig in and continue its steel-town union approach to life," he said.
Agents have said they expect the report to be highly critical of players and the union for largely refusing to cooperate with Mitchell.
What a shock – “the world’s most powerful union” not cooperating with an investigation. This is one of the reasons I prefer college baseball or Independent league baseball to MLB – these players and this union are out of control, IMO.
Finally – I wonder if they’re ever going to do a similar investigation into the NFL.
I mean if they're included, how does this help? 
