The Mitchell report and what it takes to be an American Patriot!

[The_Worlds_finest]

Baseballs hundreds of fans are going to be shocked when they find out thier favorite players were caught in the doping scandel...who cares its baseball....why is this being presented as some sort of national problem...its baseball...bud selig and geroge mitchell you are american heros clean that baseball up!

[JoeChalupa]

I still and always will love the game of baseball. I may hate what some of the players have done but it will not diminish my love of the game. Playing baseball as a kid are some of my favorite memories. If anyone else played little league ball as a kid I would hope they share my experience.

[clambake]

the smaller parks will be big again!!

[Nbadan]

Here's the complete list, according to the Mitchell Report:

Brady Anderson,
Manny Alexander,
Rick Ankiel,
Jeff Bagwell,
Barry Bonds
Aaron Boone
Rafael Bettancourt
Bret Boone
Milton Bradley
David Bell
Dante Bichette
Albert Belle
Paul Byrd
Wil Cordero
Ken Caminiti
Mike Cameron
Ramon Castro
Jose Canseco
Ozzie Canseco
Roger Clemens
Paxton Crawford
Wilson Delgado
Lenny Dykstra
Johnny Damon
Carl Everett
Kyle Farnsworth
Ryan Franklin
Troy Glaus
Rich Garces
Jason Grimsley
Juan Gonzalez
Eric Gagne
Nomar Garciaparra
Jason Giambi
Jeremy Giambi
Jose Guillen
Jay Gibbons
Juan Gonzalez
Clay Hensley
Jerry Hairston
Felix Heredia, Jr.
Darren Holmes
Wally Joyner
Darryl Kile
Matt Lawton
Raul Mondesi
Mark McGwire
Guillermo Mota
Robert Machado
Damian Moss
Abraham Nunez
Trot Nixon
Jose Offerman
Andy Pettitte
Mark Prior
Neifi Perez
Rafael Palmiero
Albert Pujols
Brian Roberts
Juan Rincon
John Rocker
Pudge Rodriguez
Sammy Sosa
Scott Schoenweis
David Segui
Alex Sanchez
Gary Sheffield
Miguel Tejada
Julian Tavarez
Fernando Tatis
Maurice Vaughn
Jason Varitek
Ismael Valdez
Matt Williams
Kerry Wood

[dimsah]

Wow! They really didn't seem to work too well for a lot of those guys.

[degenerate_gambler]

Here's the complete list, according to the Mitchell Report:

Brady Anderson,
Manny Alexander,
Rick Ankiel,
Jeff Bagwell,
Barry Bonds
Aaron Boone
Rafael Bettancourt
Bret Boone
Milton Bradley
David Bell
Dante Bichette
Albert Belle
Paul Byrd
Wil Cordero
Ken Caminiti
Mike Cameron
Ramon Castro
Jose Canseco
Ozzie Canseco
Roger Clemens
Paxton Crawford
Wilson Delgado
Lenny Dykstra
Johnny Damon
Carl Everett
Kyle Farnsworth
Ryan Franklin
Troy Glaus
Rich Garces
Jason Grimsley
Juan Gonzalez
Eric Gagne
Nomar Garciaparra
Jason Giambi
Jeremy Giambi
Jose Guillen
Jay Gibbons
Juan Gonzalez
Clay Hensley
Jerry Hairston
Felix Heredia, Jr.
Darren Holmes
Wally Joyner
Darryl Kile
Matt Lawton
Raul Mondesi
Mark McGwire
Guillermo Mota
Robert Machado
Damian Moss
Abraham Nunez
Trot Nixon
Jose Offerman
Andy Pettitte
Mark Prior
Neifi Perez
Rafael Palmiero
Albert Pujols
Brian Roberts
Juan Rincon
John Rocker
Pudge Rodriguez
Sammy Sosa
Scott Schoenweis
David Segui
Alex Sanchez
Gary Sheffield
Miguel Tejada
Julian Tavarez
Fernando Tatis
Maurice Vaughn
Jason Varitek
Ismael Valdez
Matt Williams
Kerry Wood



wrong list there, buddy..

[Nbadan]

Your right, the list is incomplete, here is the whole list:

NEW NAMES

Chad Allen
Mike Bell
Gary Bennett
Larry Bigbie
Kevin Brown
Alex Cabrera
Mark Carreon
Jason Christiansen
Howie Clark
Roger Clemens
Jack Cust
Brendan Donnelly
Chris Donnels
Matt Franco
Eric Gagne
Matt Herges
Phil Hiatt
Glenallen Hill
Todd Hundley
Mike Judd
David Justice
Chuck Knoblauch
Tim Laker
Mike Lansing
Paul Lo Duca
Nook Logan
Josias Manzanillo
Cody McKay
Kent Mercker
Bart Miadich
Hal Morris
Daniel Naulty
Denny Neagle
Jim Parque
Andy Pettitte
Adam Piatt
Todd Pratt
Stephen Randolph
Adam Riggs
Armando Rios
Brian Roberts
F.P. Santangelo
Mike Stanton
Ricky Stone
Miguel Tejada
Ismael Valdez
Mo Vaughn
Ron Villone
Fernando Vina
Rondell White
Jeff Williams
Todd Williams
Steve Woodard
Kevin Young
Gregg Zaun

PREVIOUSLY LINKED

Manny Alexander
Rick Ankiel
David Bell
Marvin Benard
Barry Bonds
Ricky Bones
Paul Byrd
Jose Canseco
Paxton Crawford
Lenny Dykstra
Bobby Estalella
Ryan Franklin
Jason Giambi
Jeremy Giambi
Jay Gibbons
Troy Glaus
Juan Gonzalez
Jason Grimsley
Jose Guillen
Jerry Hairston Jr.
Darren Holmes
Ryan Jorgensen
Gary Matthews Jr.
Rafael Palmeiro
John Rocker
Benito Santiago
Scott Schoeneweis
David Segui
Gary Sheffield
Randy Velarde
Matt Williams

Yahoo (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ys-mitchellnames121307&prov=yhoo&type=lgns)

[clambake]

the true list is much bigger

[BradLohaus]

It was just a downward spiral after Brady Anderson hit 50 homeruns in '96, wasn't it?

Aaron and Maris are still the record holders; the players on the list never existed.

[degenerate_gambler]

It was just a downward spiral after Brady Anderson hit 50 homeruns in '96, wasn't it?


if ever there was a poster boy...

[Nbadan]

Here is another list from MSNBC: (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22244549/)


The following players were connected to steroids, either use or possession, in the report:

Chad Allen
Mike Bell
Gary Bennett
Larry Bigbie
Ricky Bones
Kevin Brown
Ken Caminiti
Mark Carreon
Jason Christiansen
Howie Clark
Roger Clemens
Paxton Crawford
Jack Cust
Brendan Donnelly
Chris Donnels
Lenny Dykstra
Matt Franco
Ryan Franklin
Eric Gagne
Jason Grimsley
Jerry Hairston
Phil Hiatt
Matt Herges
Glenallen Hill
Todd Hundley
Ryan Jorgensen
Wally Joyner
Mike Judd
David Justice
Chuck Knoblauch
Tim Laker
Mike Lansing
Paul Lo Duca
Exavier “Nook” Logan
Josias Manzanillo
Cody McKay
Kent Mercker
Bart Miadich
Hal Morris
Daniel Naulty
Denny Neagle
Rafael Palmeiro
Jim Parque
Luis Perez
Andy Pettitte
Adam Piatt
Todd Pratt
Stephen Randolph
Adam Riggs
Brian Roberts
F.P. Santangelo
David Segui
Mike Stanton
Ricky Stone
Miguel Tejada
Derrick Turnbow
Mo Vaughn
Ron Villone
Fernando Vina
Rondell White
Jeff Williams
Todd Williams
Kevin Young
Gregg Zaun

The following players were cited under “Alleged Internet Purchases of Performance Enhancing Substances By Players in Major League Baseball” in the report:

Rick Ankiel
David Bell
Paul Byrd
Jose Canseco
Jay Gibbons
Troy Glaus
Jose Guillen
Darren Holmes
Gary Matthews Jr.
John Rocker
Scott Schoeneweis
Ismael Valdez
Matt Williams
Steve Woodard

The following players were linked through BALCO in the report:

Marvin Benard
Barry Bonds
Bobby Estalella
Jason Giambi
Jeremy Giambi
Benito Santiago
Gary Sheffield
Randy Velarde

[Clandestino]

baseball sucks. pretty boring to play and even more excrutiating to watch.

in fact, the demos are trying to prosecute some soldiers at gitmo for forcing some terrorists to watch the world series

[Nbadan]

n fact, the demos are trying to prosecute some soldiers at gitmo for forcing some terrorists to watch the world series

Well did you watch the World Series? Just saw my head off...

[BonnerDynasty]

uh oh

if biggio steers 'clear' of this list, he could catapult to 'cream' of the crop status and into the HOF fast

That's all I cared about.

I didn't want to see Biggio or Bags on The List.

[JoeChalupa]

I love the game and those who say it is boring probably suck at it. Yeah, it can get boring sitting on the bench. :spin

[xrayzebra]

Dr. Sowell's take on this scandal. I like his idea, no Hall of Fame
for those that cheated by using drugs. (Breaking the rules). Not
the let bygones be bygones.


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Say It Ain't So
By Thomas Sowell
Friday, December 14, 2007

Shoeless Joe Jackson was the only man to bat .382 in his last season in the major leagues. After that he was banned for life for his role in the "black sox scandal," the deliberate throwing of the 1919 World Series.

It was to Jackson that a youngster was supposed to have said, "Say it ain't so, Joe."

Maybe we are too sophisticated today to react that way to the news that many major league star players have been taking steroids or other performance-enhancing drugs. But maybe we have gotten too sophisticated for our own good.

Some people are questioning whether there should now be asterisks alongside the records of Barry Bonds or other star players. That is the least of the problems -- and the least of the solutions.

Steroids are dangerous and sometimes fatal. Yet, if some players use them, others will feel the pressure to use them as well, in order to compete.

Most important of all, many young people will imitate their sports heroes -- and pay the price. Those young people are far more important than asterisks.

You might think that athletes who are making a million dollars -- not per year, but sometimes per month -- could spare some concern for the kids who look up to them.

But too many think only of themselves, and not always wisely, even for themselves.

Football star Michael Vick's downfall was dog-fighting, rather than steroids, but it was the same reckless disregard of rules, jeopardizing a career that would have earned him more in a few years than most people make in a lifetime.

Even those of us who are not Michael Vick fans have to find it painful to see a young man self-destruct this way. If anything good comes out of this, it might be that his fate may deter others.

The bottom line question for those in authority, whether in the courts or in professional sports is, "What are you going to do about it?"

The law has already spoken in the case of Michael Vick. It is too early to say what the law will do in the case of Barry Bonds and others involved in the steroid controversy.

But it is not too early to point out that what the law does or does not do is separate from what the people in charge of professional sports do.

In a court of law, the accused is presumed to be "innocent until proven guilty" beyond a reasonable doubt. But too many people mindlessly repeat that phrase for things outside of courts.

All the ballplayers accused of throwing the 1919 World Series were acquitted in a court of law -- and all were nevertheless banned from baseball for life anyway by the commissioner of baseball.

In a sense, that ban applied not only for life but beyond death. None of those players has been put in the Baseball Hall of Fame, even though Shoeless Joe Jackson hit .408 at his peak and left a lifetime batting average of .356.

That was long before we became so sophisticated that we learned to come up with excuses for those who violate rules and additional excuses for those who refuse to impose penalties.

Today there are those who lament Pete Rose's exclusion from the Baseball Hall of Fame, despite a record on the field that would certainly have put him there, except for breaking rules.

But Shoeless Joe Jackson's even more impressive record would certainly have put him in Cooperstown, if he had not broken the rules.

There is still some lingering hope of sanity in the baseball writers' refusal to vote Mark McGwire into the Baseball Hall of Fame, despite his tremendous career achievements.

Keeping known rule-breakers out of Cooperstown would be a lot more effective deterrent than putting asterisks alongside their records, to be disregarded by those who are "non-judgmental."

Unfortunately Senator George Mitchell's report on steroid use in the major leagues and its recommendations are of the let-bygones-be-bygones approach that has spread the disregard of rules throughout the whole society, from student cheaters to career criminals.



Thomas Sowell is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institute and author of Basic Economics: A Citizen's Guide to the Economy.

Be the first to read Thomas Sowell's column. Sign up today and receive Townhall.com delivered each morning to your inbox.

©Creators Syndicate


Copyright © 2006 Salem Web Network. All Rights Reserved.

[Extra Stout]

Dr. Sowell's take on this scandal. I like his idea, no Hall of Fame
for those that cheated by using drugs. (Breaking the rules). Not
the let bygones be bygones.
Then close the Hall of Fame to any new inductees except for little guys like Greg Maddux.

Anyone who thinks that the "Steroid Era" is over just because baseball has testing is kidding themselves. The performance-enhancing drug industry is about two generations ahead of baseball. Players won't fail drug tests, because they take masking agents. They take new generations of drugs that won't make them bulk up like the Hulk. They take HGH. Only those who get careless get caught.

The tragedy is the kids who will take this stuff because they need that "edge," and will end up ruining their health and dying at 45.

Nothing will ever do away with pharmaceutical cheating in competitive athletics, because the results are too compelling -- if you cheat, you win. If you don't cheat, the cheaters beat you. The black-market scientists are too far ahead of the curve to get caught. There's too much money in it.

I wish I could say that if we took away the obsessive focus on sports the problem would go away, except that competitive bodybuilding presents a clear counterargument.

[spurster]

Cheating is a part of baseball as much as strikeouts and stolen bases. Until it came to these drugs, players seemed to relish in cheating and getting away with it.

[JoeChalupa]

Unless there is solid proof, such as a drug test, other than someone pointing the finger and saying they sold steriods to a player I tend to give them the benefit of the doubt. Even with Bonds and Clemens you cannot tell me that it was steroids alone that made them the great hitter and pitcher that they are.
If you don't have the natural talent all the steroids in the world will not help.

But I do believe Bonds used steroids.

[balli]

Even with Bonds and Clemens you cannot tell me that it was steroids alone that made them the great hitter and pitcher that they are.
If you don't have the natural talent all the steroids in the world will not help.

But I do believe Bonds used steroids.

But like you are doing with Bonds, a REASONABLE person could REASONABLY INFER that they used.

I'm suspicious of anyone who suddenly gets great in their late 30's whereas it looked like they were falling off in their mid-30's (especially Clemens, as he's a pitcher and wasn't really great until the accused usage prolonged his career).

Your right. There is no die-hard proof, but the court of public opinion doesn't demand it. Maybe the record books do. But public opinion is just that... opinion. And the opinion that they used is a pretty reasonable one to hold.

[JoeChalupa]

Yeah, the damage has been done. That is why I have respect for the players of my era and regardless of his gambling, Pete Rose is still tops in my book. Say what you will but I would bet my life that he NEVER threw a game. The man loved to play the game and left his heart on the field every damn game. Those and the years before were baselball's best.

[balli]

Yeah, Pete Rose ruled. I actually wonder if this helps his chances of someday making it into the hall. Like, they can't really put Barry or Clemens in there while continuing to put huge distance between themselves and a guy who probably didn't even cheat, just gambled. I hope so anyway.

[violentkitten]

how is it that this report has really done that much damage to baseball that hasn't already been done? it's been clear for a while that the league's two platinum records were held by dopers over the last decade.

[Nbadan]

I think its startling because some of the names involved are corner-stones of baseball...but we do live in a win at all costs society....

[violentkitten]

barry bonds and mark mcgwire were not such "cornerstones"?

[BradLohaus]

The tragedy is the kids who will take this stuff because they need that "edge," and will end up ruining their health and dying at 45.


That's true. Baseball's going to be like pro wrestling.

And a big thumbs up for Pete Rose; how could they keep him out of the HOF now?

[Nbadan]

The Mitchell Report Is a Fraud
Dave Zirin


Ever had someone spit in your face and tell you it's raining? That's how it felt watching former Senator George Mitchell's press conference on steroid use in Major League Baseball. The former Senate majority leader unleashed his "investigative findings" in the somber, deliberate tones of an exhausted undertaker. Mitchell strained to heap scorn upon baseball owners and the player's union for being "slow to act." Yet beneath the surface, his report is ugly, sanctimonious fraud, meant to absolve those at the top and pin blame on a motley crew of retired players, trainers and clubhouse attendants. This is truly the old saw of the magical fishing net that captures minnows but lets the whales swim free.

Sanctioned by commissioner Bud Selig's office, the Mitchell Report was seen by some as an unprecedented act in sports: a $20 million internal investigation aimed at rooting out "performance enhancing drugs and human growth hormones" in the game.

The Mitchell Report certainly gives off a sexy sizzle. It names names: including MVPs Mo Vaughn, Miguel Tejada and Barry Bonds, and former all-stars like Eric Gagne and Lenny Dykstra. It also names a man being called the Moby Dick to Mitchell's Ahab: seven-time Cy Young award winner Roger Clemens. For some time, people in the game have whispered about Clemens being on the juice. And for some time, the 45-year-old Clemens denied all charges, as a compliant media lapped it up. As Yahoo Sports's Dan Wetzel wrote, "Year after year he peddled the same garbage, Roger Clemens was so dominant for so long because he simply outworked everyone. It played to the nation's Puritan roots, made Clemens out to be this everyman maximizing his skills through singular focus, dedication and a commitment to drinking carrot juice, or something. It's all gone now, the legend of Rocket Roger dead on arrival of the Mitchell Report; one of the greatest pitchers of all time, his seven Cy Young's and 354 career victories lost to history under a pile of lies and syringes."

The Mitchell Report confirms not only suspicions about Clemens but also the existence of an outrageous media bias and double standard. Seven-time MVP Barry Bonds has been raked over the conjectural coals for years, but Clemens got a pass. Two players, both dominant into their 40s, one black and one white, with two entirely different ways of being treated. It doesn't take Al Sharpton to do the cultural calculus.

And yet flaying Clemens shouldn't excuse the whitewash. There are three fundamental problems with the Mitchell report:

1. Mitchell himself. Best known before today for helping negotiate the peace deal in Northern Ireland, Mitchell has a massive conflict of interest when it comes to baseball. He is on the boards of both the Boston Red Sox and, until recently, the Walt Disney Company. Disney owns ESPN, baseball's number-one broadcast partner. Sportscaster and Hall of Famer Joe Morgan has spoken out about how in the 1990s, ESPN execs encouraged him not to state his suspicions about steroid use on-air. As Morgan said, "I would be broadcasting a game and there would be players hitting balls in a way that they had no business hitting them."

2. No testimony from players. The only active players to speak to Mitchell was New York Yankee Jason Giambi, who spoke under threat of suspension and Toronto Blue Jay Frank Thomas, who, it was revealed today, stepped forward to provide evidence that disputed Mitchell's allegations. Mitchell says he invited the all accused to come clear their names, but other than Giambi and Thomas, no one has taken him up on this generous offer. Yet if you are an MLB player, why would you come forward to legitimize a process in which you wouldn't even have the opportunity to face your accuser? This was a process where Mitchell was judge, jury and executioner: Gitmo meets Skoal. Reputations have been ruined--and the essential "truth" of the report is still based on hearsay.

3. Same old narrative. Mitchell paid lip service in his press conference to "slow-acting" owners--calling it "a collective failure." At one point, Mitchell said, without explanation, that baseball execs were slow due to "economic motives." Yet the overarching narrative is that the owners and general managers were merely ignorant or obtuse, with a complete absence of intent or malice. The real fault lay with players and independent clubhouse attendants, like the soon-to-be-famous former Mets clubhouse attendant Kirk Radomski, who says he secured the juice for players and then named names. Radomski was described by former Mets GM Steve Phillips as "the guy who would pick up the towels or pick up a player's girlfriend from the airport." Kirk Radomski, a regular Pablo Escobar.

Mitchell went on to say that players have actively and on their own made great efforts to foil the owners' poorly organized efforts to clean up the game. This is the same kind of political cover--as Naomi Klein has written about so brilliantly--that the mainstream press gives the Bush Administration on Iraq. Errors made are ones of people with good intentions who made terrible choices. Those who suffered from these choices are blamed for their barbarism and self-interest. When Baghdad was being looted and destroyed, Iraqis were pilloried for their greed. Rumsfeld, Bush and Cheney were blamed for being overly optimistic and trusting them too much.

Poppycock, whether we're talking about the Bush cabal or MLB owners. Performance-enhancing drugs were funneled into the game along with smaller stadiums, harder bats and incredible shrinking strike zones to boost power numbers and ratings after the 1994 strike. (Read Howard Bryant's excellent Juicing the Game for the full breakdown.)

The idea that owners and GMs facilitated these measures while leaving the very conditioning of players to themselves simply strains belief: this is like George H.W. Bush saying he was "out of the loop" on Iran-contra. This is Dubya saying that he never read the National Intelligence Estimate before claiming World War III is on the horizon with Iran. In other words, this is the way people in power stay in power during times of crisis: take some heat, blame the underlings, cry some tears and call it a day.

The Nation (http://www.thenation.com/doc/20071231/zirin)

[JoeChalupa]

Like I stated before I need more proof than somebody just saying so and even in baseball, you are innocent until proven guilty.
And I'm glad that others agree that Pete Rose is a true baseball legend...gambling or not.

[Wild Cobra]

The Mitchell Report Is a Fraud
Dave Zirin
Yep, leave it to a democrat to let his agenda lead the way... Truth be damned...