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Roger Clemens on the Juice? |
Fatal Rocko Willis
Fleet Admiral
Fatal Squadron
Joined: March 01, 2003
Posts: 1336
From: Kentucky
|  Posted: 2007-12-13 15:09
Barry Bonds has company – lots and lots of drug-tarnished company.
Roger Clemens, Miguel Tejada, Eric Gagne, Andy Pettitte and Paul Lo Duca are among the current players. Mo Vaughn, Kevin Brown and David Justice are among those who have retired.
And on and on. At least 85 names in all. An All-Star at every position.
"For more than a decade there has been widespread anabolic steroid use," Mitchell said during a news conference. "Each of the 30 clubs has had players who have been involved."
Yes, All-Stars and Cy Young award winners were among the Major League players publicly linked to the use of performance-enhancing drugs when their names appeared in the Mitchell report released Thursday. The long-awaited report is a study of baseball's so-called Steroids Era and the culmination of a 20-month investigation led by former senator George Mitchell.
Mitchell recommended the commissioner abstain from sanctioning players except in rare case where drug use has compromised the integrity of the game
"The commissioner should give the players and every else the chance to make a fresh start," Mitchell said.
Mitchell noted that it is important to address the use of performance-enhancing drugs not just among the players, but among adolescents. He cited surveys that show 3 to 6 percent of adolescents have used performance-enhancing drugs and said that translates into hundreds of thousands of children. "Every American, not just baseball fans, ought to be shocked into action by that disturbing truth."
After months of speculation over which players would be in the reports, the stars tied to the use of steroids, human growth hormone and other drugs banned by baseball trumped the findings of the Mitchell report. Before Thursday, Bonds was baseball's lone superstar definitively linked to the use of steroids.
Not anymore.
Mitchell said the rare cases in which he suggests Selig take action is not a reference to Bonds or any other specific player.
"That is a reference to my belief that the commissioner must have the ability to make the determination which I've set forth and he alone can judge what actions are so egregious to protect the integrity of the game.''
Separate from the Mitchell investigation, additional names tied to drug use could become public in the coming months. Prominent players and members of the rank-and-file implicated in an ongoing government investigation in Florida into the illegal distribution of performance-enhancing drugs were not in the report, according to a source involved in the investigation.
The Mitchell commission never requested from Florida authorities the names of players implicated in the ongoing investigation of the illegal distribution of steroids by Signature Pharmacy. Although government officials involved in the probe had discussed whether they would provide the names in anticipation of the request, according to the source. The source said discussions by government officials proved moot because Mitchell and his team of investigators never contacted the government investigators.
"Other investigations no doubt will turn up more names and turn up more details, but that is unlikely to significantly alter the description of the baseball Steroid Era set forth in this report," Mitchell said.
In addition to marquee players named in the report, several members of baseball's rank-and-file joined players whose names already had been leaked in published reports before the Mitchell commission's findings were released. An early criticism of the report is that it appears that the testimony of former New York Mets clubhouse attendant Kurt Radomski and, perhaps, a small handful of other lower-level MLB employees elicited most of the new information. "The investigation did not focus on any one club or any one players. Kurt Radomski lived in New York, and as a result he dealt with more players from New York," Mitchell said. "We of course did not select Kurt Radomski and did not select the players he dealt with. We asked him to tell us what happened and told him to tell us the truth. … Indeed, we told that to every witness."
Another longstanding criticism of Mitchell is that he has been a director of the Boston Red Sox since 2001, following the purchase of the team by its current ownership group. Mitchell took a leave from that position during the investigation, said his to the Red Sox did not compromise his ability to issue a fair report.
"Judge me by my work," he said. "Read the report. You will not find any evidence of bias, of special treatment of the Red Sox or anyone else, because there is none. That had no effect, none whatsoever, … on this report."
Mitchell admitted that many potential witnesses and sources of information were unhelpful
"The players union was largely uncooperative, and for reasons that I think are understandable," he said.
News leaks had identified 24 active and retired players allegedly implicated during government investigations into the illegal trafficking and distribution of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs. Another 18 players had been named since 2005 after testing positive for drugs banned as part of baseball's anti-steroids policy.
Though it created a splash, the naming of players tied to drug use belied the substance of the report, which is more than 300 pages and includes exhibits. The report assigned blame for the drug culture plaguing baseball to owners, players, baseball executives and commissioner Bud Selig. But it went far beyond finger-pointing.
Mitchell said everyone in the game was responsible for the problem going unchecked for years.
"Club officials have routinely discussed the use of steroids when discussing players," he said.
The Mitchell report calls for changes that could serve as a road map for a sport facing political pressure to curb the use of performance-enhancing drugs by its players.
But while baseball's top brass continue to digest the report and decide how to respond, they'll also have to deal with the more immediate impact of players linked to the use of banned drugs. The possible suspension of the players named in the report and the disruption it could cause at the start of next season remains to be seen. But based on recent action by Major League Baseball, the sanctions likely will depend on documents that show when players received banned drugs by the sport.
Jose Guillen and Jay Gibbons have been suspended for 15 games after published reports alleged they received human growth after Major League Baseball banned the drug in 2005. By contrast, four other players -- Gary Mathews Jr., Rick Ankiel, Troy Glaus and Scott Schoewenweis -- linked to HGH escaped sanctions when MLB decided there was "insufficient evidence'' to determine those players had committed a doping violation. Those four were alleged to have received performance-enhancing drugs before 2005.
Regardless, the action demonstrates MLB's willingness to sanction players despite the absence of positive drug tests. The Mitchell report will recommend the sport take action for what are known as non-analytical positives -- documents showing athletes received banned drugs -- and the action against Guillen and Gibbons demonstrate baseball officials are prepared to take those steps.
But some players figure to challenge suspensions based on non-analytical positives Guillen already has instructed the players' union to file a grievance, which will be decided by an arbitrator. Gibbons has accepted his suspension.
Even before the report was issued, baseball's drug testing policy had come under fire. MLB officials touted it as the best in sports, yet the revelations of government investigations suggested many players using banned drugs had escaped detection.
Since 2005, when baseball implemented its drug-testing policy, 18 players have tested positive for banned drugs. Yet before the Mitchell report was released, 24 active and retired players were linked to banned drugs based on evidence seized during government raids, according to published reports. Dozens of other players yet to be named publicly were found to be tied to banned drugs based on evidence seized during government raids, according to published reports.
The integrity of the testing also came under scrutiny. In October, the New York Times published a story alleging the sport's drug-testing procedure may allow time for players to mask their use of performance-enhancing drugs. Drug testers routinely alerted teams a day or two before they arrived at ballparks and experts said that provided enough time for players to mask the presence of banned drugs in their bodies, according to the New York Times' report.
Baseball officials vigorously disputed that any teams exploited the apparent loophole for such purposes. But even before the report, Major League Baseball and other sports have faced pressure to toughen sanctions for positive drug tests.
Under the current policy, players face a 50-game suspension for a first offense, a 100-game suspension for a second offense and a lifetime ban for a third offense. But a White House official said the Bush administration favors the drug policy used by the Olympics that calls for a two-year suspension for a first offense and a lifetime ban for the second offense.
It's clear why baseball and other sports leagues have resisted the sanctions and testing policy enforced by the World Anti-Doping Agency, which oversees drug testing for the Olympics, said Scott Burns, the deputy “drug czar’’ of the White House’s National Drug Control Policy.
“They don’t want to sign on because it's tough and it's specific,'' Burns said during a recent telephone conference call. "There are consequences and it can be monitored and people will be caught. Will they eventually sign on? Just about everybody in the world has.''
If the use of steroids and other banned drugs has dropped, it has modest impact on power numbers in baseball. This year players combined for 4,957 home runs, the first time in a decade the number has fallen short of 5,000.
No player has approached the 73 home runs Barry Bonds hit in 2001, when he smashed the single-season record. That year major leaguers combined to hit 5,458 home runs, the third-highest total in baseball history.
At the same time, no tandem has staged a home-run chase like the one in 1998 that featured Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire, both now suspected of using banned drugs. That season, Sosa hit 66 home runs and McGwire hit 70 home runs, and major leaguers combined to hit 5,064 homers – the first time in the sport's history the total had eclipsed 5,000.
Until the 1998 season, Roger Maris' record of 61 home runs in a season had stood since 1961.
Baseball's home run bash, especially the display by McGwire and Sosa in 1998, coincided with a spike in attendance and a renewed popularity for a sport had been beset by a player strike that led to the cancellation of the 1994 World Series. And baseball's resurgence has withstood the steroid scandals of recent years.
The same day Bonds was indicted on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice that stemmed from his denying in front of a grand jury that he ever knowingly used performance-enhancing drugs, Selig announced Major League Baseball has set new records for attendance and revenue during the 2007 season.
Major League Baseball players with links to performance-enhancing substances named in the Mitchell report.
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
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
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Doran
Chief Marshal
Galactic Navy
Joined: March 29, 2003
Posts: 4032
From: The Gideon Unit
| Posted: 2007-12-13 16:17
tl;dr
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BackSlash
Marshal
Galactic Navy
Joined: March 23, 2003
Posts: 11183
From: Bristol, England
| Posted: 2007-12-13 17:18
I thought talk of drugs was prohibited...
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Coeus
Grand Admiral
Sundered Weimeriners
Joined: March 22, 2006
Posts: 2815
From: Philly
| Posted: 2007-12-13 17:53
Steroids aren't illegal for personal use IIRC, but they are banned in professional sports. Besides which this is a news story.
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Fattierob
Vice Admiral
Joined: April 25, 2003
Posts: 4059
| Posted: 2007-12-13 18:05
Quote:
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On 2007-12-13 17:18, BackSlash *Jack* wrote:
I thought talk of drugs was prohibited...
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Only discussing of illegal drugs.
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Entil-Zha the Starkiller
Chief Marshal
Ravenous Wolfpack Clan
Joined: May 02, 2005
Posts: 261
From: Arizona - Where DST is a myth
| Posted: 2007-12-13 19:17
Illegal? In what country? Illegal in the US but can be legal in another country. Dilemma? Location....location....location....
[ This Message was edited by: EAS Agamemnon on 2007-12-13 19:27 ]
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kenetiks
Admiral
Galactic Navy
Joined: November 21, 2001
Posts: 1130
From: Bandcamp
| Posted: 2007-12-13 21:49
Quote:
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On 2007-12-13 19:17, EAS Agamemnon wrote:
Illegal? In what country? Illegal in the US but can be legal in another country. Dilemma? Location....location....location....
[ This Message was edited by: EAS Agamemnon on 2007-12-13 19:27 ]
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lol
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