There's so much in today's Mitchell Report that it's hard to figure out where to turn first in discussions of it. One thing that I found interesting is that George Mitchell was comfortable naming names of players based on nothing other than the allegations of teammates, like Brian Roberts. I understand why he named the names, it was integral to getting the public to believe this was a full investigation, but it seemed punitive to use names based on such flimsy evidence. It felt like a witch hunt to find as many names as possible and open the door to future attempts at discipline. I was more impressed by his proposal that the Commissioner's office not discipline anyone for past violations "except in those cases where he determines that the conduct is so serious that discipline is necessary to maintain the integrity of the game." He also called for baseball to look forward and not to the past as a response to this report.
Just now, in his own news conference, however, Commisioner Bud Selig said that he is going to investigate the findings in Mitchell's report and determine discipline for the players involved. That seems like it will be hard to do without a tooth and nail battle from the Players Association. It sounds like Selig is spoiling for a fight which is about the stupidest response to have to the Mitchell Report. It also seems like it wouldn't be the most judicious use of baseball's time and resources.
How can you rest on just the players named in this report?
The names come from BALCO and Orlando/online pharmacy cases, long known to baseball and, in the latter case, already given a free pass by the league. They also come from the testimony of two men, both located in New York. If the problem is as widespread as Mitchell's report indicates, why wouldn't you start looking for those guys in the other 28 major league cities. If you're going to discipline the players named today, I think you have to then keep digging for those who weren't named in today's report. That's a process that could go on for an eternity and baseball would never be able to start living in a post-steroid age.
That's the biggest thing that the Mitchell Report offered baseball today. By portraying it as an instant historical document, Mitchell made it possible for baseball to use the report as a springboard to the future. If Selig chooses to consume himself with chasing down enough evidence to suspend and discipline all the players in this report, he can't stop there and truly say that baseball has dealt with the problems of the past. If he implements the procedures Mitchell suggested, though, he can sell it as baseball learning from what's happened and moving the game forward to a different and, hopefully, better place.
Read FanHouse's full coverage of the Mitchell Report.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
12-13-2007 @ 5:32PM
Dead Weight said...
I think I trust Selig's judgment more than yours. There is a slight possibility that he knows a little bit more about this than you do.
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12-13-2007 @ 5:34PM
xbr said...
I wasn't impressed by what you were impressed with, i.e. the "selective" punishment of players on a "case to case" basis. OR, "those cases where [Selig] determines that the conduct is so serious that discipline is necessary to maintain the integrity of the game." There's no fairness to it. Instead, it's based on a vague standard: the vague necessity to maintain "the integrity of the game."
The philsophy is that cleaning up sports only occurs when drug cheats are exposed and punished. Does that mean that punishing the biggest stars will provide the biggest deterrent? Because that's what it sounds like. If so, that's not the way it's done in other sports, like track & field or cycling, where, if you're dirty you're suspended. Gymnasts aren't allowed to take a cold capsule without prior approval. Nothing about the "integrity of the game."
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12-13-2007 @ 5:43PM
Kenneth Ballowe said...
Those players, regardless of team or position, positivel known to have used performance enhancing drugs,prescription or otherwise,should be banned from the hall of fame. Their so-called records should be nullified!!!!
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12-13-2007 @ 7:29PM
CBruinsone said...
well its funny when gaylord perry was winning all of his games everyone thought it was funny that he cheated... get off these guys back
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12-13-2007 @ 7:48PM
Dr. D said...
just like a bill isn't punishable until it become a law,you CAN NOT punish the players that knowingly took or unknowingly were given or injected the substance when it was legal. So Sammy,Mark,Roger, etc shouldn't be punished by MLB or the PUBLIC. However for those that LIE,(BARRY)they should be put in jail,ban from baseball,treated with an */or have their records deleted from all baseball books
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12-13-2007 @ 10:23PM
larry said...
I find it odd that no Red Sox prime players were named in this report. I think too much is being based on allegations,.
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12-14-2007 @ 9:30AM
Phil said...
The idea that the players didnt know that they were using steroids is silly..........of course they all knew...........players.....managers.......owners........time to eliminate special status for baseball and force revenue shariing.......there is no parity in baseball..........
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12-14-2007 @ 9:30AM
Phil said...
Time to clean the whole thing up......Selig is not capable .....nor does he want to..............
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12-14-2007 @ 3:01PM
Patt said...
Bud Selig is part of the problem and can not be a part of the solution.
I have said over and over, MLB is complicit in this whole fiasco. They knew the players were juicing up years ago. It was to their best interest to turn the other cheek.
Why turn the other cheek? It's called $$$$$$$$$
The long ball bought baseball back after the strike period.
If you were an owner making the type of money these people were/are making why would you care if the players juiced up?
Not to mention there was no doping policy in place in the early days; no one would be hurt but the players and they are always replaceable.
If you don't believe it, every year some one new pops up whom the media crowns as the greatest. Remember this term "The latest is the Greatest"
The owners had nothing to loose and everything to gain by accepting the activity of the players as it made them rich or richer.
Bud Selig was an owner and commissioner yet nothing was ever done until MLB was forced to act. If they cared about the game and its integrity we wouldn’t be having this conversation.
This Mitchell commission if for you the fans to keep you coming back, you the customers are the cash cows. Beyond this they don't care; the only ones who truly care are you the fan and you are the ones who are being doped.
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12-14-2007 @ 3:28PM
antonio Baerga said...
I believe an independent committee with no link to baseball should have done the investigation. With Senator Mitchell being a director for the Bosox, If David ortiz or Manny Ramirez would have been accused of using steriods, would he put them on the list. And where are the names of the players from the other teams beside the Mets and Yanks.
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12-15-2007 @ 9:33AM
k09464 said...
. . . Bud Selig and Major League Baseball have little or no chance disciplining or managing specific
banned behaviour regarding illicit substance abuse.
MLB has largely relinquished their ability to monitor or manage serious player misbehaviour to the
MLB Player Association (the 'Union')- and it's unrealistic to expect those foxes to protect any of the hens.
Because MLB lacks the will to regain even an equal footing with the Player's Association (IMO) and because (seemingly) many professional sports players believe this behaviour/conduct is the norm or 'no big deal' I am of the opinion that Law Enforcement must increase their pursuit of these felons - comming down hard. Substance Abuse, Cheating, in Sports or Corporate ( i.e. Insider Trading et al)
can not, should not be tolerated.
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12-18-2007 @ 3:11AM
rick myers said...
if the owners state they knew nothing about the steroid use i feel there hiding the truth they knew but did not care this has been a problem for along time but they did not admit it.we did not here them whine when attendence rose the roof when mac and sosa were going after the homerun record they praised them for bringing people back to the ballparks. after greed set in on both owners and players in 1984 strike season. then some owners trying to buy a world champion team causing other owners to spend more.bottom line the fans are the ones that are getting hurt with the skyrocketing ticket prices to see there favorie team why don't the owners have a half price mid-week ticket
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