The Mitchell Report: Don't Say You're Sorry if You Don't Really Mean It

Someone once told me, "Pat, you can say you're sorry all you want but just because you say it enough to think you mean it doesn't actually mean that you do." That's a pretty true statement, I think, and it certainly applies to baseball right now. Since the release of the Mitchell Report last week, the en vogue thing to do has been for players to immediately cop to whatever Mitchell accused them of (well, most players). But are they really sorry? I'm not so sure.

Name: Gary Bennett
Mitchell Accusation: "Radomski recalled one transaction with Bennett in July 2003 for two kits of human growth hormone. Radomski produced one check from Bennett payable to Kirk Radomski in the amount of $3,200 dated
July 13, 2003."
Admission: "As far as the report is concerned to me, it's accurate ...Obviously, it was a stupid decision ... It was a mistake. It was something that quite obviously, you regret now." (link)
Gut Reaction: Wait, Gary Bennett took steroids? This Gary Bennett? Really?
Believability: Look at it this way, it's way more embarrassing for Gary Bennett to admit to steroid use in his career than it is for him to deny it. Since he's not offering any qualifications or anything, I believe him.


Name: Brendan Donnelly
Mitchell Accusation: "Radomski said that Donnelly was referred to him by Adam Riggs. Both Riggs and Donnelly played for the Angels in 2003 and 2004. Radomski recalled that Donnelly called him in 2004 looking for Anavar, an anabolic steroid. Radomski made one sale to Donnelly of Deca-Durabolin for which Donnelly paid $250 to $300. In considering whether to trade for Donnelly in 2007, Red Sox baseball operations personnel internally discussed concerns that Donnelly was using performance enhancing substances ... Kyle Evans of the baseball operations staff agreed with these concerns, responding in an email that "I haven't heard many good things about him, w[ith] significant steroid rumors."
Denial: "In 2004, I was having multiple physical problems and was concerned about not getting back on the field for even close to the level I had experienced. I made a phone call to Radomski. We discussed Anavar. Upon learning that Anavar was classified as a steroid, I realized that was not an option. That was the end of it. Yes, I called him. But I did not purchase or receive anything from him. I never took Deca or Anavar. I do want to fully support the testing program of Major League Baseball, and I support wider testing." (link)
Gut Reaction: He also said he was "eating popcorn" while watching coverage of the report and "hasn't slept" since the report came out. There's denial and then there's trying too hard.
Believability: If we were just talking he-said he-said here, I might believe Donnelly, but the whole part about the Red Sox front office is pretty damning for him.

Name: Brian Roberts
Mitchell Accusation: "According to Bigbie, however, in 2004 Roberts admitted to him that he had injected himself once or twice with steroids in 2003. Until this admission, Bigbie had never suspected Roberts of using steroids."
Admission: "In 2003, when I took one shot of steroids, I immediately realized that this was not what I stood for or anything that I wanted to continue doing. I never used steroids, human growth hormone or any other performance enhancing drugs prior to or since that single incident ... I can honestly say before God, myself, my family and all of my fans, that steroids or any performance-enhancing drugs have never had any effect on what I have worked so hard to accomplish in the game of baseball."
Gut reaction: Oh, yeah, bring God into this. He saw your 12 career home runs in 2,102 ABs before 2004 and your 18 homersin 561 at ABs in 2005, too.
Believability: On one hand, that home run total in 2005 is pretty suspicious. On the other hand, he looks like he's 12 years old and not even his teammates thought he was juicing up. I dunno why, but I believe him, yo.

Name: Fernando Vina
Mitchell Accusation:Radomski stated that he sold anabolic steroids or human growth hormone to Vina six to eight times during 2000 to 2005. Radomski produced three checks from Vina. Radomski stated that these checks reflected a March 2003 purchase by Vina of human growth hormone, an April 2003 purchase by Vina of steroids, most likely Winstrol, and a July 2005 purchase by Vina of Deca-Durabolin.
Admission: "In 2003, I did use HGH ... For me, it was to try to get back on the field ... That was the bottom line. Was it right? No. Obviously, it was wrong ... I'm embararssed by it ... I never used steroids ... I never bought steroids from him. All I used was HGH." (link)
Gut reaction: It took four days to craft that response?
Believability: This one was pretty ballsy because he's the only person to selectively admit usage so far. Everyone else has either said, "I did it exactly like George Mitchell said" or "I didn't do it." Vina said, "I kinda did it." Personally, I imagine John Kruk threatened to beat him up and not let him sit with the cool kids at lunch if he admitted to steroid use, so he had to pull up a little short of a full admission.

Name: Andy Pettitte
Mitchell Accusation: "McNamee traveled to Tampa at Pettitte's request and spent about ten days assisting Pettitte with his rehabilitation. McNamee recalled that he injected Pettitte with human growth hormone that McNamee obtained from Radomski on two to four occasions. Pettitte paid McNamee for the trip and his expenses; there was no separate payment for the human growth hormone."
Admission: "If what I did was an error in judgment on my part, I apologize ... I felt an obligation to get back to my team as soon as possible. For this reason, and only this reason, for two days I tried human growth hormone. Though it was not against baseball rules, I was not comfortable with what I was doing, so I stopped .This is it - two days out of my life; two days out of my entire career, when I was injured and on the disabled list. I wasn't looking for an edge. I was looking to heal." (link)
Gut Reaction: Pettitte kind of sounds like a guy who stole a car, robbed a bank, and killed both bank tellers, then got charged for stealing a Snickers bar from the Kwik-E-Mart before the crime spree started and nothing else. "Did I steal the Snickers bar? Yeah, if you call that stealing."
Believability: Let me put it this way- we know the Mitchell Report was in no way comprehensive in terms of steroid users around the league named. So why should we consider its chronicling of usage by the guys named comprehensive? In some ways, I feel like it provided an out for guys to comp to much less usage than actually took place. I'm not saying Pettitte lied, I'm just saying I'm not 100% convinced.

Name: Roger Clemens
Mitchell Accusation: "Later that summer, Clemens asked McNamee to inject him with Winstrol, which Clemens supplied. McNamee knew the substance was Winstrol because the vials Clemens gave him were so labeled. McNamee injected Clemens approximately four times in the buttocks over a several-week period with needles that Clemens provided."
Denial: "I want to state clearly and without qualification: I did not take steroids, human growth hormone or any other banned substances at any time in my baseball career or, in fact, my entire life ... Those substances represent a dangerous and destructive shortcut that no athlete should ever take." (link)
Gut reaction: So, his best friend admitted that the testimony by McNamee was dead on in his case, but we're supposed to believe he completely made up everything about Clemens?
Believability: