Steroids in Baseball: The Mitchell Report

George Mitchell, United States Senator, released a report on Major League Baseball’s steroid problem earlier this week. Mitchell’s report was 409 pages long and contained over 80 players and MLB members names.

While the report shined a little bit of light on the subject, it basically told the world what we already knew. There were a few surprises, one or two new names, but there were also a lot of holes in the report. Baseball greats, among other, have spoken out against the report. Mitchell held interviews and gathered data, but nonetheless didn’t provide us with legitimate evidence to make some of his claims. I do not know if he withheld some information or if he jumped to conclusions, but after reading 409 pages of bashing my sport I don’t agree with a lot of what he had to say.

Mitchell’s report ranged from dealers to players, managers and trainers. Some players were even said to have been prescribed these illegal “juices”. Right or wrong I would never think to question whether or not my doctor was giving me something illegal, and if he had, well suck it up, throw away the stats from that period and test me weekly as I continue to play.

I, like most fans, like a lot of the players named. I supported them and I cheered them, whether they played for my team or not. I will say that I cannot argue with some of the evidence and am therefore disappointed and outraged. I would walk across hell in a gasoline suit to play baseball, and these cowards had the nerve to cheat and blacken baseball. And why? Not because they love the game, but because they couldn’t stop making multi million dollar contracts. Granted money means a lot, and when you have a lot it would be hard to lose that paycheck, but it is illegal in baseball and the United States, and you can invest and save the money you have now. No matter what, there is no reason for this.

BALCO
During the investigation leading up to his report, Mitchell met with players implicated in the BALCO case. BALCO said that they had dealt with several big name sports athletes and 9 of them were major leaguers. These nine included Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi, and Gary Sheffield.

Harvey Shields provided the information against Bonds. Shields was Bonds’ personal trainer from 2000 to 2004 and then from 2004 to 2006 when he worked for the Giants. Shields stated that Greg Anderson provided Bonds with a cream for his elbow, and with a clear liquid. Shields told reporters that Bonds had taken the liquid more than once and had administered it by placing drops under his tongue. Barry Bonds is under indictment for lying to a federal grand jury about his part in BALCO and his use of steriods.

Jason Giambi was named in the BALCO case, but until he had already come clean with his substance abuse. Giambi publicly announced that he had taken 1cc of Deca-Durabolin each week in the 2001 season. He administered the drug to himself in the privacy of his home. In 2002 he continued to take the drug, however he admitted his use and sought help for an addiction. Over the course of 3 seasons we watched Giambi grow and shrink. He never looked as though he was on steroids, but by looking back on those few years you can see the evidence now that you know to look for it. Jason is continuing his career and despite my hate of cheaters and steroids, he has my respect and I know he will be around for awhile.

Purchase and Use of Performance Enhancing Substances

It is in this section of the report that I take the most offense, not at the players, but at Mitchell. Maybe Mitchell doesn’t deserve it, but his sources do. I cannot tell a man not to write what he was told, but I wish he had been more careful in what he listened to.

According to the report Mitchell met with former Yankees trainer Brian McNamee who report use of steroids by four well known Yankees, all teammates during the 2000 World Series sweep. Roger Clemens, Chuck Knoblauch, Andy Pettitte, and David Justice were all named by McNamee.

McNamee stated that Roger Clemens approached McNamee and asked him for help. He said that Clemens could not inject himself with Winstrol. Clemens supplied the products and it was clear that the vials contained Winstrol because they were clearly labeled. Each injection was done in Clemens apartment at the Sky Dome.

McNamee also said he traveled to Florida were he helped Andy Pettitte go through rehabilitation. Pettitte was allegedly injecting himself with Human Growth Hormone that McNamee was getting from Kirk Radomski. McNamee said he purchased the product 2 to 4 different times.

Chuck Knoblauch was apparently being provided HGH from Radomski through Brian McNamee. He is alledged to have used the steroid 7 to 9 times.

Also mentioned in the report was David Justice. Justice apparently got involved after the World Series. He allegedly purchased the HGH kits by checks that were cashed by Radomski. No one other than Radomski implicated David Justice bought the drugs and no one, including Radomski, stated that Justice ever took performance enhancers.
My reaction:
These allocations are rubbish. I can not find were the evidence is solid enough to stick to any of these stories.

Roger Clemens is a big man, he is also a strong, talented guy. It does not mean he took steroids. My cousin is 6’6” and over 300 pounds, he is currently playing football at Purdue and has never taken steroids, Clemens played football before becoming a pitcher. Besides the normalness of his un-normal size, Clemens is said to have clearly labeled his vials. I do not know of anyone stupid enough to buy an illegal substance and label it. You never know he could see it and with a label even a child could turn you in for it. Chuck Knoblauch has never been a big guy and from the time he entered the MLB to the time he left, he never grew. There were slight changes in his appearances from time to time; everyone goes through it, but there were never any signs of a growth hormone.

Why would Justice only buy the drugs? And if he bought them wouldn’t he run out? So why didn’t he re-order?

Another hole in Radomski’s story is that these guys are all teammates. All winning a World Series together. There is no way that someone in the organization could not have known about this. It is too wide spread to be hidden. And on top of that no one in there right mind would ever ask a team employee to help with something illegal. Sometimes one guy might be brave enough, or maybe a trainer might recommend it with the hope of guessing which guys would accept it, but never would four men all ask the same guy to help them with the same product, from the same dealer. They would have had to talk to one another and that doesn’t happen either. Talking leads to other finding out which equals trouble. We know that players don’t talk about it because of Curt Schillings remarks, if you talk you are hiding and therefore Schilling would know who was doping.
“I can say with a clear conscience, to this day I have never seen anyone inject or ingest HGH, or steroids. Do I think I know former teammates that may have been? Sure I do. Can I tell you with no uncertainty who that was? No.”

Also Radomski is too vaguely specific. Radomski is spefic with numbers like 2, 4, 7 or 9. this leads you to believe he kows when and how often. Yet he is vague; saying 2 to 4 times, or 7 to 9 times. This is a range, showing you he is unsure and does not no what he is talking about. Anyone who is not sure would have stated about 5 time, or about 10 times. His choice words are misleading, which shows lying or hiding. Whatever it is, he didn’t give us the truth.

Despite all of my thoughts, or Radomski’s claims, there is no proof of checks, vials, needles, or phone calls. Radomski has worked with athletes, he has worked with MLB stars, but he had not worked with everyone he claims.