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Lets see what comes of this. Breaking News about Steroids ....
softparade
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Updated: March 29, 2006, 9:08 PM ET
Mitchell to head steroid investigationESPN.com news services
ESPN has learned that George Mitchell, former U.S. Senate majority leader from Maine, will be hired by Major League Baseball to head an investigation into past steroid use by major-league players, most prominently Barry Bonds.
George Mitchell Biography
Born: Aug. 20, 1933
Education: Graduated from Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine, 1954; graduated, Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, D.C., 1960
Senate service: 1980-95; Democrat
• Appointed on May 17, 1980, to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Edmund S. Muskie.
• Reelected in 1982 and again in 1988.
• Chairman, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (99th Congress).
• Co-chairman, Democratic Policy Committee, Democratic Conference (100th through 103rd Congresses)
• Senate majority leader (1989-1995)
Professional experience:
• Chairman of the Board of the Walt Disney Company since March 2004
• Director of the Boston Red Sox
• Chairman of the law firm of DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary LLP.
• Previous served as Chairman of the law firm of Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard, McPherson & Hand in Washington, D.C., which merged with Piper Rudnick in October 2002.
• Director of Staples, Inc.
• Chairman of the Peace Negotiations in Northern Ireland and the International Fact-Finding Committee on Violence in the Middle East.
Also:
• Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom on March 17, 1999.
Mitchell will not be the lead investigator, but he will head the investigation effort.
A baseball official told The Associated Press on Wednesday that final plans for the investigation were still pending, as was a definite answer from Mitchell. An announcement was expected later this week.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because commissioner Bud Selig has not yet made an announcement.
ESPN's confirmation of Mitchell as the head of the investigation comes after Wednesday's New York Times reported that Selig was on the verge of announcing an investigation into steroid use by Bonds and other players as detailed in the book "Game of Shadows" and that Mitchell's name was being floating around baseball circles as the outside person to head such an investigation.
ESPN has learned that Bonds and any other current player who may be part of this investigation will be allowed to play while the investigation is ongoing.
Selig has been under pressure for weeks to form an investigation. Two books being released this spring accuse Bonds of using steroids, human growth hormone and insulin for at least five seasons beginning in 1998 -- "Game of Shadows," written by two San Francisco Chronicle reporters, and "Love Me, Hate Me: Barry Bonds and the Making of an Antihero" by Jeff Pearlman. Baseball did not ban performance-enhancing substances until after the 2002 season, and Bonds has denied ever knowingly using performance-enhancing drugs.
Some in Congress have called for an independent investigation. Mitchell, a Maine Democrat and a director of the Boston Red Sox, has been a director of the Florida Marlins and served on an economic study committee that Selig appointed in 1999.
Mitchell's possible involvement was first mentioned Wednesday in The New York Times. The name of a lawyer who will run the mechanics of the probe was also to be announced.
No matter what the findings of an investigation, it would be difficult for baseball to penalize anyone for steroids used prior to Sept. 30, 2002, when a joint drug agreement between management and the players' association took effect. Baseball began drug testing in 2003 and started testing with penalties the following year.
"I will only comment on things about Barry's on-field performance or contractual status," said his agent, Jeff Borris.
It is unclear whether current or former players would cooperate with an investigation or could be forced to do so by baseball. Gene Orza, the chief operating officer of the Major League Baseball Players Association, declined comment.
Under pressure from Congress, baseball toughened penalties last year and again this season, when an initial positive test will result in a 50-game suspension. Twelve players, including Rafael Palmeiro, were suspended for 10 days each following positive tests last year.
Former commissioner Fay Vincent called this month for an investigation and suggested it be headed by Mitchell or John Dowd, who led baseball's 1989 probe into gambling by career hits leader Pete Rose, who agreed to a lifetime ban.
"I think the investigation is the right step," Vincent said. "I don't think the issue is punishment, I think it's: 'Shouldn't the players be called to task for cheating, even if there is no punishment?' I think baseball has to recapture the moral high ground."
An after-hours left for Mitchell at his New York office was not immediately returned Wednesday. The New York Daily News first reported March 16 that Selig would launch an investigation, but Selig said no decision had been made at the time.
Mitchell is the chairman of the board of the Walt Disney Company, the parent company of ESPN.
Mitchell to head steroid investigationESPN.com news services
ESPN has learned that George Mitchell, former U.S. Senate majority leader from Maine, will be hired by Major League Baseball to head an investigation into past steroid use by major-league players, most prominently Barry Bonds.
George Mitchell Biography
Born: Aug. 20, 1933
Education: Graduated from Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine, 1954; graduated, Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, D.C., 1960
Senate service: 1980-95; Democrat
• Appointed on May 17, 1980, to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Edmund S. Muskie.
• Reelected in 1982 and again in 1988.
• Chairman, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (99th Congress).
• Co-chairman, Democratic Policy Committee, Democratic Conference (100th through 103rd Congresses)
• Senate majority leader (1989-1995)
Professional experience:
• Chairman of the Board of the Walt Disney Company since March 2004
• Director of the Boston Red Sox
• Chairman of the law firm of DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary LLP.
• Previous served as Chairman of the law firm of Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard, McPherson & Hand in Washington, D.C., which merged with Piper Rudnick in October 2002.
• Director of Staples, Inc.
• Chairman of the Peace Negotiations in Northern Ireland and the International Fact-Finding Committee on Violence in the Middle East.
Also:
• Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom on March 17, 1999.
Mitchell will not be the lead investigator, but he will head the investigation effort.
A baseball official told The Associated Press on Wednesday that final plans for the investigation were still pending, as was a definite answer from Mitchell. An announcement was expected later this week.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because commissioner Bud Selig has not yet made an announcement.
ESPN's confirmation of Mitchell as the head of the investigation comes after Wednesday's New York Times reported that Selig was on the verge of announcing an investigation into steroid use by Bonds and other players as detailed in the book "Game of Shadows" and that Mitchell's name was being floating around baseball circles as the outside person to head such an investigation.
ESPN has learned that Bonds and any other current player who may be part of this investigation will be allowed to play while the investigation is ongoing.
Selig has been under pressure for weeks to form an investigation. Two books being released this spring accuse Bonds of using steroids, human growth hormone and insulin for at least five seasons beginning in 1998 -- "Game of Shadows," written by two San Francisco Chronicle reporters, and "Love Me, Hate Me: Barry Bonds and the Making of an Antihero" by Jeff Pearlman. Baseball did not ban performance-enhancing substances until after the 2002 season, and Bonds has denied ever knowingly using performance-enhancing drugs.
Some in Congress have called for an independent investigation. Mitchell, a Maine Democrat and a director of the Boston Red Sox, has been a director of the Florida Marlins and served on an economic study committee that Selig appointed in 1999.
Mitchell's possible involvement was first mentioned Wednesday in The New York Times. The name of a lawyer who will run the mechanics of the probe was also to be announced.
No matter what the findings of an investigation, it would be difficult for baseball to penalize anyone for steroids used prior to Sept. 30, 2002, when a joint drug agreement between management and the players' association took effect. Baseball began drug testing in 2003 and started testing with penalties the following year.
"I will only comment on things about Barry's on-field performance or contractual status," said his agent, Jeff Borris.
It is unclear whether current or former players would cooperate with an investigation or could be forced to do so by baseball. Gene Orza, the chief operating officer of the Major League Baseball Players Association, declined comment.
Under pressure from Congress, baseball toughened penalties last year and again this season, when an initial positive test will result in a 50-game suspension. Twelve players, including Rafael Palmeiro, were suspended for 10 days each following positive tests last year.
Former commissioner Fay Vincent called this month for an investigation and suggested it be headed by Mitchell or John Dowd, who led baseball's 1989 probe into gambling by career hits leader Pete Rose, who agreed to a lifetime ban.
"I think the investigation is the right step," Vincent said. "I don't think the issue is punishment, I think it's: 'Shouldn't the players be called to task for cheating, even if there is no punishment?' I think baseball has to recapture the moral high ground."
An after-hours left for Mitchell at his New York office was not immediately returned Wednesday. The New York Daily News first reported March 16 that Selig would launch an investigation, but Selig said no decision had been made at the time.
Mitchell is the chairman of the board of the Walt Disney Company, the parent company of ESPN.
ISO 1978 Topps Baseball in NM-MT High Grade Raw 3, 100, 103, 302, 347, 376, 416, 466, 481, 487, 509, 534, 540, 554, 579, 580, 622, 642, 673, 724__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ISO 1978 O-Pee-Chee in NM-MT High Grade Raw12, 21, 29, 38, 49, 65, 69, 73, 74, 81, 95, 100, 104, 110, 115, 122, 132, 133, 135, 140, 142, 151, 153, 155, 160, 161, 167, 168, 172, 179, 181, 196, 200, 204, 210, 224, 231, 240
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Comments
btw...that wouldnt hurt my feelings at all.
What will Selig do if (rather, when) this comes back and says 'Bonds, McGwire, Sosa, nearly every power hitter of the 90s used steroids'. What does Selig do? Ban em for life? I don't see how what they did in cheating isn't as reprehensible (if not much, much worse) than what Rose did in betting.
What about the stats, Bonds' MVP trophies? It seems to me that this is just a stall tactic by MLB, and a way for them to throw up their hands and say 'hey, we arent investigating this'.
Plus these current players compete against a much deeper pool of talent then the old timers did. Expansion has not added enough players to keep up with the population growth of America yet alone the fact that the game is now truly global, with the best from most countries now competing or soon to be competing in the MLB. Oh yeah and Ruth never played against a huge segment of the population from his own country so i am not so offended if his records fall. AAron getting moved to second place one can argue about all day, but i really dont care anymore. Are we positive he never took greenies as a large number of players did back then?
I just want to see some ball being played. Baseball has always had people looking to bend the rules and there are many hall of famers who flat out cheated, dating back into the 19th century. We find the old timer cheating stories quaint and endearing but now we crucify the current crop of players. As long as games are being played from checkers to baseball men will cheat. Cheating is not what made Bonds great he was a stud berfore even his harshest critics have accused him of using anything illegal.
<< <i>They should do what the NFL did, put these strong drug policies in place and then move on. I am tired of the rehashing of the past and everybody acting like there weren't a ton of pitchers on the juice. I can think of one future hall of fame pitcher who sure seemed to have a career resurgence around the time steroids seemed to be getting real big. If bonds werent a total a hole this would not be as big of a deal as it is, though still a minor story. >>
It's a big deal not because Bonds was an a-hole. It's a big deal because he could potentially break Aaron's record and diminish Ruth's number. In any case, Bonds HAS been a total a-hole and he completely brought this on himself. If he had retired last year and got out while it was safe, it would not have gone this far and baseball would have gladly allowed it to die and moved on as you've said. Instead, he wanted to pass the "white guy" and see how close he could come to actually breaking the sacred HR record itself. Sorry, but sometimes when you push, you might get pushed back.
Regarding pitchers, I’m all for nailing anyone that have been found taking performance enhancing drugs, but unless you can dig up a pitcher with ACTUAL anecdotal evidence to support the claims, you don't have anything to stand on or even talk about. I would wager that the pitcher(s) we're thinking of, have no Victor Contis', Greg Anderson's, Balco's or leaked grand jury testimonies in their closets that are now out in the open. It’s easy for you and me to post an accusation on anonymous messageboard, but NO ONE in the public eye is stupid enough go out on a limb without some trickle of evidence, even a weak one. Until that happens, they can ONLY go after the ones that they know of for sure, and Bonds has made it all too easy.
<< <i> Plus these current players compete against a much deeper pool of talent then the old timers did. Expansion has not added enough players to keep up with the population growth of America yet alone the fact that the game is now truly global, with the best from most countries now competing or soon to be competing in the MLB. Oh yeah and Ruth never played against a huge segment of the population from his own country so i am not so offended if his records fall. AAron getting moved to second place one can argue about all day, but i really dont care anymore. Are we positive he never took greenies as a large number of players did back then? >>
This is called deflecting the issue.
First of all, you cannot fault Ruth for anything he had no control over. He did not implement segregation nor was he responsible for any “isolationism” that existed in the sport in regards to the rest of the world. It’s ludicrous to make the comparison.
Bonds had a choice, Ruth did not. Bonds may have been born black and there by subjected to societal racism, but he was also born into privilege and grew up in an affluent neighborhood with mostly whites for friends. Ruth, although born white, came from a dysfunctional family, grew up in orphanage and was absolutely impoverished until he found a way out through sports (instead of winding up in prison).
In regards to Aaron and any of the other old timers taking illegal, performance enhancing drugs, once again, supply some anecdotal evidence. If there aren’t any, you can only investigate the ones that you can. It’s ridiculous to say that just because you can’t do anything about what has occurred before, you should not attempt to take care of this now.
<< <i> I just want to see some ball being played. Baseball has always had people looking to bend the rules and there are many hall of famers who flat out cheated, dating back into the 19th century. We find the old timer cheating stories quaint and endearing but now we crucify the current crop of players. As long as games are being played from checkers to baseball men will cheat. Cheating is not what made Bonds great he was a stud berfore even his harshest critics have accused him of using anything illegal. >>
Yes, people cheat whenever they can and however they can. Some HOF'ers have done worse. And yes, they should PAY accordingly when caught, however if they've already gotten away with it, that should not be an excuse to allow a free pass for the next wave of cheaters. I'm sure most people feel the same way in that they'd like to see this whole issue go away and resume playing ball, but that is not going to happen until Bonds takes himself out of the spotlight.
<< <i>Can steroids be cleaned out of one's system? I am just wondering, what if Barry stopped the juice in '03 when the rules were implemented. Could he still be tested positive for taking Steroids if he were clean since '03? >>
I believe they would have to do a test to see if they can find a metabalyte specific to the steroid he was taking. These tend to stay in the system much longer and is also (according to Canseco himself) how they determined that Canseco was juicing early on before his book came out.
At least with steroids, you can somewhat test for that. It's HGH that's difficult, if not impossible to test for. By it's very nature, steroids might actually be dangerous for players such as pitchers by juicing up the muscles to the point where their tendons and ligaments can't support it safely. This is much more crucial for pitchers over regular position players. Remember when Canseco attempted his hand at pitching? He hurt himself in his very first start. For pitchers, they don't necessarily need to be stronger. They just need to be able to recover quicker and it's more likely that if pitchers were cheating, they would be taking HGH and not steroids. The problem is, how do you prove it?
You (usually) can't prevent someone from doing something-- all you can control is your reaction to it. Nobody is going to be impressed by Bonds' HR total (wherever he ends up), and that's good enough for me.
<< <i>Diminish Ruth and Aaron's marks in whose eyes? Not mine, not yours, and not in anyone else's that I've ever spoken to. Barry Bonds will hit 715 HR's, and nobody is going to care. In fact, if he doesn't do it at PacBell he's going to get booed as he rounds the bases. And whenever his home run mark comes up we will all say 'well, sure, but he did it while under the influence of the cream and the clear'.
You (usually) can't prevent someone from doing something-- all you can control is your reaction to it. Nobody is going to be impressed by Bonds' HR total (wherever he ends up), and that's good enough for me. >>
Well, obviously a good number of people DO care and that is why it has gotten this far and has become this ugly. Your opinion, and mine for that matter, is irrelevant. It is not a topic of debate, it is simply a fact. The investigation (and possible indictment) WILL go through and the HR records, regardless how you feel about it, will be the driving force behind it. Yes, if he passes 715 HRs, we will all say 'well, sure, but he did it while under the influence of the cream and the clear', but I guarantee you that in every record book that you will pick up, you will NOT see that same phrase next to his numbers. After what happened to Maris, the asterisk is NEVER going to come back no matter what.
jmo
Steve
Bonds should retire.
<< <i>Everyone keeps talking about the power hitters and power hitters only. Many players used that stuff. I understand that we focus on the power hitters cuz of the stats but if Mitchell does his job right he should investigate the useage of the juice throughout the game. not just on the superstars.
. >>
I heard the press conference and this is exactly what Mitchell intends to do Steve. Selig made sure to say that any ramifications from the end result of this will obviously not be dealt with until the end game of the investigation.
ISO 1978 Topps Baseball in NM-MT High Grade Raw 3, 100, 103, 302, 347, 376, 416, 466, 481, 487, 509, 534, 540, 554, 579, 580, 622, 642, 673, 724__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ISO 1978 O-Pee-Chee in NM-MT High Grade Raw12, 21, 29, 38, 49, 65, 69, 73, 74, 81, 95, 100, 104, 110, 115, 122, 132, 133, 135, 140, 142, 151, 153, 155, 160, 161, 167, 168, 172, 179, 181, 196, 200, 204, 210, 224, 231, 240
<< <i>Can steroids be cleaned out of one's system? I am just wondering, what if Barry stopped the juice in '03 when the rules were implemented. Could he still be tested positive for taking Steroids if he were clean since '03? >>
Doesn't matter when the steroid policy was put in place, and I think that's where a lot of people get tripped up.
While there was no official steroid policy prior to 04, there was a policy that specifically banned any and all illegal substances. One couldn't do steroids any more than one go do a line of coke - they were both banned as they are both banned substances.
I agree that the investigation should look into all players (not just Bonds) and kick the lot of them out of MLB, and ban all of them from ever entering the hall of fame.