The Mitchell Report

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Mitchell Releases Steroids Report

Seven MVPs and 31 All-Stars
-- one for every position -- and that still wasn't the worst of it for the long-awaited Mitchell report.

That infamy belonged to Roger Clemens, the greatest pitcher of his era.

The steroids era.

Seven-time Cy Young Award winner, eighth on the all-time list with 354 victories, an MVP and All-Star himself long considered a lock for the Hall of Fame, Clemens now has another distinction: the biggest name linked by former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell to illegal use of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs.

In all, Thursday's 409-page report identified 86 names to differing degrees, but, while he vehemently denied it through his lawyer, Clemens was the symbol.

Barry Bonds, already under indictment on charges of lying to a federal grand jury about steroids, Miguel Tejada and Andy Pettitte also showed up in the game's most infamous lineup since the Black Sox scandal. Others include 2003 Cy Young winner Eric Gagne and 2000 AL MVP Jason Giambi.

Doping was widespread by stars as well as scrubs, the report said, putting a question mark if not an asterisk next to baseball records and threatening the integrity of the game itself.

"Those who have illegally used these substances range from players whose major league careers were brief to potential members of the Baseball Hall of Fame," Mitchell wrote. "They include both pitchers and position players, and their backgrounds are as diverse as those of all major league players."

No one was hit harder than Clemens, singled out in eight pages, 82 references by name. Much of the information on him came from Brian McNamee, the former New York Yankees former strength and conditioning coach.

At 45, Clemens has not said whether he hopes to pitch next season. Through his attorney, Rusty Hardin, Clemens denied he used performance-enhancing drugs and expressed outrage that his name was included in the report.

Clemens and Pettitte are from the Houston area and spent three seasons together with their hometown Astros. Tejada was traded to Houston on Wednesday.

The report was unlikely to trigger a wave of discipline. While a few players, such as Bonds, are subjects of ongoing legal proceedings, many of the instances cited by Mitchell were before drug testing began in 2003.

Mitchell said punishment was inappropriate in all but the most egregious cases, and Selig said decisions on any action would come "swiftly" on a case-by-case basis.

"Everyone involved in baseball over the past two decades -- commissioners, club officials, the players' association and players -- shares to some extent the responsibility for the steroids era," Mitchell said. "There was a collective failure to recognize the problem as it emerged and to deal with it early on."

Mitchell recommended that the drug-testing program be made independent, that a list of the substances players test positive for be listed periodically and that the timing of testing be more unpredictable.

Gagne, Giambi, Gary Sheffield, Troy Glaus, Gary Matthews Jr., Paul Byrd, Jose Guillen, Brian Roberts, Paul Lo Duca and Rick Ankiel were among other current players in the report. Some were linked to human growth hormone, others to steroids. Mitchell did not delve into stimulants.

"The illegal use of performance-enhancing substances poses a serious threat to the integrity of the game," the report said. "Widespread use by players of such substances unfairly disadvantages the honest athletes who refuse to use them and raises questions about the validity of baseball records."Former Mets clubhouse attendant Kirk Radomski, who was interviewed by Mitchell's team on four occasions, also provided information as part of his plea agreement in a federal steroids case.

Radomski identified a number of former and current players he said he sold steroids and human growth hormone to. Checks and money orders, mailing receipts or shipments, and statements of other witnesses were used to back up Radomski's allegations. Much of this was found in Radomski's seized telephone records.

Radomski pleaded guilty earlier this year to charges that he dealt steroids to players for a decade. He then retreated to his auto-detailing business on Long Island while cooperating with Mitchell. Radomski worked for the Mets as a batboy and then clubhouse attendant for a decade beginning in 1985. He later used the contacts he made while with the Mets to go into business selling steroids and other drugs to ballplayers.

At Radomski's shop Thursday, an athletic-looking man in a black jacket who identified himself as Radomski said he had no comment. "Talk to my lawyer," he said. "This is private property. Please leave."

Radomski is scheduled for sentencing on Feb. 8.

Rafael Palmeiro, who tested positive for steroids, was among the former players named. So were Kevin Brown, Benito Santiago, Lenny Dykstra, Chuck Knoblauch, David Justice, Mo Vaughn, Todd Hundley and Fernando Vina.

Source: ESPN

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Players Named In Report

Asterisk means active player

Information Learned During BALCO Investigation
Armando Rios
Marvin Bernard
Barry Bonds
Bobby Estalella
Jason Giambi*
Jeremy Giambi*
Benito Santiago
Gary Sheffield*
Randy Valarde

Information Regarding Purchases or Use of Performance Enhancing Substances

Lenny Dykstra
David Segui
Larry Bigbie
Brian Roberts*
Jack Cust
Tim Kater
Josias Manzanillo
Todd Hundley
Mark Carreon
Hal Morris
Matt Franco
Rondell White
Roger Clemens*
Andy Pettitte*
Chuck Knobloch
Jason Grimsley
Gregg Zaun
David Justice
F.P. Santagelo
Glenallen Hill*
Mo Vaughn
Denny Neagle
Ron Villone*
Ryan Franklin*
Chris Donnels
Todd Williams
Phil Hiatt
Todd Pratt*
Kevin Young*
Mike Lansing
Cody McKay
Kent Mercker
Adam Piatt
Miguel Tejada*
Jason Christiansen*
Mike Stanton*
Stephen Randolph
Jerry Hairston Jr.*
Paul Lo Duca*
Adam Riggs
Bart Miadich
Fernando Vina
Kevin Brown
Eric Gagne*
Mike Bell
Matt Herges
Gary Bennett Jr.
Jim Parque
Brendan Donnelly*
Chad Allen
Jeff Williams
Howie Clark
"Nook" Logan
Mike Judd
Ricky Stone
Derrick Turnbrow
Wally Joyner
Rafael Palmeiro
Paxton Crawford
Ryan Jorgensen
Ricky Bones
Ken Caminiti

Alleged Internet Purchases of Performance Enhancing Substances

Rick Ankiel*
David Bell
Paul Byrd*
Jose Canseco
Jay Gibbons*
Troy Glaus*
Jose Guillen*
Darren Holmes
Gary Matthews Jr.*
John Rocker
Scott Schoenweis*
Ismael Valdez
Matt Williams
Steve Woodward

Source: ESPN

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Voters Mixed on Clemens

Until Thursday afternoon, Roger Clemens' legacy was etched in bronze. He was destined to go down as the greatest pitcher of his era -- the greatest ever, in the estimation of many. And he embodied the notion that age 40, for the driven modern-day ballplayer, is indeed the new 30.

If Clemens' 354 career victories, 4,672 strikeouts and seven Cy Young awards were never going to earn him a 100 percent pass to the Hall of Fame, Tom Seaver's all-time high vote total of 98.84 percent wasn't out of the question.

One press conference and 82 mentions in the Mitchell report later, Clemens is in a fight to retrieve his reputation and his place in history.

No player took a bigger hit from former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell's 20-month investigation into the steroids era than Clemens, whose alleged transgressions take up nine pages in the report. The case against Clemens stems from testimony by his former trainer, Brian McNamee, who claims to have personally injected Clemens with steroids during the pitcher's tenure in Toronto and New York.

The Mitchell revelations prompted a quick and angry response from Clemens' lawyer, Rusty Hardin, who called McNamee a "troubled'' man and said the allegations were both false and slanderous. When union leader Donald Fehr talked about some players having their reputations tarnished, perhaps forever, Clemens stood as Exhibit A.

The question: "If the Hall of Fame election were held today, would you vote for Roger Clemens?''

The answers: All across the board.

Of the first 80 respondents, 28 said they plan to vote for Clemens; 21 put themselves in the "no'' camp; and the largest segment, 31, are currently undecided.

The split reflects the schism among Hall of Fame voters, many of whom have forsaken hard-and-fast positions in the name of keeping an open mind. Mark Purdy, columnist for the San Jose Mercury News, said this is the hardest time in history to be a Hall of Fame voter.

Clemens already appeared to be Cooperstown-bound when his performance began to slip and he went 40-39 over a four-year span with the Red Sox in the mid-1990s. Former Boston general manager Dan Duquette, once vilified for his observation that Clemens was in the "twilight'' of his career, now looks like a prophet in hindsight.

"The bottom line is that we really don't know who cheated or who didn't cheat, so I have no choice but to put everyone on the same playing field,'' said Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

As others point out, the Hall is filled with players who arrived in Cooperstown carrying some baggage. The list includes alleged Vaseline smearers (Gaylord Perry), ball scuffers (Don Sutton), amphetamine users (Willie Mays) and players with ties to "recreational'' drugs (Ferguson Jenkins, Orlando Cepeda and Paul Molitor, to name three).

"My feeling is that the Hall of Fame is a reward, not an entitlement,'' said Dan Graziano of the Newark-Star Ledger. "And I don't feel I should reward cheaters. If Clemens cheated in an effort to elevate himself from great to immortal, I don't feel obliged to reward that decision with my vote, no matter how great he was before he cheated.''

Although the Hall of Fame ballot advises voters to consider a player's "integrity, sportsmanship and character'' as well as his accomplishments on the field, that proviso seems inadequate to address the complexity of the situation. So some writers will continue to make up rules on the fly.

"I'm in favor of a separate Rogues Wing which would allow Bonds, McGwire, Clemens, Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe Jackson to all get in,'' said Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune. "Then we wouldn't have to do any more annual surveys on who belongs.''

In the meantime, pass the ballots -- and the Advil.

Source: ESPN

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Pettitte Admits HGH Use

Andy Pettitte used human growth hormone to recover from an elbow injury in 2002, the New York Yankees pitcher said two days after he was cited in the Mitchell report.

Pettitte said he tried HGH on two occasions.

"If what I did was an error in judgment on my part, I apologize," Pettitte said Saturday in a statement released by his agent. "I accept responsibility for those two days."

On Thursday, Pettitte was among 85 players named by former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell's investigation into steroids and performance-enhancing drugs. Pettitte had not commented publicly on the allegations.

Pettitte asked the trainer he shared with Roger Clemens, Brian McNamee, to help him with HGH while on the disabled list early in the season, the report said. McNamee recalled injecting Pettitte two to four times, Mitchell said.

"In 2002 I was injured. I had heard that human growth hormone could promote faster healing for my elbow," Pettitte said in the statement released to The Associated Press by agent Randy Hendricks.

"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," he said. "I wasn't looking for an edge. I was looking to heal."

Pettitte was not linked to steroids in the report, and he emphasized he never had never used them.

"I have the utmost respect for baseball and have always tried to live my life in a way that would be honorable," he said. "If I have let down people that care about me, I am sorry, but I hope that you will listen to me carefully and understand that two days of perhaps bad judgment should not ruin a lifetime of hard work and dedication.

"I have tried to do things the right way my entire life, and, again, ask that you put those two days in the proper context. People that know me will know that what I say is true," he said.

Source: ESPN

[AYHJA]

I for one am not sure what this report has done other than make a bunch of trouble for some of the guys in the league...Forever tarnishing their names...A disgruntled personal trainer..?

Even still, I'm just not sure how much I care about seeing guys do steroids...Maybe someone with a more moral core can tell me what the big deal is...Baseball is fun to play, but for the most part boring to watch...On one side, sure, steroids hurt the game...But in many more ways, it has helped the game...I was so into the McGuire/Sosa thing when it was going on...And now, with all this shit about asterisks and roids and whatever, I'm really just not about to start caring about baseball again I don't think...I'll keep up w/my favorite players, but I just don't care about the game itself anymore...Unless a steroid can give a man near bionic powers, I say let them do it...

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The main reason why it's a big deal is because it's cheating. Steroids and Human Growth Hormone has been banned from the league and so that's why this report is such a big deal. I think a lot of it may be just a disgruntled personal trainer and clubhouse assistant. They just want their name out in public and get some attention.

I was watching ESPN today and there was someone on there who said that there really isn't anything you can do about it. People talk about putting an asterisk on Barry Bond's HR record, but what are you going to do about the runs scored for the men on base? How are you going to "fix" the pitchers' ERA who gave up the HRs? There is really no stopping the affect that steroids had. They just need to accept the fact that this was the Steroid Era and try to move on from it

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Brian Roberts Admits One-Time Steroid Use

Baltimore Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts has acknowledged using steroids, but insists he only tried it once before realizing he had made a "terrible decision."

Roberts was named in former Sen. George Mitchell's report on steroid use in Major League Baseball. The report came out last Thursday, but Roberts did not immediately respond.

In a statement issued Tuesday to The Associated Press, Roberts said he tried steroids four years ago.

"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," he said.

"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."

Roberts was in the Mitchell report because former teammate Larry Bigbie informed investigators that Roberts told him he used steroids "once or twice" in 2003.

"I am very sorry and I deeply regret ever making that terrible decision," Roberts said in the statement. "My only hope and prayer is that the Orioles, my family, friends and fans that have supported me so faithfully will forgive me."

Roberts has twice been named to the American League All-Star team, including this season. He has a career batting average of .281. Returning from offseason elbow surgery, in 2007 he batted .290 and stole a career-high 50 bases.

He has never failed a drug test and previously had denied vigorously ever using performance-enhancing drugs.

"I have worked very hard to develop a good reputation both on and off the field," he said in the statement. "I have always taken pride in being a man of integrity and values. I know that by being a professional athlete, I am held to a very high standard. I never have and never will take that for granted. However, I am also human and I have made mistakes."

Source: ESPN

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MLB Investigating Violations In Mitchell Report

Major League Baseball is looking into the cases of at least 14 players named in the Mitchell report where it is suggested violations of MLB steroids/HGH rules may have taken place since 2004.

Those players are Rondell White, Larry Bigbie, Ron Villone, Ryan Franklin, Cody McKay, Stephen Randolph, Jerry Hairston Jr., Paul Lo Duca, Bart Miadich, Eric Gagne, Matt Herges, Brandon Donnelly, Howie Clark and Nook Logan.

MLB plans to request meetings only with the players who may have violated the rules since the league implemented its policy against performance-enhancing drugs. The league started steroid testing in 2003; penalties were not in place until 2004 (HGH use was not banned until 2005). The league may well apply penalty standards that were in effect at the time of the violations. Earlier this month, MLB suspended Orioles outfielder Jay Gibbons and Royals outfielder Jose Guillen for the first 15 days of the 2008 season. Those penalties matched what a second offense would have drawn under 2003-04 rules.

Gibbons has accepted his penalty; Guillen has filed a grievance through the players association.

Source: ESPN

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Jeter Defends Clemens

Two of Roger Clemens' teammates on the New York Yankees defended the embattled pitcher on Thursday, the same day his lawyer unleashed another attack on media reports linking the seven-time Cy Young Award winner with the use of performance-enhancing drugs.

Yankees captain Derek Jeter, speaking with reporters on Thursday before a holiday event for his charitable foundation, said the public should not rush to judgment on Clemens, who was named in the Mitchell report by his former strength trainer as having taken steroids and human growth hormone starting in the late 1990s.

"Seems like now people are rushing to judgment and I think you have to let it play out a little bit before you make your decision on whether he's guilty or not," Jeter said.

Asked if he stands by Clemens, Jeter said "Yeah. Rocket's always been a great teammate. I've said that time in and time out, that he's a great teammate. I didn't like him too much when I played against him because he has always been very competitive. But he's always been a great teammate."

Yankees reliever Joba Chamberlain, who had the locker next to Clemens last season in the Yankees clubhouse, also defended Clemens on Thursday.

"It's a question that's going to be brought up for a long time, but the man has been successful for so long, he's obviously doing something right," Chamberlain said during a visit to children undergoing treatment at Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. "His work ethic has been shown, he does what he does, and he does it for a reason. He's been successful and that's why."

Meanwhile, Clemens' attorney, Rusty Hardin, blasted the media Thursday when it was revealed that a 2006 Los Angeles Times report linking Clemens to an affidavit listing several players alleged to have used performance-enhancing drugs was inaccurate. Clemens' name did not appear in the document, as was previously reported.

"When this grossly inaccurate story broke in October 2006, Roger said it was untrue and the Los Angeles Times chose not to believe him. As the record now clearly proves, Roger was telling the truth then, just as he continues to tell the truth today," Hardin said.

"Roger Clemens did not take steroids, and anybody who says he did had better start looking for a hell of a good lawyer."

Chamberlain said Clemens was a big influence on him in the clubhouse -- and that he'll be missed if he does not return next season.

"The work ethic the guys see makes them push themselves, but he's also a big kid when it comes down to it," Chamberlain said. "He's a funny guy, he keeps it light and knows how to switch gears between being serious and knowing when to go to work."

Former Yankees reliever Goose Gossage, though, was highly critical of Clemens, saying the Cy Young awards Clemens won in 1997, '98 and 2001 should be taken away.

"If Roger cheated, what do the numbers mean? They mean nothing," Gossage told the Bergen Record on Thursday. "Roger has always been a production, everything he's done has been a production. He's always wanted the attention. He's probably getting a lot more attention now than he ever wanted.

"With Clemens, you just shake your head and wonder how it all happened, how it came to this. I mean, why didn't the Red Sox re-sign him [after the 1996 season]? All of a sudden his numbers started getting crazy when he was supposed to be getting older.

"There's no way [those post-1996 Cy Young awards] can stand."After the affidavit was unsealed Thursday and the actual names were revealed, the Times apologized.

"We regret our report was inaccurate and will run a correction," Times spokesman Stephan Pechdimaldji said Thursday.

The correction, published Friday, said that the Times incorrectly reported that "an investigator alleged that pitcher Jason Grimsley named former teammates Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, Brian Roberts and Jay Gibbons as players linked to performance-enhancing drugs. In the affidavit, which was unsealed Thursday, Grimsley did not name those players."

The Times also said the report inaccurately reported that Grimsley had alleged Tejada had used steroids. "The only mention of Tejada in the affidavit was as part of a conversation with teammates about baseball's ban of amphetamines," the correction said.

Source: ESPN

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Clemens Files Defamation Suit

Roger Clemens beat Brian McNamee to court, filing a defamation suit against the former trainer who claimed to have injected him with performance-enhancing drugs.

McNamee's attorney, Earl Ward, told ESPN's T.J. Quinn on Monday that McNamee is determined to file a counter lawsuit against Clemens. Ward said he spoke to McNamee on Monday morning and Clemens' statements in Sunday's "60 Minutes" interview are "a total lie."

Clemens filed the suit Sunday night in Harris County District Court in Texas, listing 15 alleged statements McNamee made to the baseball drug investigator George Mitchell. Clemens claimed the statements were "untrue and defamatory."

"According to McNamee, he originally made his allegations to federal authorities after being threatened with criminal prosecution if he didn't implicate Clemens," according to the 14-page petition, obtained early Monday by The Associated Press.

The suit, first reported by the Houston Chronicle, states that when McNamee told others that when he first was interviewed by federal law enforcement last June, he denied Clemens had used steroids or human growth hormone. The suit quotes McNamee as saying he was pressured by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Parrella and IRS Special Agent Jeff Novitzky -- key members of the BALCO prosecution -- to implicate Clemens. The suit did not attribute where the quote from McNamee was obtained.

"Clemens' good reputation has been severely injured," the suit said. "McNamee's false allegations have also caused Clemens to suffer mental anguish, shame, public humiliation and embarrassment."

Source: ESPN