Mitchell Report

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

A.P.: Mitchell Report will include names of 60 to 80 players

Ronald Blum / Associated Press

NEW YORK -- The Mitchell Report exposes a "serious drug culture within baseball, from top to bottom," fingers MVPs and All-Stars and calls for beefed-up testing by an outside agency to clean up the game, The Associated Press learned Wednesday.

The report by former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell will include names of 60 to 80 players linked to performance-enhancing substances and plenty more information that exposes "deep problems" afflicting the sport, one of two sources with knowledge of the findings told the AP. Both sources said the report would not address amphetamines.

The two sources were familiar with discussions that led to the final draft but did not want to be identified because it was confidential until its scheduled release on Thursday. They said the full report, which they had not read, totaled 304 pages plus exhibits.

One person familiar with the final version would only speak anonymously but described it as "a very thorough treatment of the subject" and said some aspects were surprising. He said the report assigns blame to both the commissioner's office and the players' union.

MLB's "not going to love it, the union's not going to love it," he said.

The report comes at the end of a year when San Francisco Giants outfielder Barry Bonds broke the career home run record, only to be indicted three months later on charges of lying to a federal grand jury about steroid use.

One source said that while the report will cite problems "top to bottom," it also will expose "deep problems, the number of players, high-level MVPs and All-Stars," as well as clubhouse personnel who allowed steroids and other banned substances in clubhouses or knew about it and didn't say anything.

None of the player names had leaked out Wednesday night.

The rest of the report, the sources said, will focus on recommendations that include enhanced year-round testing and hiring a drug-testing company that uses the highest standards of independence and transparency. Baseball's program currently is overseen by a joint management-union Health Policy Advisory Committee, with an independent administrator approved by both sides.

The report also is expected to recommend that baseball develop a credible program to handle cases with evidence of athletes receiving or taking drugs but not testing positive for them.

Just last week, Kansas City's Jose Guillen and Baltimore's Jay Gibbons were suspended for the first 15 days of next season, and media reports said they had obtained human growth hormone in 2005, after baseball banned it. Mitchell, a Boston Red Sox director, planned to release his report at 2 p.m. Thursday at a news conference in New York City.

Baseball commissioner Bud Selig will hold his own news conference 2 1/2 hours later.

Much of the first part of the report will be based on evidence obtained from former New York Mets clubhouse attendant Kirk Radomski, and from information gleaned from the Albany district attorney's investigation into illegal drug distribution that focused on Signature Pharmacy of Orlando, Fla., the sources said.

Radomski was required to cooperate with the investigation as a condition of his federal plea agreement last April. Radomski pleaded guilty to illegally distributing steroids, HGH, amphetamines and other drugs to players and is awaiting sentencing. Some professional athletes have been linked to the Signature probe, though none has been charged.

Rob Manfred, baseball's executive vice president of labor relations, reviewed at least part of the report this week to ensure no confidential information from the drug-testing program was disclosed, a person with knowledge of the union's discussion with Mitchell said, also on condition of anonymity.

Despite repeated requests by the players' association to Mitchell's law firm, the union had not been allowed to review the report, that person said.

"I certainly hope after 21 months and getting zip by way of cooperation from the players' association that they'll come up with some recommendations for improvement," said World Anti-Doping Agency chairman Dick Pound. "If not, it's a complete waste of time."

But he said he's not sure baseball would follow any recommendations.

"My guess is that the management side probably would, but the players' association will dig in and continue its steel-town union approach to life," he said.

Agents have said they expect the report to be highly critical of players and the union for largely refusing to cooperate with Mitchell.

Bob DuPuy, baseball's chief operating officer, sent an e-mail to owners and team presidents in advance of the report with instructions how to respond to media inquiries.

"We look forward to carefully reading the results of Sen. Mitchell's investigation," the recommended response said. "Protecting the integrity of our game is vital, and we intend to study his findings and recommendations, and will not comment until we have done so."

Baseball did not have an agreement to ban steroids until September 2002, did not have testing with penalties until 2004 and did not ban HGH until 2005, when it also instituted a suspension for a first positive test.

Mitchell was hired by Selig in March 2006 after the publication of "Game of Shadows," a book by two San Francisco Chronicle reporters about Bonds' alleged steroid use. The rise in power in the 1990s, which drew national attention when Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa chased Roger Maris' single-season record in the Great Home Run Race of 1998, was accompanied by a rise in suspicion.

Maris' record of 61 homers had stood since 1961, but McGwire hit 70 that year and Sosa had 66. During the chase, the AP reported McGwire had used androstenedione, a supplement then available over the counter that produced testosterone.

A bulked-up Bonds then shattered McGwire's record by hitting 73 homers in 2001.

AP Sports Writers Eddie Pells in Denver and John Nadel in Los Angeles, and AP Sports Columnist Jim Litke in Chicago contributed to this report.

Sadly, we know Sheff is on the report and I think Pudge too.

I would be surprised if BOTH are not on it.

Mitchell Report = Hot Air!

Leave Sheff and Pudge alone

I pray no Tigers (other than obviously Neifi) are on this list, a result of an investigation led by former Senator George Mitchell, of MLB players associated with steroids. The list is to be released at 2 PM Eastern. If you're not close to FOX or CNN, your local National Public Radio station will cover it on the program Talk of the Nation.

I'd be surprised if Inge was on there...

.....I wouldn't!!

Rockapella.....SWEET!!

Have you heard Sean Altman's new CD, "Taller Than Jesus"??

Hilarious stuff.....!!

tigersaint wrote:

Have you heard Sean Altman's new CD, "Taller Than Jesus"??

Hilarious stuff.....!!

No I haven't.

Just heard Pudge and Sheff both on report. :'(

So is Roger Clemens, Andy Pettit, and Nomar Garciaparra...Gee..no suprise there! lol

Mitchell Report = Hot Air!

Much ado about nothing!

I really don't understand it either. But apparently it is a widespread problem, reaching into high school and even jr. high teams, with kids getting sick and some even dying from using them.

Protect the kids but let baseball police itself

Steroid use is heavy in the NFL but they are not under fire from the government

laprimamirala wrote:

I pray no Tigers (other than obviously Neifi) are on this list, a result of an investigation led by former Senator George Mitchell, of MLB players associated with steroids. The list is to be released at 2 PM Eastern. If you're not close to FOX or CNN, your local National Public Radio station will cover it on the program Talk of the Nation.

Well, Pudge and Sheffield will be on the list...

There's only 1 thing kids need to know about steroids to keep them away from them....steroids shrink a particular body part

It doesn't matter how fat the wallet is if all you end up with is a small package!

Leave :sheff: and :pudge: alone

If :pudge: is on the list..theres gonna be some unhappy ladies here tonight! For once....I might actually be happy to be at work! lol

I just hope they (1) realize their mistake and learn from it, and (2) be reminded that our youth are watching them and emulating them at every turn....

I'm gonna watch it on the news now....

I hope so!

laprimamirala wrote:

I'm gonna watch it on the news now....

Grrr...I'm at work and can't watch it! Keep me informed!

Will do Bob

Let's hope for the best

5-7% of all players? WOW!

I'm recording the audio and will have it available later.