This Week's Attitude
Mitchell Report Bares Baseball's Rage For 'Roids
By Neil S. Friedman

With the coldest season appraoching, baseball last week embarked on what's sure to be a bitter winter of discontent. After 21 months of investigation - following years of suspicion and speculation - the Mitchell Report on steroid and human growth hormone (HGH) use in major league baseball was released to reveal the extent of the sport's problem, in addition to naming names.

The list of more than 80 current and former players was nothing less than a roster of MVPs and All-Stars linked to obtaining and using performance-enhancing substances. Among the prominent were: slugger Barry Bonds, whose name has been linked to substance abuse for years; ex-New York Yankees hurler Roger Clemens and just re-signed Yankees pitcher Andy Pettite.

There's been cheating in baseball before this - the 1919 Black Sox scandal, Pete Rose betting on games in which he played, pitchers caught using something other than natural ability and a few corked bats - but never on the scale of the steroid scandal.

Despite the disclosures and the fact that the 400-page Mitchell Report is a hugely embarrassing wake-up call, it was also limited in its investigation. Nearly all of the information came from just two sources - Brian McNamee (named over 150 times), a strength trainer, and Kirk Radomski, (cited 577 times), a clubhouse attendant - who worked for the Yankees and Mets, respectively. Therefore more than a fourth of the named players were, at one time, with one of the New York teams, making it appear somewhat New York-centric. That little detail also indicates the scope of the investigation only focused on the testimony of two men, who in all probability only cooperated because they received immunity from prosecution. However, the report did indicate that steroid use was so widespread "each club had players involved."

Years ago, two former players, Jose Canseco and Ken Camenetti - both admitted steroid users - said there were hundreds of major leaguers who used steroids, but no one bothered to listen.

Mitchell, a former prosecutor and judge, has assured anyone with misgivings that the information in the report would withstand intense examination. Nevertheless, most of the players listed have yet to be proven guilty, except the few who have since admitted using the chemicals. Since viable HGH testing has yet to be created, there's no method to determine if someone actually used it. (Random steroid testing only began in 2002, which led to decreased use, according to the report.) But if a player bought steroids or HGH, he probably used them. If not, why buy them? That kind of evidence is damaging in the court of public opinion, but would not be sufficient in a court of law.

Pettite's admission - after his name surfaced - that he used HGH twice, in order to hasten recovery from an elbow injury was lame. He said he wanted "to promote faster healing" because of an "obligation" to get back to the team as soon as possible, so he had the compound, which was not yet banned, injected twice, then stopped, claiming he was "uncomfortable" using it. C'mon Andy, we can appreciate your remorse, but that explanation is comparable to when Bill Clinton admitted he tried marijuana but didn't inhale.

It's common knowledge that Pettite regularly worked out with his buddy and fellow Texan, so it's not too much of a stretch to assume Clemens also used HGH to prolong his career. Until he is forthcoming, Clemens' successes after age 40, when most players are usually looking back on their careers, will remain suspect. So far, the Rocket has denied the allegation, which could jeopardize what was a guaranteed first round Hall of Fame induction.

The cited players may be getting all the attention, but don't deserve all the blame. Though steroids were banned in baseball in 1991, there was no testing. Nonetheless, teammates, managers and coaches and the players' union had to have an inkling of what was occurring, but they conveniently looked the other way or refused to acknowledge its use while the game and stats flourished. Owners and baseball executives were not in the clubhouses on a regular basis, however, they, too, had to have a sense of what was going on, and chose to ignore it.

It was baseball's big secret that no one wanted to address in the wake of the 1994 strike that resulted in the cancellation of the entire postseason, including for the first time in 90 years, the World Series. Within a few years after the strike, fans gradually embraced the sport again and paid higher ticket and concession prices to watch bulked up players hit tape measure shots, especially during the Mark McGwire/Sammy Sosa record home run rivalry in 1998. That competition sparked the sports' profits and attendance, which reached a new high this year. McGwire has never admitted to or been convicted of steroid use, but his late career home run surge is tainted by his link to the scandal.

While the feats of some players and teams are now blemished, it is utterly shameful and embarrassing for a sport that produces heroes who are admired by youngsters across the nation. Perhaps parents and those who work with youths, will, once and for all, finally realize that while it is fine to admire athletes for their prowess, it is advisable to teach youngsters to look elsewhere for idols.

The fallout from the report could begin in earnest when spring training opens in about seven weeks as the media is surely going to pressure players named and teammates for comments.

The Major League Baseball Players Union must agree to a ban for any substances - that now exist or may subsequently be developed - that enhance performance and agree that players who test positive for them get the appropriate punishment. It must also support random testing of players to assure baseball executives and fans that the game is played on a level playing field (pun intended), save individual talents.

Everyone involved in the sport has an opportunity to rise from the depth that the report has taken it by fashioning and enforcing a stricter drug policy to reassure the public - especially the sports' fans - it is doing everything possible to guarantee the integrity of the national pastime remains as sound as it can.