The Mitchell Report is out. 85 names are listed of MLB players who've abused either steroids or human growth hormones. If Barry Bonds wasn't finished as a baseball player before, now he is. And probably Roger Clemens, too. Tonight, Clemens' lawyer says his client will fight to defend his name. I guess I'd say the same thing, too. But if Clemens was clean, why wasn't he talking to Mitchell while the investigation was in progress. The former senator said today he invited every one of the named players to testify. Few did.
The real issue here should be who condoned this behavior. Why did the players union fight the investigation? Why did the players voluntarily go alone with the union? Why did Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig wait until he had cover from this investigation to speak out?
My guess is, when the final bell has been sounded in this fight, there will be plenty of people to take the blame. Baseball is, above all others, a sport that sanctifies statistics. Has been from the first time Abner Doubleday measured basepaths. How now, does MLB deal with players who've won batting titles, Cy Young awards and home run championships? Selig has a lot to think about. And, there are a lot of voices on the subject around the country tonight.
Here's a 'take' from Kevin Hench on foxsports.com.
And on si.com, Sports Illustrated's Michael McCann raises some interesting legal questions for those named in the Mitchell Report.
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