The Mitchell Report

I’m going to be very honest when I say I’m not sure how to react to what was revealed Thursday with the release of the Mitchell Report on the use of performance-enhancing drugs in Major League baseball. Many of the 85 names were ones we were expecting….Barry Bonds, Gary Sheffield, Jose Canseco, Jason Giambi, Miguel Tejada, Paul LoDuca and Lenny Dykstra. However the two names that are grabbing the headlines in this area are those of pitchers Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte, who were among the 16 current and former Yankees named in the report.

In the hours since the report was released I have listened to and read at least a dozen opinions and they are as different as night and day. Some are calling this the darkest moment in baseball history while others dismiss the report as a waste of time and paper. Only time will tell what this all truly means but for now no player takes a bigger hit than Clemens, who is not only the best pitcher of his generation but among the greatest of all time.
If everything in the report is true than the “Rocket’s” incredible durability
well into his 40’s might have had a lot to do with steroid injections in his buttocks. His stature as a sure first-ballot Hall of Fame could very much be in jeopardy and he might take a spot right next to Bonds as the poster players of baseball’s tainted drug era. Clemens’ lawyer Thursday vehemently denied the charges that illegal substances were used.

Of course when all is said and done it’s possible the sources of the Mitchell Report might be exposed as less than credible and many fans say they really don’t care because what counts at the end of the day is performance. Of course that’s what got us into this mess to begin with.

On a more positive note it’s opening night for high school basketball and wrestling teams. Not that they don’t have their problems but a high school game is still pretty much pure in which athletes give their best to represent their schools and the name on the front of the uniform is more important than the one on the back. Here’s hoping for an exciting season filled with memorable performances.