Now It's The Players Turn

The aftermath of the Mitchell Report has seen several phases. The initial was directed at the actual names named in the report. Next all eyes turned to the evidence behind the claims. Now all attention is on the actual players. Who is going to step up and admit to performance enhancing drug use? Who will fight the claims of the report?

First to act was the biggest name on the list, Roger Clemens. Before the sun fell on the day that will forever be remembered in baseball infamy, a Clemen's representative issued a statement adamantly denying any use of PEDs by the 45 year old 7-time Cy Young Award winning pitcher.

But next came Andy Pettitte, who admitted to using human growth hormone while rehabbing an elbow injury in 2002. This admission does significant damage to Clemen's defense, and gives credibility to the testimony of personal trainer Brian McNamee, who named Pettitte and Clemens in the report.

Back immediately after the initial reaction to the report, when everyone began sifting through the evidence, the name brought up most to discredit the report was that of Brian Roberts. They attested that mere testimony and no actual evidence other than that should not have landed Roberts in the report, and used him as the primary example of the flaws of the Mitchell Report.

However, in an interview in this mornings Baltimore Sun Brian Roberts came clean, admitting to using steroids in 2003.

MLB player turned ESPN analyst Fernado Vina was also named in the report and has publicly owned up to use of HGH. Vina claims to have only used the substance on one occasion, a common theme amongst the admissions of those named in the report. However, the report included 3 checks, from March of 2003 through July of 2005, from Vina to Mets clubhouse boy and steroid dealer Kirk Radomski.

Ex-Red Sox reliever Brendan Donnelly was named in the report for having a telephone conversation regarding steroids with Radomski, and then later receiving steroids in 2004. He has admitted to talking with Radomski about Anavar, a steroid, but claims he never received or used the substance after learning it was classified as a steroid.

Add ex-Arizona Diamondback Alex Cabrera to the list of those denying the Mitchell Report, as well. Cabrera was named in the report for allegedly having a package of steroids delivered to the Diamondbacks clubhouse, but Cabrera claims to have nothing to do with it. In a statement on his Winter League teams website, the Caracas Lions, he suggests he is only an easy scapegoat for the Diamondback organization.

But that's only a handful of the 86 current and former players named in the 409 page report, where are the rest? Miguel Tejada, Eric Gagné, David Justice? And will those, like Pettitte and Roberts, who were named and have admitted use, now meet with the league and be more forthcoming? I don't know, but it seems as if the aftermath of the Mitchell Report may play out to be ever bit as meaningful and informative as it's release.

Barry Bonds opting out of Hall of Fame

Congratulations my friends, we kind of fell into it backwards, but our wish has been granted.

Hold on, let's back up a step.

If somehow a genie popped out of that bobblehead that resides on the desk/dresser/dashboard of every baseball loving fan in America, and granted two wishes (1), immediately after being granted the 2008 World Series to his or her favorite team, I'd bet a good number would probably wish for the whole Barry Bonds ordeal to have just never happened. Well congratulations, your wish has been granted. Kind of. So now feel free to waste that second wish on landing A-Rod or maybe season tickets. Because Bonds may have done himself in, that is, at least as far as the Hall of Fame goes.

You probably remember the story. In fact, I guarantee you do. It was reported on every sports show, blog, morning program, and news outlet in the nation. In an incredible act of democracy, and a good deal of self advertisement, a certain designer purchased the Barry Bonds 756 ball, and left it up to you, yes the people, as to what fate it would have. And what did you decide? Well of course, brand that bad boy with an asterisk and FedEx it first-class to the hall of fame.

Well guess what? Turns out Bonds wasn't exactly thrilled with the whole process, and he says he's going to boycott the hall of fame if his record breaking ball is astriskized (2). Now I think you see where I'm going with this, and it only took a couple hundred words and a bad example involving a slightly less talented baseball genie.

The Hall of Fame, which actually has no association with professional baseball, and is thus not under the hand of badly dressed and incompetent Bud Selig, accepts the home run ball. Hey, its free, and everyone loves free stuff. And following procedure, Bonds throws a public hissy fit. I mean he's certainly done it before.

But then will he stick to his guns? Is he really going to turn down an invite to Cooperstown?

I don't see why not. Let's not forget that in the past Mr. Jon Dowd also opted out of the Major League Baseball Players Association's licensing agreement. In fact, he's all about doing stupid stubborn things and sticking to them. Like how he had his self promoting ESPN series canceled due to "creative control" issues. Or even how he has continuously denied any ties to performance enhancing drugs, despite leaked grand jury testimony in which he's stated the opposite.

So if all this works out according to my plans, you can take that second wish and go ahead and use it how ever your heart may desire. Though I'd probably avoid A-Rod, that guys a locker room cancer. Even Peter Gammons doesn't like him.

1 see, in this theoretical example bobble-head genies are slightly less powerful than lamp genies. yeah, blows, doesn't it

2 i just made it up, but, hey, it could be a word.

Comprehensive List of MLB Players Linked With Performancing Enhancing Drugs

Carlos Almanzar - Violated MLB's Performance Enhancing Drugs Policy
Rick Ankiel - Received shipments of HGH in 2004
David Bell - Received shipments of Steroids April 2006
Rafael Betancourt - Violated MLB's Performance Enhancing Drugs Policy
Barry Bonds - Testified to federal grand jury of unknowingly using steroids
Paul Bryd - Received shipments of HGH between 2002 and 2005
Jose Canseco - Admitted to Steroid use in tell-all book
Ryan Franklin - Violated MLB's Performance Enhancing Drugs Policy
Jason Giambi - Testified to federal grand jury of using steroids and HGH
Jay Gibbons - Recieved shipments of steroids and HGH between 2003 and 2005
Troy Glaus - Received shipments of steroids between 2003 and 2004
Jason Grimsley - Violated MLB's Performance Enhancing Drugs Policy
Jerry Hairston, Jr. - Received shipments of HGH in 2004
Felix Heredia - Violated MLB's Performance Enhancing Drugs Policy
Darren Holmes - Received shipments of HGH in 2003
Matt Lawton - Violated MLB's Performance Enhancing Drugs Policy
Gary Matthews, Jr. - Received shipments of HGH in 2004
Agustin Montero - Violated MLB's Performance Enhancing Drugs Policy
Mike Morse - Violated MLB's Performance Enhancing Drugs Policy
Guillermo Mota - Violated MLB's Performance Enhancing Drugs Policy
Rafael Palmeiro - Violated MLB's Performance Enhancing Drugs Policy
Neifi Perez - Twice suspended for Violating MLB's Performance Enhancing Drugs Policy
Jorge Piedra - Violated MLB's Performance Enchancing Drugs Policy
Juan Rincon - Violated MLB's Performance Enhancing Drugs Policy
John Rocker - Received shipments of HGH in 2003
Juan Salas - Violated MLB's Performance Enhancing Drugs Policy
Alex Sanchez - Violated MLB's Performance Enhancing Drugs Policy
Scott Schoeneweis - Received shipments of steroids between 2003 and 2004
Gary Sheffield - Testified to federal grand jury of unknowingly using a steroid cream
Jamal Strong - Violated MLB's Performance Enhancing Drugs Policy

if I've left any out, feel free to leave them in the comments with a source

Winners Cheat

More and more it's becoming obvious. Winners cheat. They just do. According to the Washington Post, Marion Jones, who took home 3 Gold medals at the 2000 Olympics, has admitted to using steroids for 2 years leading up to the Olympics.

But by now we know, this is not surprising. The Patriots won 3 Super Bowls in 4 years, not quite as amazing of a feat when you are tape recording the opposing teams defensive calls. NASA landed on the moon without having to leave Nevada. And with a little help from his friends over at BALCO, Barry Bonds has broken Hank Aarons career Home Run record and a million baseball fans tender little hearts.

But this isn't a new concept, in 1904, 71 years before Floyd Landis was even born, Thomas Hicks collapsed after winning the Summer Olympics Marathon, from a mixture of brandy and strychnine his assistant gave him.

The problem is that the cheater is always at least three steps ahead of the law. It's nearly impossible to catch them until well after they've already cashed in and had their faces plastered on Wheaties boxes. But I've got a new method. You can keep your urine tests and competitive balance committees, I don't need them. All you have to do is find unbelievable success, and chances are, you've found a cheater. Which is how I've uncovered a whole slue of cheaters. Take that Washington Post.

- First is Finland. 100% literacy rates? Yeah, right, like I can't see straight through that. I'm not sure how your doing it, whether the test is rigged or what, but you're not fooling me.

- Next is this Phileas Fogg character. I don't care what that Jules Verne says, around the World in Eighty days, in 1873? I'm not buying that for one second. Nice try.

- Oh, and how about this British group, the Beatles. More than 40 number one releases. Yeah, I bet that's a whole lot easier when you're paying off radio stations. Revolver isn't even really that good*.

- William Shakespeare, greatest writer of all-time? He was housing his work from Francis Bacon, and he knows it.

- And finally, one word. Google. I'm not sure how they do it, but I'm certain cheating is involved. End of story.

*Upon further review Revolver is actually probably one of the greatest albums of all-time. Though I suspect producer George Martin was juicing.

Another MLB Player Reported to Have Recieved Steriods

Rick Ankiel on Thursday. Troy Glaus on Friday. And last night, Orioles outfielder Jay Gibbons.

Sports Illustrated's Luis Fernando Llosa and L. Jon Wertheim reported Gibbons as latest player to be involved in the growing saga that has become Florida's Signature Pharmacy. Gibbons allegedly received HGH and steroids from the internet distributor from September of 2003 through May of 2004.

With each report of an MLB player's use of performance enhancing steroids and human growth hormone my interest in the season deflates. One who followed the Rick Ankiel story can't help but feel as if there is nothing to get excited about in baseball anymore.

To Ankiel's credit, he has come out publicly and owned up to using HGH. He has claimed they were prescribed by a license physician during recovery from reconstructive elbow surgery. However, unless Ankiel is a female suffering from Turner syndrome or has a growth hormone deficiency, it stands to reason he shouldn't have prescriptions for human growth hormones Saizen or Genotropin.

This is What Baseball Has Become

It was the feel good story of the year. Something to hold on to in a season that will forever be remembered for the mayhem that surrounded Barry Bonds breaking the all-time Major League Baseball home-run record. It was a story of perseverance and overcoming the odds. It personified what sports was all about. But it's not anymore. Now it personifies what baseball has become.

Eight years ago Rick Ankiel was the hottest pitching prospect in the nation. In 2000, his debut for the St. Louis Cardinals, Ankiel went 11-7 with a 3.50 ERA, 194 strike outs, and finished second in voting for the NL Rookie of the Year. The Cardinals won the Central Division and were matched up with the Atlanta Braves in the first round of the playoffs. And that's where it all began to fall apart for Ankiel.

Rick Ankiel got the call to start Game 1 against Greg Maddux and the Braves. He allowed a single and a double in the first two innings and gave up a couple walks, but he took the mound in the third with the Braves still off the board. In the third Ankiel threw 5 wild pitches, walked 4 batters and allowed 4 runs on 2 hits, before being replaced.

Despite his performance, the Cardinals swept the Braves, and advanced to the NL Championship series. Ankiel saw the mound again in Game 2 of the series, but 20 pitches into the first inning we was pulled. 5 pitches went past catcher, Eli Marrero, 2 of them ruled wild pitches.

In Game 5 of the series Ankiel was brought as a relief pitcher in the 7th inning. He faced only 5 batters, walking 2 and throwing 2 wild pitches. The Cards dropped game 5, and were eliminated from the playoffs.

After that, Ankiel's Major League career was essentially over. He made brief appearance with the Cardinals in 2001 season, but spent most of it in the St. Louis minor league system. He sat out the 2002 season with a left elbow sprain, and returned to the minors for 10 starts in 2003 before having season ending Tommy John surgery. Again he returned to the minors for the 2004 season, and eventually made a few relief appearances in the majors towards the end of September.

And that was it. It was an amazing story of an incredibly gifted young pitcher's collapse. Or at least that's how it was supposed to end. But instead Ankiel's returned to the minors for the 2005 season and announced he was transitioning from the mound to the outfield. He progressed through the next two seasons, and despite more injury trouble, he began working his way back up the Cardinals minor league system.

On the 9th of August, 2007, after posting impressive numbers for the St. Louis AAA minor league affiliate in Memphis, Rick Ankiel made his return to the Major Leagues. In the 7th inning with 2 runners on base, Ankiel hit a 3 run home run to right field. The first time a player had hit a home run as both a pitcher and a positional player in 50 years. Cardinals manager Tom LaRussa said short of the World Series victory, it was the happiest he had seen his ball club.

But it didn't end there, over the course of August Ankiel continued to impress. On the 11th he went 3-4 with 2 home runs, 3 RBIs. He drew a standing ovation from the crowd every time he stepped to the plate. On the 31st, with his team trailing by a run in the 6th inning, he hit his first career Grand Slam. Suddenly, with only a month left in the regular season, and after spending half the season in the minors, he became the favorite for the MLB Comeback Player of Year.

Last night against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Rick Ankiel went 3 for 4, with a double, 2 home runs, and 7 RBIs. And this morning as sports fans awoke a crossed the country to drink a cup of coffee and check out the happenings of the sports world, it should have been just another installment in the amazing uplifting story that his career has become. But it wasn't. Instead the leading baseball story was from a report published in the New York Daily News alleging Rick Ankiel had purchased a 12-month supply of the Human Growth Hormones Saizen and Genotropin in 2004 from a Florida physician under investigation by the Albany County District Attorney.

The most surprising aspect of the story is that it really shouldn't be that surprising. Sure, his head hasn't ballooned like that of alleged HGH user Barry Bonds. He doesn't look monstrous like Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, or Rafael Palmeiro. He's 6'1", 210 pounds. But this is what baseball has become. This is what it's regressed to.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not one to white-wash baseball past. I realize that Mickey Mantle wasn't one the best of guys. And I know Babe Ruth greatly benefited from the Yankees having the left field fence in at a ridiculous 295 feet. But there is something different about everything in the steroid era. There is a great unknown that has transformed even the most naive fans into cynics. Some optimists talk of the possibility of Alex Rodriguez surpassing Bonds in Home Runs like the record will be saved. But who is to say A-Rod isn't juiced? Currently, though on the Major League Baseball Banned Substance list, HGH isn't even tested for. Granted, outside of a vague allegation by Jose Canseco (who at the time was pimping his latest book), no one has offered any serious evidence pointing to A-Rod as a steroids user, so it would be surprising.

But, really, it shouldn't be. This is what baseball has become.