Roger Clemens is Barry Bonds. Andy Pettitte is Barry Bonds. Wally Joyner is Barry Bonds. Aaron Boone is Barry Bonds. Gary Sheffield is Barry Bonds. Rick Ankiel is Barry Bonds. Brian Roberts is Barry Bonds. And it it goes….
These are the biggest names mentioned in the Mitchell Report, a damning assessment of baseball’s “Steroid Era.” And this is not the full extent of it.
To see the complete list of names, click here. Clemens is no doubt the biggest name, and the details of how and when he used performance-enhancing drugs was chilling. There were details, canceled checks, etc. It was real.
There is much for baseball to do now. Sen George Mitchell emphasized over and over that the game should “move forward” and not punish past users. That it should accept his recommendations and create a system that eradicates drugs from the sport now and forever. (Of course he also said the use of HGH is growing and, with no test for detection, isn’t likely to wane soon.)
There is much for fans and the media to do, too. It will indeed be interesting to see if these two groups treat Clemens and Pettitte, et al. with the same vitriol that has been levied at Barry Bonds. Other than personality, is there any difference between them?
Oh yeah, there is one other noticeable difference, but one I don’t need to mention….do I?
I’m just sayin’…
December 14, 2007 at 1:27 pm |
They all are cheaters and we all know the reaction will not be the same. I thought the report was weak though:
http://blog.nextblitz.com/blog/2007/12/mitchell-report.html
How many names would have turned up in a Mitchell report on the NFL? Where is the vitriol for Marcus Stroud and Shaun Merriman, two of the top players in the NFL? Granted MLB was their own worse enemy, looking the other way for far too long. But this problem is not limited to MLB.
December 16, 2007 at 4:31 am |
I’ve already heard the yammering class on ESPN try to mitigate the impact on Clemens. Oh, he had to juice in order to keep up with the hitters. Or that the report is circumstantial, although a lot of them hopped on the word of Bonds’ ex-mistress. Nah, Clemens will join McGuire in retirement. Bonds will continue to be the “face” of roids.
December 17, 2007 at 8:59 am |
Hey Roy:
You know what I found most amazing about this whole inquest? After the list came out and it had various ‘white’ possible Hall of Famers on it, the first thing the so called ‘baseball aficionados’ did was state ‘Seems like we need a more dynamic level of proof to ruin these guys legacy’. Where was that same consideration when Barry’s name was thrown around? Last I heard, he never failed a urine test. Why was he thrown under the bus so quickly and these white guys given somu ch consideration? If Barry’s name has an asterisk next to it, then so should Roger’s.
December 17, 2007 at 12:06 pm |
In terms of baseball, at least to me,
Bonds = Clemens= Joyner= Roberts, etc. etc.
Legally, however, Bonds is in hot water. He’s got a perjury rap on him. For his and his family’s sake, I hope he beats it. But you can’t lie to the feds, they’ll get you. (see Vick, Michael post- disposition, pre-sentence behavior. o this point, Bonds is the only guy that to our knowledge and to the feds that has perjured himself.
A lot of these guys that got busted were the “try-hard” white guy. You know, always the hard worker on the team, etc. The kind of guys that no one really expected to get nabbed for it.
Brian Roberts- son of former UNC coach
Paul LoDuca- former college walk-on
Roger Clemens-competitor
Or rather the kind of guys that you knew would get busted if you knew anything about baseball. Roberts to me was the no-brainer.
December 17, 2007 at 3:42 pm |
I’m am certain the Bond inquisition will slightly change its direction,now that their “fair-heads” have also been brought forward. It will no longer be about steroid use but lying to the grand jury. Blocking their ability to get at the “truth”.
P.S.I am just coming from attempting to hail a cab to send my son back home. And yellow cabs still don’t stop. Suit, Tie, Professional looking, doesn’t matter. And the ‘beat goes on’.
December 19, 2007 at 2:58 pm |
Once again, your column matches my water cooler comments.
December 29, 2007 at 12:32 pm |
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