Comments on Mitchell Report and Steroid Use.

First off, I want to say that I'm still here. I got bogged down with college finals and holiday shopping. Now to the article.

Baseball. It is America's pastime. Many Americans, including myself, have gone to at least one baseball game, whether it may be a minor league game or a major league game. Those who went to baseball games have special memories. It could be watching a manager (the head coach in pro baseball) argue with an umpire or even watching a home run. The home run is what baseball fans want to see. The loud smack of the ball being smashed by the bat grabbed the crowd's attention and they would stare in astonishment as it flew at times into the second or third decks. Kids looked up to them as heroes or role models. We all had baseball players as heroes and idols. We thought they could do no wrong. We all thought that the players had integrity.

Sadly, we thought wrong.

The use of anabolic steroids was thought to be a small issue in Baseball. That was until the BALCO scandal broke in 2003. The lab, owned and operated by Victor Conte, was busted and he went to jail for distribution of illicit steroids. The scandal also targeted Jason Giambi and Barry Bonds just to name a few. Barry Bonds denied involvement and said that he never took steroids knowingly. He is now indicted for perjury.

The steroid issue got worse on Valentine's Day in 2005 when Jose Conseco's book "Juiced" hit store shelves. The book outed alleged steroid users such as Raphael Palmero and Mark McGuire. Canseco and his book was dismissed as false. However, a senate hearing was called on St. Patrick's Day that same year on that very issue. The testimony of McGuire ("I'm not here to talk about the past"), Sosa ("I don't speak English"), and Palmero ("I have never taken steroids...period") changed the public's view of Canseco and his supposed lies. Needless to say, the testimony from the players, the MLB commissioner Bud Selig, and the Player's Association executive director Donald Fher was not satisfactory for the senators. They demanded far stronger penalties for positive drug tests. MLB adopted the new policy later that year. Also later that same year, Raphael Palmero tested positive for a banned substance less than half a year removed from the senate hearing. The news gave Canseco even more credibility and nearly got Palmero indicted by the feds for perjury. That dark year for baseball got even worse with the release of the book "Game of Shadows", which fingered Barry Bonds for use of steroids.

This leads us all to the steroids investigation in Baseball. Headed by former senator George Mitchell, this investigation took nearly a year and a half. It was to recommend that baseball take stricter steps with steroid and Human Growth Hormone (HGH) testing and also named those who received, purchased, or have taken steroids. Yesterday, the completed report was released. About 80 names were mentioned, including Roger Clemons, Barry Bonds, and a lot of other current or former players.

Despite the report's recommendations, I say those named in the report should be punished. Although the report didn't say that those named took steroids and HGH, let's have common sense here. When was the last time that someone didn't use what they purchased or received as a gift? I never buy something that I don't intend to use. THOSE NAMED IN THE REPORT SHOULD HAVE THEIR RECORDS ERASED PERIOD!!! I don't care what records, games, and which World Series will be affected. It would not be inconceivable to think that an entire season could have been effected by those who took steroids. Recently, disgraced track star.Marion Jones had to return her medals and accept a 2-year ban from the IOC after admitting that she had taken illicit substances. Her records were erased from the books. Why can't MLB do the same thing?

The players association is also at fault for this scandal. In 2002, they would not agree to drug testing as a part of a new labor deal. If a new deal wasn't made, a strike (2nd within a decade) will result. They claimed that it was a violation of privacy. What a load of crap. When I took a job last summer which had nothing to do with anything athletic, I had to take a urine test. The players should do the same. If they had nothing to hide, they should take the test. I am a supporter of the forth amendment, but if they want to prove their innocence, they should submit to an advanced test for any drug use.

I'm sorry to say that I no longer trust any records in Major League Baseball. This entire scandal is the fault of the players and the players union. They fought for their "right" to shoot themselves up with the cream and the clear. They fought for their "right" to take the HGH. Now they are paying dearly for it. Do I need to say "you reap what you sow"? The players not suing the authors of "Game of Shadows" or Jose Canseco, as well as not suing the sources and the writers of the report, are also adding to the suspicion.

Earlier in this post, I said that those named should have their records erased. They should also be banned from the Baseball hall of fame. If Pete Rose and Joe Jackson got banned from the hall of fame for betting on the game, why can't the ones who cheated also be banned. Cheating on the game is worse than betting on it. Unlike the gambling scandals that affected a team and an individual, this scandal is affecting an entire institution and a sport. The legitimacy about a player's accomplishments and his steroid test history should be a factor in determining acceptance into the hall. If not, then I think the hall of fame thinks that gambling is bad while steroid usage is not.

I also have one last topic to bring up: the race card. STOP IT! This is not about race in any way, shape, or form. This is about those who cheat to break records and to win games in an illegitimate fashion.

This is the worst scandal in Baseball history period. The integrity of the game, what little it had left, is gone. It will remain gone until MLB and the Player's Union can agree on a detailed test that can detect any performance-enhancing drug in any way, whether it be by urine or blood. The players must undergo the test once a month administered by those independent from the team. If the player skips the test or fails it, they should face a one year ban. A second failed or missed test should result in a permenant ban without the possibility of reinstatement. The policy should also have no statute of limitations. This means that the first failed test sticks with the player for the rest of his life. These may be harsh measures, but it may be necessary to earn my trust in the game again. Steroid use in all of athletics needs to stop. Kids look up to athletes as role models. They are their heroes.

Let us never forget the quote "Say it ain't so, Joe".

Good night, and good luck.