{mosimage} Well the Mitchell Report is out. You going to read it? I am not, but my understanding is George has come to the conclusion that "For more than a decade there has been widespread anabolic steroid use" in baseball. Hell, I don't even follow baseball that much these days and I could have and did come to that conclusion. Mitchell places the "blame" on both the players and management.

So I wonder how those of you who really care feel about this stuff becoming public. Being a casual observer at best, I think back to being caught up in the McGwire/Sosa homerun derby. I guess I was a dickwad and should have just went fishing. I mean what were we really watching? Better performance via chemicals-that is what captivated the public, and we were all cheated, in my opinion.

Yes the report names some names. Barry Bonds, Bobby Estalella, Jason Giambi, Jeremy Giambi, Armando Rios, Benito santiago, Gary Sheffield, Randy Velarde, Roger Clemens, Miguel Tejada, Andy Pettitte, Eric Gagne, and Paul Lo Duca-all find their way into this report. Mitchell says this stain on the sport of baseball was in every clubhouse and affected every club. Mitchell states almost all current players whose names came up refused to speak with him.

I go back to a previous DeathRattle article re Marion Jones. In that article the author made reference to the Olympic Eastern European female athletes in the old days. I remember they made me look like a girl. They had hair where it wasn't to be. I had no clue how the commies did it, but I knew it wasn't right and therefore I discounted anything they did as cheating. End of story for me-you cheat so how you performed is meaningless to me. Years back OSU played Tennessee in a bowl game in Orlando in a driving rainstorm. For some reason the Tennessee players didn't slip and slide around as much as the Buckeyes. Came to find out Tennessee was using a cleat that was illegal-too long. Tennesse cheated, again, end of story for me. As a PS to that story, my understanding was by half time the officials knew of the illegal cleats and did nothing about it. Again, in my mind, you cheat so what you did, how you perform has no meaning to me. Maybe I grew up with some type of concept of fair sportsmanship ideals. How about you? What do you think when you hear of John Wooden and his UCLA Bruins, or Michigan and its fab five. I can tell you I think of the best teams that money could buy. I was a fan, spent hours watching the Bruins and their dominance in Bball. Today, knowing what I know, their accomplishments mean little to me.

So there you go as far as I am concerned. I hope you baseball owners enjoy all the money you made while you knew you were putting a chemical enhanced product out there. To the players who cheated and to the Union who protected you-screw you. Give me a story any day about the jock who busts his hump working harder than the next guy to develop his body and hone his skills. They are to me what sports and champions are about. For those you who cheat, your accomplishments and your records mean nothing to me. Keep it up and your going to make me take up golf or something stupid like that. I'm sure as hell wasting none of my time caring about what you do. It appears to me the Mitchell Report is an indictment of the entire sport. There you go owners, union, and ball players-happy now?

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Lloyds Apple said:

	It's not just baseball either. American hero, Lance Armstrong, seems guilty to me as well. No proof, just accusations and abnormal production. I was not around for UCLA but anything involving Bill Walton is dirty.
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December 14, 2007
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Gotham Dark Knight said:

WITCH HUNT - Baseball produces a report...names 60-80 players...turns it into a media circus... And oh yeah, Bud Selig doesn't resign in disgrace?... Oh please...half of the players were on the juice, Selig didn't want to acknowledge it...cause heck, McGwire and Sosa were good for baseball... But now, we have the government involve...we produce a black list...and ...and...Selig is still commish?...PLEASE... IF its broken and you are gonna fix it...fix it...Spare me the Salem Witch Trials all over again...

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December 14, 2007
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Lloyds Apple said:

	It just makes the baseball gods look dumb, imo. Baseball just keeps digging a deeper hole.
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December 14, 2007
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Bugeatersteve said:

One thing I haven't been able to find is that the report did not list Sosa or McGuire, nor Bagwell or Biggio either. There were more "surprises" in the "not on the list" than the "on" list. I remember reading a quote from Kirk Shillling telling the story from about 10 years ago, when he would "slap ass" with various players for making great plays and one of them telling him not to slap him on his ass because it hurt from all the punctures from the needles. Now that was a "sweet" quote.

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December 14, 2007
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JEH45 said:

	Bugeater: Speaking of "sweet" quotes, I remember years ago Joe B. hall went into the Celtics lockerroom to congradualate I believe Rick Robey for winning the NBA championship and upon shaking Robey's hand Larry Bird commented it was probably the first time Hall shook Robey's hand when there wasn't money in it. Anyhow, that is how I remember it before senility.
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December 15, 2007
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Bugeatersteve said:

	LOL, nice one JEH45
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December 15, 2007
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