Sports Garth McLennan supergarth@ hotmail.com Another Black Eye For Baseball Mitchell Report exposes steroid abuse Garth McLennan sports editor Puss United States Senator George J. Mitchell has finally completed his 20 month, $20 million investigation into baseball’s steroid scandal. Out of the expensive search for the truth came the Mitchell Report, a 300 page account of a vast number of professional baseball players who used steroids. MLB commissioner Bud Selig appointed Mitchell as the head of the ambitious project on March 30, 2006. The point of the investigation was to uncover just how deep the steroid usage among players had come. Selig decided to go forward with the examination after reading the controversial yet groundbreaking book Game of Shadows, which alleged that large number of players had utilized steroids, from utility players to former MVPs such as Barry Bonds. The report itself was a massive affair. Mitchell’s operation interviewed over 700 people, though just 68 of those were actual players. Mitchell asked over 500 players for interviews, but the players and the MLBPA union were largely uncooperative. Past or present club officials, managers, coaches, team doctors, trainers, and security personnel accounted for the rest of the interviews. The report named more than 70 active or former baseball players as steroid users. According to Mitchell, he has discovered that there was at least one player from all 30 major league baseball clubs taking steroids or other performance enhancing drugs. Mitchell has said that after random drug screening and testing was instituted in 2004, human growth hormone (HGH) became the most popular form of artificial enhancement, as it was undetectable in testing at the time. The results of the report cast major doubt on the accomplishments of teams and players for over the last 15 years. Prominent players that were named in Mitchell’s findings included seven-time NL MVP Barry Bonds, pitching superstars Roger Clemons and Andy Petite, all-star MVP Miguel Tejada, Jason Giambi, and star closer Eric Gagne. Clemons has been adamant that he has never taken any form of performance enhancing drugs, or any substances for that matter. This is despite the testimony of former trainer Brian McNamee, who claims that he injected Clemons with steroids and human growth hormone. “Can any of us really look at baseball the questions. I plan to publicly answer all of those questions at the appropriate time in the appropriate way. I only ask that in the meantime people not rush to judge me,” Clemens said in a prepared statement. Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Brewers, who just three days before the release of the Mitchell report signed closer Eric Gagne to a one-year, $10 million contract, have stated that they will not be voiding Gagne’s new deal. Gagne has been the subject of human growth hormone allegations. While the report is certainly troubling, the brunt of the blame should not go solely on the shoulders of the players cited as steroid users. The entire baseball community is to blame, from the players, to the equipment staff, to same way again?” “I want to state clearly and without qualification: I did not take steroids, human growth hormone, or any other banned substances at any time in my baseball career or, in fact, my entire life. Those substances represent a dangerous and destructive shortcut that no athlete should ever take. I am disappointed that my 25 years in public life have apparently not earned me the benefit of the doubt, but I understand that Senator Mitchell’s report has raised many serious owners of the teams. They all knew what was going on and very rarely did anyone step up and tell the whole truth. That isn’t to say the players are not to blame. They were all grown men who knew what they were doing and what the reprehensible implications of their actions were. The basic truth was that the owners turned a blind eye to the steroid problem. The state of baseball was in tatters after the devastating 232-day strike in 1994 that wiped out the entire MLB postseason and resulted in the cancellation of the World Series for the first time in history. Fans were turned off by the game. They were sick of rich, whining players and even richer whining owners. The ‘94 strike was the eighth work stoppage in baseball, and the fans simply had no reason to come back. The owners were in dire straights. Then came the legendary home run race between Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa in 1998, that saw the two power- hitters race to break Roger Maris’ single- season home run record of 61 dingers that had been around since 1961. McGuire enjoyed a fairy-tale year and established a new benchmark with 70 homers, while Sosa finished the year with 66, just four back of McGuire. It has been strongly argued that those two saved baseball. The owners recognized that the fans wanted home runs, home runs, and more home runs. So they looked the other way. They ignored the blatant signs of steroid abuse as players swelled and ballooned to cartoonish proportions. All one has to do is look at Barry Bonds, whose performance has increased as he’s aged, and how big his body has gotten since he entered the league. Allowing players to inject steroid and ingest HGH made fiscal sense for the owners. The fans were getting what they wanted—home runs— while the players were cashing in on monstrous new contracts. The owners were enjoying the benefits of millions of fans returning to the game, as baseball became America’s pastime again. However, can any of us really look at baseball the same way again? Can we still watch in awe as today’s superstars shatter the benchmarks set by hallowed legends such as Ruth, Maris, and Aaron? It is unknown. What is known is that with the release of this report, which puts the exclamation point on baseball’s steroid era, the game that is synonymous with Mom’s apple pie and a warm, small town feeling will never be the same. ee Miami Dolphins, one of the worst teams in football over the past few years, have hired the legendary Bill Parcells as the team’s new executive vice-president of football operations. If anyone can save the Dolphins, who at the time Parcells was hired had an abysmal 1-13 record, it is Parcells. The 66-year old has won two Super Bowls, both with the New York Giants and appeared in another one with the New England Patriots. Parcells most recent football job was as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys from 2003-2006, where he coached the team to a 34-32 record. Parcells definitely has the credentials Will Parcells Save the Dolphins? By Garth McLennan, Sports Editor necessary to resurrect the Miami franchise. In 1986, he was named the Associated Press, UP! Magazine, and Sporting News NFL Coach of the Year. In 1994, Parcells was again awarded the AP, UP! Magazine, NFL Coach of the Year, only this time he also won the NFL coaching awards from the Maxwell football club and Pro Football weekly. In 1996, Pro Football weekly again named Parcells the coach of the year. Parcells owns a 172-130-1 regular season record and a 11-8 postseason mark. Parcells will answers directly to Dolphins’ owner Wayne Huizenga, and will have head coach Cam Cameron and General Manager Randy Mueller answer to him. The contract is a four-year deal.