Baseball
Mitchell Report Reveals Extensive Drug Use in Major League Baseball
By Dylan Vox

Dec 14, 2007

For the past 21 months there has been an on going investigation in Major League Baseball about the growing concerns of performance enhancing drug use. Lead by Senator George Mitchell the findings, which will help dictate whether MLB will continue moving forward, were presented today and included such high profile players as Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, Jose Canseco, Mark McGwire, and David Justice.  

In the wake of the BALCO drug scandal that implicated top athletes like Marion Jones and Barry Bonds, Baseball commissioner Bud Selig appointed Mitchell to lead the investigation into the alleged extensive use of steroids and growth hormones in the league.  

Following Bonds plea of not guilty on federal charges last week, the highly anticipated “ Mitchell Report” was expected to shed some light on other players who had used drugs and was to detail the current state of MLB.  

After the extensive investigation, which uncovered evidence of signed checks, handwritten notes, shipping receipts, money orders and wire transfers, the report was released and implicated several players both past and present. Over 75 players in total were listed in the report including Lenny Dykstra, Todd Hundley, Chris Donnels, Mark Carreon, Josias Manzanillo, Kevin Brown, Jason Giambi, Gary Sheffield, Rafael Palmeiro, and Sammy Sosa.  

Some of the names and evidence were provided by former Mets clubhouse attendant Kirk Radomski, who had been previously implicated in the BALCO scandal and turned over evidence as part of his plea bargain with the federal government. Radomski pleaded guilty to providing players with performance-enhancing drugs during his tenure with the team, and an entire section of the Mitchell Report circled around his testimony.  

Late last week, Commissioner Selig had ordered suspensions against Jose Guillen and Jay Gibbons following reports and evidence that they had taken growth hormones before the start of the 2006 season. The 15-day suspensions may be a guideline of how punishment will be handed down against the players implicated in the Mitchell Report.  

In his finding, Mitchell called for unannounced year-round steroids tests for all players in the league from this season forth. It is expected that swift punitive measures will be taken against those implicated so that a new era of baseball can begin.