Mets Bullpen

Ryan Knuppel at sports-evo.com writes about how the Mitchell report doesn’t really mean much:

What did it really accomplish?
The only thing this report really accomplished was 100% tarnishment of some names. Good work Mitchell. The other thing this might do is put a little more pressure on the players union to take some responsibility and allow harsher drug testing rules. The players union hasn’t flinched as small-time names keep getting leaked out. But with this report and the big names listed - it surely will make the players union react.

What will be the affects of it?
Nothing. It will allow the media to go bonkers and talk about what scum these players are. It will do nothing for the average baseball fan. Why? Because it’s old news now. We know this! The players won’t be affected because everything was before the steroid rules were in effect. As long as the players don’t play the ‘I did not knowingly take it’ card - they will just be added to the list of other roiders in this era. If they try to play that card and insult our intelligence (bonds, palmeiro, etc) - then the public backlash will begin on these guys as well. Their best play is just own up to it and move on.

I agree with Ryan here. We do know about this and we have for many years. The complete destruction of somebodies name is all this has really done.

Ryan went on to say

Did anyone else find it a little ironic that so many Yankee names were on the report - yet there were VERY few or no Redsox names on the report? Isn’t George Mitchell a DIRECTOR for the Redsox? Hmmmmm… Conflict of interest here? Yeah I think so. He may have ‘conveniently’ left off a few names here or there - but we’ll never know.

The first time I heard this I did not agree, but now, I have started to wonder if this was true. Although I don’t think David Ortiz or Manny Ramirez did steroids, anything is a possibility. I just think it is very suspicious that the guy who came out with the list is associated with the Red Sox and coincidentally no Red Sox players were named.

However, some people have also said that is why he said so many Yankee players, and that is what I disagree with. The Yankees have always been that kind of team, and to tell you the truth, I was not surprised that all the good pitchers from the 2000 world series did ‘roids.