The Rocket Report

Is it me or is Roger Clemens starting to sound a whole lot like OJ Simpson? I'm sure you have all heard the reports that the Rocket is planning to launch his own (presumably objective) probe into who was conveniently left off the Mitchell report. Well guess what dear readers, we here at 567 Miles From Home have seen an advanced copy of the Rocket Report!! Here are some of the names that Mitchell had the audacity to overlook. Sure, only one of them is a baseball player but that shouldn't matter:

10. Mike Wallace - The Rocketeers want to make sure that they have some ammunition in advance of Rogers big interview on 60 Minutes. Although rumor has it that Wallace only used once and that was to help quickly recover from a Katie Couric related injury.

09. Mickey Mouse - Come on Mickey, you aren't fooling anyone! You expect us to believe that at your age you can continue to make major league level cartoons? M-I-C-K-E-Y you used andro-stenedio-ne

08. The Energizer Bunny - Give me a break, that thing has been going strong since the late '80's, it keeps going and going and going for more HGH.

07. Mario AND Luigi - Those weren't harmless mushrooms that made them grow so big!!!

06. Curt Schilling - Although admittedly Schilling has never used juice to improve his game, Curt did use them become an even bigger a**hole.

05. Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer - Reportedly Rocket Research has a signed affidavit from Comet saying that he personally injected Rudolf multiple times. Rudolf your nose wont shine so bright, if you don't time your cycle just right!

04. All of the beer bottles from the Bud Bowl - Wondering what happened to the Bud Bowl from the Superbowl commercials? Apparently each and everyone of those bottles was a raging steroid-aholic. It was so rampant they cancelled the contest indefinitely until they could find an effective way of testing.

03. George Mitchell's Mom - That's right B***ch, according to eye witnesses she also wore combat boots and was so fat she beeped when she backed up!!!

02. Superman - How do you think he is able to leap all of those tall buildings with a single bound? Plus the Daily Bugle has photographic evidence of one bad case of back-ne.

01. George Mitchell - The biggest hypocrite of all time. Have you ever seen that guy with his shirt off? JACKED!!! Reportedly he purchased them from Nanci Pelosi who conveniently owns a house near BALCO laboratories.

So as you can see just from this sampling, not only was the Mitchell report wrong about Roger...IT WASN'T EVEN FULLY COMPREHENSIVE!!!! I smell a lawsuit.

~~I hope everyone had a good holiday!!

Happy Holidays

With the Christmas rush and everything else I haven't had much time to post, so I am going to take a little vacation from blogging. In the meantime happy holidays to everyone, see you in 2008.

A Form Letter For Use by Those Named in the Report

So your a major league baseball player who has just been outed as a steroid user thanks to the Mitchell Report? Here are three handy form letters to help you apologise or explain yourself to the fans, free of charge. Happy Holiday's guys:

Letter #1 - Coming Clean:

Dear Fans,

As you are aware I have been listed as a user of (circle all that apply) The Clear/ Human Growth Hormone /Anabolic Steroids / Some Crazy Drug You have never even heard of, in Senator Mitchell's report. I deeply regret that between the years of ____ and _____ I did in fact use performance enhancing substances in violation of (circle all that apply) federal law/ State Law / baseball's anti doping policy. I regret any harm that my actions may have on the game, or on any young athletes who may have emulated me during that time. I can only ask for your forgiveness and hope that those who chose to use as a result of my actions have not done any serious long term harm to themselves or their loved ones. While this is a difficult time for everyone who loves the game, hopefully though openness and honesty we can move forward and put this dark chapter behind us.

Letter #2 - The Pettitte Letter:

Dear Fans:

As you know I have been accused of using performance enhancers. The truth is, yes, I did but I only used them (circle all that apply) Once / Twice / Three times, but that last time I didn't realize it. I regret that I took them, but I did so only for the purpose of (circle all that apply) Recovering Quickly From an Injury / To Help With My Dwarfism / To help rid me of unsightly acne / Because Roger Clemens Made Me Do It. I hope that we can move on from this dark chapter and get back to the business of (circle all that apply) playing the game of baseball / Going After the Real Users Like Bonds.

Letter #3 - The I didn't do it Letter:

Dear Fans:

As you know I have been accused of using performance enhancing drugs in the recently released report by Senator Mitchell. At no time did I (circle all that apply) knowingly / purposely / recreationaly / use steroids or any other form of performance enhancers. In fact this report is nothing but a (circle all that apply) witch hunt / slanderous accusation / media fueled circus show / and I stand by my (circle all that apply) home run record / career as a pitcher / ability to add 15 pounds of muscle over the age of 35 as a testament to my hard work and dedication to the game. Unfortunately I realise that there will be some out there who find it difficult to believe that I am innocent, to them I say (circle all that apply) Those Really Weren't My Cancelled Checks / Roger Clemens Did It...Let's Only Go After Him / Come On, My Last Name Isn't Bonds / Fuck You. Hopefully we can move past this dark time and get back to playing baseball.

More Thoughts On Yesterday

Since I was two years old I have been a baseball fan. Through the years my attention has waxed and waned depending on the stage of my life and events in the game (the strike of '94). However I am proud to say that even with the strike and various other life distractions baseball has always been something that I could come back to and rely on. Since I started this blog almost a year ago my love and dedication to the game has grown. I love writing about it, thinking about it, and I especially love going to games. Now this....today isn't an easy day. Any true fan of the game no matter what team you root for has to do some soul searching now. Individually and collectively we all need to decide what the Mitchell report means and what if any effect it will have on our admiration for the game. I can't write an in depth analysis on anything as I have yet to read the full report, so instead today's post comes straight from my initial reactions to what was said yesterday, broken down into three parts one for each of the press conferences and then some final thoughts. Here goes:

Mitchell
I really believe that Mitchell took the high road with this whole endeavor and in his statements yesterday. He assigned blame all around and yet made it clear that in some instances the lack of cooperation he received was to be expected. He also moved for the commissioner to forego disciplinary actions in order to move the game forward and to not keep it mired in the state that it finds itself in today. To the extent that players (with the sole exception of Giambi)failed to cooperate, as a fan I am disgusted. As someone who works in the legal industry I am no layman to the potential legal ramifications that may have been associated with a non privileged conversation with Mitchell, but in order to actually move forward all those responsible need to admit to their guilt so that all parties can move forward and we can learn from the mistakes of the past. Certainly players through their attorneys and through the office of the commissioner could have worked out a deal that would have shielded them from any further litigation or disciplinary action, but they did not and in fact the players union advised them against it. As a result I feel that Mitchell also errs by petitioning for no disciplinary action. Human nature is such that if no one is forced to pay the price for their actions then justice is not properly served. I say that discipline should be forthcoming and swift not only in the name of justice to all of baseball, but also for the purpose of setting an example to future players. Anyone who used steroids, particularly after the ban went into effect knew that there was a potential for ramifications.

Selig
I have NEVER been a fan of Bud Selig. At yesterday's press conference he made two big mistakes. Number one he started off by trumpeting statistics for the games revenues and new stadium construction. Try as he may to leave a legacy for expanding the game, Selig will always be known of first as the Commissioner who presided over the steroids era. Which brings me to his second mistake which I find far more egregious than the first, when asked about if any responsibility lay with him he dodged the question. I am insulted by his assertion that he bear no blame for what has transpired. However, I do commend Selig for taking the imitative to commission this report when all others opposed it. What's more I applaud his stance that he will look at each individual on a case by case basis in order to judge what if any disciplinary action should be enforced, so long as he does it in a way that is fair. To me, and this is based purely on my own speculation, it seems as though Selig wants to go after Bonds full steam ahead. I think that he should, but only so long as he also goes after the others who may not be as high profile just as aggressively as he hunts down Bonds.

The Players Union
Obviously the players union is set up to protect the interest of the players so their reaction should come as no surprise. As I said I am disheartened by the lack of cooperation, but now the ball is really in the players union's court. It is their responsibility to recognize the Mitchell report as what it is, a referendum on drug abuse, and work not only in the best interest of the players but also really think about the far reaching implications that any disregard for Mitchell's recommendations will have. The players need to realize that the fans will not side with them if they continue to fight against drug testing. Remember guys, many hearts are broken with the release of this report, mine included.

On the Names
It breaks my heart to see Andy Pettitte's name on the list. I have always thought of him as a class act who set a good example. That just goes to show you how far reaching this problem has become. Regarding Clemens, honestly I have never liked him even when he was helping us win it all. Still, his name on the list breaks my heart too. Maybe I had the wool pulled over my eyes but I did respect his career, I don't know how one could not. That is all over for him now though, he will never be fully vindicated. The best pitcher of the era will always have an asterisk over his head as will so many others.

Final thoughts
I am disappointed today, desperately so, but I will get through it and hopefully all parties involved will rectify this situation sooner rather than later. I just want this whole thing to be over and done with. Let's dish out the suspensions, hear a few apologies, implement a fire proof testing program and move on. Let's not let the game continue to suffer because of dirty needles, it means too much to too many people.

A brief comment on the report

Here is the list of players named. (Thanks Jess)

Mitchell has released his report and although I haven't yet had a chance to read it (it is 400 pages) it confirms what we have already known for year, steroid abuse has been rampant in baseball for the last decade. The players named in some cases are no surprise to anyone (Bonds, Giambi) but some were (Pettitte). Many of the players mentioned are lesser known utility players that even Gammons probably wouldn't know. But regardless of their profile, the question is now what? In his press conference Mitchell said that there should be no retroactive disciplinary action for those players named (except in the most extreme cases) and that baseball as a whole needs to move forward. I agree that baseball needs to move forward, but to let everyone from the trainers to the players to the owners get away with this without a single head rolling is an insult to the history of the game.

From a strictly legal standpoint there is no way that you can retroactively discipline players since there was no steroid policy in place until very recently. However that should not serve to wipe out accountability. What do you tell a young athlete who has permanently damaged his or her body because he or she took performance enhancers in order to emulate their heros who themselves were using? Like it or not professional athletes have a responsibility to set an example.

I'll write more once I have a chance to read the whole thing. I also want to see what Selig has to say at his 4:30 press conference today....stay tuned.

Names on the report

This is what I have heard so far:

Clemens, Bonds, McGwire, Sosa, Pettitte, Damon, Giambi, Nomar, Baggy, Pudge, Varitek, Sheff, Tejada, K Wood, Gagne… and Pujols.

Here is the full report

Waiting for the Report

I've been pretty quiet lately even though there have been some things to write about, specifically Matsui's potential trade to San Francisco, the Nationals smart post season maneuvers, and the rumors that talks for Santana may be back on again. Honestly though, I'm waiting on the Mitchell report and I have to say that it is making me a little nervous. Despite what I had previously thought, I don't think that there will be long lasting consequences. What makes me nervous is that I am afraid to hear who ended up on the list. I can't imagine he is on there, but it would break my heart to see someone like Jeter on the report. Imagine the tee shirts the nation would break out then.

I suspect that there will be upwards of 20 - 30 suspensions of various lengths starting from 15 - 25 games depending on how much evidence Mitchell has on the particular player. I also have to imagine that the players union is going to scream bloody murder, and with good reason. The players are the ones taking all the heat in the steroid scandal, but as I have said previously EVERYONE IN BASEBALL deserves some of the blame.

In other news he whose name has been banned from this blog has been asked to accept a minor league contract. How much do you want to bet that the jerk doesn't accept it...how about 39 million?

The Boras Factor May Point to Even Bigger Trouble on the Horizon

"The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don't play together, the club won't be worth a dime."
-Babe Ruth

Players and agents take notice, in today's market there is a cap on what teams are willing to spend and/ or give up to acquire a single player. That hasn't always been the case, but given the disastrous effect of the Stienbrenner model of the early part of this decade and last months A-Rod debacle, it seems that general managers and owners are finally starting to see the forest for the trees. Even the teams that can afford to spend exorbitant amounts of money on top talent are becoming more and more hesitant to give up the farm and the keys to the safe. I say this because it seems that Santana is in danger of pricing himself out of the market. That's bad for him, but I'm afraid that it could be indicative of an even greater problem that may be once again looming the horizon for baseball, another round of disputes between the players union and the owners over market share.

For all of his greediness Boras made a good point, baseball revenues are at a historical high and are continuing to go up every year as the game experiences a renaissance in popularity. The players should see a part of that increased revenue. But how much is enough? On the one side the owners argument is true that while revenues are up as a whole, to own a baseball franchise is not a truly lucrative endeavor (albeit you have to be pretty rich to own one in the first place). Profit shares are relatively small and for those teams that are profitable there is the luxury tax issue to deal with. On the flip side the players make the game what it is. People don't go to the ballpark to see Hank Stienbrenner put up a power point presentation about market share and revenue versus the price of the Yen. What I fear from all of this is a whole new round of cat fights between the players union and the owners about who should get what percentage in the form of salaries. Any fan who remembers 1994 and the subsequent clashes between the two parties will tell you that baseball just can't sustain another strike, especially right after dealing with the steroids issue.

In a perfect world baseball would share a higher percentage of the revenues and give smaller market teams a bigger cut and better access to top prospects similar to football's model. In this imaginary Utopia MLB would also give players a percentage of the profit based on performance in exchange for......dare I say it....a salary cap. I'm no mathematician but it seems that a reasonable cap could be figured out by creating some sort of algorithm that keeps the market competitive for even the most cash strapped team. Unfortunately if the owners were even to realistically hint at a salary cap the players union would chase them down the streets with torches and pitchforks, but even more baseball is a business, not a socialist entity. So for the foreseeable nothing is going to change much and the teams with thin purses will be forced to trade off top talent for whatever they can get. Nothing proves that point more than yesterday's deal between the Marlins and the Tigers. It's really a shame, you would thing that MLB would realize that as teams other than the usual suspects make it deep into the post season, interest in the game and in turn revenues go up. Well, that's just my two cents anyway....in the meantime go Yankees go.

Deal For Santana Off? Don't Count on It..and Detroit is Now the Team to Beat

If A-Rod is any indication, Hank Stienbrenners soft deadlines and hollow threats are nothing to take too seriously. Especially now that the Sox seem to be making a legitimate push to aquire Santana. The Twins have played this one perfectly knowing that the biggest rivals in all of sports would eventually duke it out for the rights the two time Cy Young winner. However the Twins have forgotten about this little thing called a no trade clause and that Santana actually WANTS to play for New York. Honestly though at the end of the day the Yankees were offering a better package than the Sox. Despite the talk, this deal isn't dead yet. I just hope that they Yankees don't cave and offer up Hughes AND Kennedy, in that case the trade just wouldn't be worth it.

The real head line of the day is Cabrera and Willis are headed to Detroit for a package of six players. This simply baffeles me. Somehow Florida has been able to hoist up two world series trophies in the past decade (just as many as the Sox) and yet they never even try to hold on to thier top talent because they know they can't afford to. Both Florida teams are like a revolving door. The good young prospects come out of Miami, and then the old washed up ones head back to Tampa to retire. Its a shame and it goes a long way to making the argument that baseball expanded to fast and into the wrong markets (DC being the shining exception). But that is an argument for another day. So now Detroit is stacked to the gills. Good for them, bad for the Yankees prospects of earning number 27. It is going to be an interesting 2008.

Hughes Thrown in the Pot For Santana

The Yankees have decided to offer up Phil Hughes for Santana. The deal would also include Melkey Cabrera and probably between 20 - 25 million dollars a year. If a decision doesn't come later today from the Twins the Yankees have threatened to pull the offer. As much as I would hate to see Phil Hughes go, aside from the boat load of cash that we would be paying for Santana it would be a pretty good deal for both sides. Santana is a two time Cy Young winner, and that was with the Twins. Imagine how lights out he could be if he had a solid defense and run support to help him out! Hughes has already had two injuries since he was called up earlier this year. I don't think that is indicative of his future, but his fastball never seemed to break the low 90s after he came back from the sprained ankle. Really though I am just trying to justify losing Hughes. I think that he is going to be an ace no matter where he plays. In fact he may shine even brighter for a smaller market team. It will be a shame to lose him, but if you have an opportunity to get the best pitcher in the game while he is still in his prime then you have to make some sacrifices. Santana is a known commodity, and while I think eventually Hughes will be a number 1 starter, he still has some things left to prove.

It seems as though we are seeing a lot of the same from the Stienbrenner sons in terms of spending. However they are not subscribing, or at least haven't yet subscribed, to the old Stienbrenner philosophy of selling the farm to acquire old veterans past their prime. The Santana deal is a must for the the organization, regardless of if Pettitte returns or not. Without Santana the rotation only has one sure fire ace, Wang. For all of the hype Kennedy is still unproven and it remains to be seen if Chamberlin can be as effective as a starter as he was as a set up man. Including Santana as the number 1 starter ensures that the rookies have some time to settle into their roles as a starting pitcher, while also taking some of the pressure off Wang. Should Pettitte return I wouldn't be surprised if the rotation looked like this:

Santana
Pettitte **
Wang
Kennedy
Mussina

With both Pettitte and Santana I think you keep Chamberlin right where he is until the inevitable collapse of Mussina. Although it may be difficult to switch from a set up role to a starter mid season if anyone can do it I think Chamberlin can.

Not to be conceded here, but if we do get Santana I would like to point out that I have been saying he would be in New York next year for months. But until I can officially pat myself on the back we will just have to wait and see.

**After posting I just found out that Pettitte will return next season. YES!!!