Mitchell Report

- The two main sources for Senator Mitchell's report were a Mets clubhouse attendant and a Yankees trainer. They were both threatened with jail time. No wonder the list has a lot of former and current New York players. If the sources worked in LA or Chicago or Boston, I'm sure many of those city's players would be named.

- George Mitchell is a director for the Boston Red Sawx (and has been since 2002). Not one current Sawx player is named. Coincidence? Imagine naming your co-workers/employees 'cheaters', then walking in Monday morning: "Hey fellas, how was your weekend?" I know I couldn't do that. Why couldn't Bud Selig find an investigator for such a major case that didn't have a clear conflict of interest?

- I'm disappointed that Andy Pettitte was named. Clemens and Giambi were expected, but not Andy. The report states he took HGH (human growth hormone) in 2002 to speed up his elbow rehab. Not as bad as Clemens' use of it, but still disappointing.

- Since one of the main sources was a Yankee trainer, it probably means that those not named are clean - I think that's a fair assumption. Good news for Derek, Jorge, Arod, Cone, O'Neill, Mo, etc.

- George Mitchell did not have any real power in this investigation. The player's union did not want any players talking to him and he didn't have any subpoena power. That's why he had to go through other 'sources' like the former Mets and Yankees employees.

- All together, it should be taken with a large grain of salt. Some players were linked merely by hearsay, and some by former employees threatened with jail time - a lot of circumstantial evidence like checks and phone records. I doubt this would stand up in court. Elsewise, just because a player wasn't named doesn't mean they didn't juice (ahem, Boston). Outside of the Yanks and Mets (whose employees provided the two main sources), most every player is still a suspect. For all the money and time spent on this investigation, Rafael Palmeiro and Mark McGwire weren't named. What does that tell you about it's definitiveness? It's a shame if those not named are somehow seen as 'beacons of integrity' or some shit.

- ESPN showed a montage of Roger Clemens during their Mitchell Report special. It included only shots with the Yanks - what happened to his time with Boston, Toronto and Houston?

- Since most Yankee steroid use didn't begin until 2001, Mark Feinsand says it doesn't tarnish the Dynasty years.

- Oh, and the Yanks and Arod finalized his 10-year deal. He'll make a base of $275 million and as much as $305 million with home run based incentives.


Update 7:19 pm
For what it's worth, David Justice (named as a user in the report) strongly denied using any illegal substances (on the YES Network's Yankee Hot Stove program).