No Real Suprisies in Mitchell Report

The long awaited Mitchell Report looking into Major League Baseball players abusing performance enhancing drugs has been released, and there are no surprises in it.  However, I am shocked at the extent of the problem.  One part of the report claims a clubhouse executive looked the other way after a shipment was received, and another says Commissioner Bud Selig didn’t pursue an investigation following a shipment to the Arizona Diamondbacks clubhouse because the player the drugs were sent to was no longer in the league. 

I’m also shocked by the reaction from Commissioner Bud Selig.  When asked by a member of the Associated Press how much money it cost to produce the report, Selig replied sometimes it costs more NOT to do something.  The reporter failed to follow up with the question ”how much it is costing the game of baseball NOW because you didn’t do anything UNTIL NOW?”  (oh yeah, our fearless leader also hadn’t READ THE REPORT before reacting to it!!!!)

Selig turned a blind eye to the problem a long time ago because of revenue.  Let’s face it, we have a dime store clerk running a multi-billion dollar operation.  Selig has basically alienated an entire generation on the east coast by having games played at 10pm eastern, and now he’s he’s trying to correct a problem that has already spiraled too far out of control.  Baseball is a joke.

     NEW YORK (AP) – The following are some of the drugs baseball
players are accused of using in the Mitchell report:
 
     ANABOLIC STEROIDS – Come in dozens of different forms with names
such as nandrolone, trenbolone and stanozolol. All are easier to
detect than so-called designer drugs. All work in subtly different
ways, but the main function is to increase muscle mass and decrease
symptoms of fatigue, making it easier to recover and work out more.
 
     ANDROSTENEDIONE – Better known as Andro, this became well-known
when Associated Press reporter Steve Wilstein noted a bottle of the
pills in Mark McGwire’s locker in 1998. It’s a steroid precursor,
naturally produced in the adrenal glands and gonads, that serves as
an intermediate step toward producing testosterone. Banned by
federal law in 2004.
 
     THE CLEAR – Full name is Tetrahydrogestrinone. Known as one of
the most effective anabolic steroids, it’s a so-called designer
drug made specifically for athletes looking to escape detection.
Developed by Patrick Arnold and distributed by BALCO and others, a
syringe of THG was provided to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency by track
coach Trevor Graham. USADA then developed a test to detect it.
Barry Bonds is accused of using THG but said he thought it was a
flaxseed oil supplement. The drug shares traits with steroids such
as nandrolone and trenbolone but is much more potent.
 
     THE CREAM – Ointment with testosterone and epitestosterone. A
doping screening test measures the testosterone-epitestosterone
ratio. Often used in conjunction with THG, “the clear.” Some
believe “the cream” was used to try to deceive laboratories.
Using “the clear” could suppress natural steroid production but
adding “the cream” could give the appearance of a “normal”
urine steroid profile.
 
     HGH – Human growth hormone. It has become popular because it’s
hard to detect and is believed to work well in combination with
other steroids. Naturally produced in the pituitary gland.
Stimulates liver and other tissues to secrete chemicals that
stimulate growth. No test yet available to detect this substance on
a reliable basis. Prescribed for children with growth issues and
adults with pituitary gland problems, its brand names include
Genotropin, Humatrope and Nutropin.