The Mitchell Report

The Fan is a fan first and a blogger second and as such, the Mitchell Report did much to sadden me. Some of my favorite players were implicated in the report and thus, a major part of the joy in watching them over the years is diminished. I certainly agree with Mitchell who echoed what I have said many times over the years: the past should be the past and put behind us. Amnesty should be granted to those in the report. They will have enough to deal with concerning their legacy, and for some, their Hall of Fame credentials. Some will lose endorsement deals and others their television careers.

Much of the report was not surprising. What makes it difficult for fans like me, who would rather see the issue dealt with privately and report a few suspensions here and there, is to see such jarring blatancy that makes this a sad day for all involved.

There are several things that bother me about the report. The first is that despite months of investigation, it appears that little traction was gained until two indicted ex-employees were culled for information. The result is that even though 80 players and ex-players were named, there are untold dozens who undoubtedly used and will get away with it. Thus the playing field is uneven and the punishment of testimony partial and crippling to the few who were named. I'm sure there are many players of the past and present who are sighing with relief for escaping the firing squad.

The second thing that bothers me is the glibness in naming the names in the first place. In effect, these players and ex-players are indicted without the due process of law. It would be similar to me as an employer posting in the newspaper when an employee is accused of sexual harassment. The names should have been reported privately to Selig and Fehr and handled on a case by case basis. The NFL has a similar policy when the league announces a suspension for a player for breaking the substance abuse policy without naming the substance or the details. The one benefit of such a breach of privacy is that Selig will now have more leverage to get the players union to cooperate with policy.

It was comical in an ironic way how politicians automatically jumped into the fray after the report was issued. Their duplicity and self-aggrandising knows no limits. During the last hearings, they basically told MLB to clean up its act or face further scrutiny. MLB has done that with this report and these politicians still want to drag it all back to Washington for more hearings. What a waste of time and political energy. Solve the energy crisis and lower green house gases for Pete's sake and let MLB deal with this.

Any action from here on out needs to be discussed by Selig and Fehr and both better be serious about restoring public faith in the game. Will baseball survive today? Certainly. Will the fallout continue? Most certainly. Will fans and writers get crazy and stand on soap boxes? They already are. Let's hope that all parties in leadership and the players themselves get in their fox holes and quietly restore order to baseball. And let's hope that Spring will arrive quickly so we can get a new season started and the bad taste out of our mouths.