Baseball, A.M.R.

It is now the first Monday, A.M.R. That is, it is the first Monday since the release of the Mitchell Report. We have learned a great deal in a few days. There were quite a few names on the list. Some were surprises, some we expected, some we suspected. In all, however, we have to come to one basic realization.

Everything now is different.

And I do mean everything.

For example, the guilty individuals -- the players on the report -- seem not to merely fall into one category. I expected all of them to be like a Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro or Barry Bonds. And some, as Roger Clemens is learning, belong in this category. But there are others who don't quite fit the bill.

Sure, there are the players like Clemens and Tejada, players who were already considered the best of the best. Their motivations were ego-oriented. Perhaps these are the first degree cheaters. Whether it is someone jealous of the attention others have received, like Bonds, or whether it is motivated by proving that he is not in the twilight of his career, like Clemens, this group may not warrant any sympathy. Their crimes have ravaged baseball's record books. And history is forever altered by their behavior.

A second group are the players who chose the path for a seemingly noble reason. Andy Pettitte and F.P. Santangelo surely fall into this category. They made the same wrong decision, but were motivated by something else -- to get back there and help the team. Is it any less wrong? I don't believe so. But I certainly can sympathize with their thinking.

The third group is perhaps the least "guilty" -- and therefore of the most concern. These are the players who would likely have languished in the minors had it not been for that shot of steroids or HGH. Here is a young man -- an adolescent, really -- whose lifetime dream is so close he can taste it. But he is not quite good enough. No matter how hard he works at it, he just can't turn on the fastball, or throw at speeds of 95 mph. His dream is dying. So he turns to the one thing that can keep his dream alive.

This group is of most concern because it is this very group that most young athletes of today are destined to become. Realistically, not even 1% of 1% will make the major leagues. As players grow and competition becomes more intense, these evils are more readily available, and all the more enticing. And that is the real problem with performance-enhancing drugs.

Two issues have also been brought to light by the report that I must mention. The first concerns Roger Clemens while the second his buddy Andy Pettitte.

Roger first (Roger's always first).

In the several months leading up to the Mitchell Report, the face and name of the Steroids Era was Barry Bonds. He has been public enemy number one -- and villified everywhere including this blog. Bonds has been indicted recently on very serious charges. But the charges are not charges that he used steroids. It is that he lied about them under oath. In that respect, his situation is different from Clemens (well, that and the fact that his trainer preferred jail time than to sing like a canary). But as far as baseball is concerned, the stories are the same. And, frankly, they should be treated in the same manner by baseball, its fans, and its Hall of Fame. I mention this considering how often we've been told that race played a part of the Bonds issue. I thought that was hogwash. How Clemens is treated in the weeks and months to come will determine whether I was right or wrong.

Now, on to Andy Pettitte. He has been one of my favorite players for years. I loved him and was upset when he signed with Houston. I was thrilled when he returned. I am particularly hurt by this situation. Andy Pettitte was wrong. And while I am proud that he acted like a man once news broke, he still did something foolish. So did Rodney Harrison. Rodney Harrison plays for the New England Patriots. Why is it that Pettitte and baseball players are crucified while football players get a free pass. Look up their circumstances, they are nearly identical -- except for the results in the media and the likely results in stadiums across America. No one yelled "CHEATER" at Harrison. Why the double standard?

Lastly, this cannot go without saying, my fears about this report have been proved true. Two current Yankees were named. Twenty Yankees from the big dynasty of the late nineties were named. The Orioles were hit hard as well. Do you know how many current Red Sox there were? None. Zero. Zilch. There were former Red Sox: Clemens, Vaughn, Stanton. The only recent player from Red Sox' current glory was Eric Gagne -- who was a total bust and had signed with Milwaukee before the report was released.

You would think that a man like George Mitchell would have done his homework. Someone with inside knowledge to the Red Sox would have known more -- or would have at least been able to get the necessary information to find out more. Yet, not one current Red Sox player was named.

And we still do not know the source of the leak of Paul Byrd's name. Paul Byrd, Cleveland Indian pitcher, scheduled to start against the Red Sox in the ALCS with the Indians needing just one victory to go to the World Series. It's the first time I can recall that a playoff series was turned on a leak.

It's over 400 pages. It's controversial. And as I had suspected last week, is as guilty as the players it has named.