Baseball news!

The Yankees and Alex Rodriguez completed the terms of Rodriguez's 10 year, $275 million contract.

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You were expecting something else?

Oh, the Mitchell Report? Sounds like a pretty bad afternoon for Roger Clemens* and his reputation for being the hardest working man in baseball, but...eh.

I did find this passage pretty illustrative of who Mitchell blames and who he, basically, doesn't:

1. Bowie Kuhn and Baseball’s First Drug Policies

Baseball’s first written drug policy was announced by Commissioner Bowie Kuhn
at the beginning of the 1971 season.83 At the time, the problem of drug abuse, especially the use of marijuana, had gained national attention, and Congress had just enacted the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970.84

While focusing on prevention and treatment in the first instance, baseball’s original drug policy provided for the possibility of discipline for failure to comply with federal and state drug laws. Just a year earlier, pitcher Jim Bouton had published his memoir, Ball Four, in which he alleged that there was widespread use of amphetamines by major league players.85

The 1971 drug policy memo stated that the “unprescribed possession or distribution of
amphetamines or barbiturates (including ‘greenies’)” was a violation of law that could be the
basis for discipline.

83
Notice No. 12, Memorandum from Major League Baseball Office of the Commissioner
to Administrative Officials of Major League Baseball Re: Drug Education and Prevention
Program, dated Apr. 5, 1971.
84
Pub. L. No. 91-513, 84 Stat. 1236 (1970) (codified as amended in various sections of
21 U.S.C.).
85
See Jim Bouton, Ball Four at 81, 157, 171, 211-12 (Wiley 1990 ed.).

Might have mentioned that Bowie Kuhn tried to suppress the publication of Ball Four.

I also find it interesting that the dangers of steroids and HGH are mentioned, but nothing on the advantages of using. In fact, the report admits that HGH is not believed to benefit players' strength and conditioning.

One other thing. I firmly believe this whole thing would have been dealt with had the owners not unceremoniously dumped Fay Vincent as commissioner. He was the only commissioner the players had reason to trust. Not Kuhn, not Ueberroth, and surely not Bud Selig.

* If you can convict on the testimony of one witness and guilt by association.