Mitchell Report on Steroid Use

Wow, I bet Barry Bonds is the happiest guy on the planet right now, just a wee bit above Jose Conseco! No more asterisk on Barry, just a real big one on the entire era. I wonder how many of Bonds record breaking home runs were against a pitcher who was juicing? I guess that sort of levels the playing field now, eh? Ponder this: How many players who were or weren't juiced, hit home runs off of pitchers who either were or weren't juiced? How about the players who didn't make the All-Star teams due to others who did make it on steroids, costing those thousands of dollars in incentives from their contracts? The dominos are falling everywhere and the roots run deep and have infected all of baseball, not just those implicated. While we will never know the full extent of the damage done to baseball, it will never change unless the MLB Player's Association, the greatest union in all the world, agrees to blood testing, which will indicate any steroid, hGH and/or testoserone use that urine testing just can't detect.

My take? Start the blood testing now and grant amnesty to all prior to this implementation of a firm, clear testing program. Get rid of the joke of a Commissioner and replace him with one previously unrelated to baseball to oversee its future. Feel free to put an asterisk on the records during an agreed upon period of years, noting it as the "Possible Steroid Era," just like the "Dead Ball Era," etc.

Forget about the McCarthy-like witch hunts on all those listed in the report, put Bonds, Clemens, McGwire, Sosa, Palmiero (and while we're at it, Pete Rose) in the Hall when their time comes up, and move on. Focus on the future of the game that you can have a positive effect on, while giving up punishing those in the past based on heresay and limited evidence (Don't our politicians have anything better to do!?).

That's my plan, and yes, I'd consider accepting the job as Commissioner of MLB (I'd get great seats at all the stadiums - sweet!).