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Mitchell thinks drug use down in MLB

(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-11-26 11:17

NEW YORK  _ Nearly one year later, former senator George Mitchell wouldn't change a word of his report on doping in Major League Baseball.

His investigation tarnished the reputation of Roger Clemens and dozens of other players, led to a toughened drug agreement and created an impression that clubhouses were teeming with performance-enhancers.

"The impression I get is that it's had a significant impact of reducing usage, although that still remains very difficult to measure with any complete precision," Mitchell said on Tuesday during a half-hour interview in his midtown Manhattan office.

Mitchell's 409-page report implicated seven MVPs and 31 All-Stars _ one for every position. It identified 85 players to differing degrees, a list of MLB stars that included Clemens, Eric Gagne, Gary Sheffield, Jason Giambi and Troy Glaus.

"Obviously as a human being, I regret and don't take pleasure in someone else's misfortune, whether I have any relationship to it or not," Mitchell said. "What we did was to try to meet the obligation which we'd undertaken, and we did so. Each player involved made his decision on how to respond."

Still, Mitchell doesn't think MLB's drug problem has been totally solved.

"I would be very doubtful that it is completely clean in the sense nobody is using," he said. "You don't know whether this is a temporary response because of the attention it's gotten and whether over time it will begin to resume an increase. I think that's unlikely given the aggressive nature of the response, but it's something you have to be continuously concerned about."

Mitchell's new evidence was based primarily on interviews with Kirk Radomski, the former New York Mets clubhouse attendant who pleaded guilty to illegally distributing steroids, and Brian McNamee, Clemens' former personal trainer. It also recited the government's case against Barry Bonds and collected various media reports.

Some players implicated bounced back with relatively little stigma, a group that included Rick Ankiel, Glaus and Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte. Some disappeared from the majors, such as Jay Gibbons, released by Baltimore during spring training.

Clemens was the report's biggest loser.

Headed to the Hall of Fame with 354 wins before the Mitchell Report, his chances deteriorated when Mitchell made public McNamee's allegations that the seven-time pitcher of the year had used steroids and human growth hormone before they were banned. It led to a high-profile congressional hearing in February in which McNamee accused Clemens' wife, Debbie, of using HGH, and the Department of Justice was asked to investigate whether the pitcher lied when he denied McNamee's account.

"Because the matter is the subject of both a civil lawsuit and a criminal investigation, I believe it's appropriate for me to not make any comment," said Mitchell, who wouldn't say whether he had spoken with federal investigators probing Clemens.

When he released the report December 13, Mitchell recommended commissioner Bud Selig not discipline players and Selig gave amnesty to all players on April 11 in an agreement with the players' association to toughen drug rules for the third time since 2002. As part of the deal, 15-day suspensions assessed against Jose Guillen and Gibbons were eliminated.

"I think it's gone a long way toward turning the page on this issue and permitting baseball to move forward," Mitchell said.

All 20 of Mitchell's recommendations were adopted, including creating a department of investigations, which has a $2 million (1.6 million euros) budget for next year, Mitchell said. The new unit, headed by Dan Mullin and George Hanna, launched probes relating to skimming of contract bonuses and gambling in addition to its drug responsibilities.

The sport's drug-testing program, which is separate, was budgeted for $4.7 million (3.7 million euros) this year, MLB spokesman Rich Levin said.

Just three players were suspended this year under the major league program, all for 50 games: San Francisco catcher Eliezer Alfonzo, Colorado catcher Humberto Cota and Florida pitcher Henry Owens. Suspensions were far more prevalent under the minor league program, with 66 penalties, including 40 from the Dominican Summer League and 10 from the Venezuelan Summer League.

Now, Mitchell is waiting to see if more names will be implicated in the case of Dr. Ramon Scruggs and two alleged associates at the New Hope Health Center in Costa Mesa, California. A federal indictment unsealed in April charged that unidentified agents for baseball players steered clients to him.

"That's a dimension that did not arise during our investigation," Mitchell said. "It validates what I said. We didn't find out everything."