Don’t know if you all got to see today’s USA Today website, but there’s a fascinating article about the Mitchell Report. Writers Bob Nightengale, Jorge Ortiz and Paul White all contribute to the article and were able to get five current players to speak about their inclusion in the report.
Amazingly, there are only ten players who were in the report itself currently on MLB rosters.
The players included were reliever Eric Gagne, catcher Gregg Zaun, designated hitter Jack Cust, pitcher Matt Herges, and shortstop Miguel Tejada. All the players seem to be regretful for ever being on the list or ever partaking drug use, although it’s varied depending who was asked. However, it’s a little eye opening how candid each person got in their answers, but in the end, they all knew the game was sullied and in a way glad it’s been cleaned up to an extent.
It’s amazing how the Mitchell Report still resonates today in the game. Although Major League Baseball has taken serious steps to curtail drug use and gain credibility in the eyes of its fans, there’s no getting around this fact — drug use is now, and will be forever an indelible part of the game’s (proud — plus, sometimes sordid) history.
