Here we are, on the eve of the release of the much-anticipated, long-awaited Mitchell Report, which is the link America finally has to the dark past of the steroid era in Major League Baseball. After 20 months of interviewing, digging, compiling, and researching the hidden past of baseball players over the previous years, George Mitchell is prepared to release information on Thursday that will change lives. The report is believed to contain 60-80 names of both current and former baseball players alleged to have used performance-enhancing drugs, possibly including Barry Bonds, Jose Canseco, Ken Caminiti, Juan Gonzalez, and Mark McGwire. While we may not know who the players are just yet, we can guarantee that this report, much like the Dowd Report on Pete Rose’s gambling in 1989, will change the perception that fans have of baseball, and possibly their favorite players, forever.
Growing up near New York City, I have been surrounded by the best and most knowledgeable baseball fans in the world, those of the New York area. The Yankees and the Mets mean the world to everyone, and those who grew up Brooklyn Dodgers fans still won’t forgive them for deserting them. It seems only fitting that the biggest news in baseball since the 1994 strike will be coming from New York, where baseball history is entrenched. However, this news will rock fans in every corner of the country, from coast to coast, north to south, and everywhere in between.
While we have known for years that steroids was involved in baseball for a number of years, the people that abused them have been kept in secret. However, it is now finally coming out, and it could deal a major blow to baseball and its fans. A young fan who idolizes a figure in baseball could find out their hero is a cheater, and conclude that the game of baseball is full of them as he reads and hears about the Mitchell Report on Thursday and Friday. Some of the stand-up guys in baseball that are respected by their peers and by the media could have their legacies tarnished by having their names mentioned in this report. The big names will be bashed on sports shows all over America, and the very game of baseball will be put in a negative light once again.
The Mitchell Report has the unfortunate opportunity to set baseball back years if it names some of the most revered players in the game. It can fuel debates over whether or not numerous records should be stricken from the record books, including the all-time home run record, currently held by Barry Bonds and being chased by Alex Rodriguez. What will be interesting is seeing how the fans treat the results of this report.
Do they shrug it off as just another group of players who made a poor choice, but entertained us nonetheless?
Or do they rip down their posters, throw out their baseball cards, and swear to never watch baseball again?
Either way, Major League Baseball, its owners, players, managers, and commissioner are about to enter unchartered waters. How will they steer through the darkness that is sure to follow? How will the players be able to handle the added pressure put on them by the fury of questions asked by the media? Heck, how will their once loyal fans view them when their names come out?
We all remember how Barry Bonds was treated during his chase for the all-time home run record. Signs at every park. Loud boos that could be heard from coast to coast. Syringes thrown at him from the stands. The general population of America deciding that he was a cheater and that his ball should go to the Hall of Fame with an asterisk branded on it forever. It is up to the fans how much baseball changes after this report is released. However, it is up to baseball to decide if they will continue to let the past define the future, or if Bud Selig will finally come out and begin accepting some of the responsibility for what happened. Only when those at fault take their rightful blame for the black eye that history has brought the game will baseball be forgiven and truly become America’s game once again.
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