Dear Readers,

Todays Topic: Baseball Drug Scandal

Like many sports fans, I have been emotionally drained at times since March 2005 when the Congressional hearings on performance enhancing drugs in baseball brought the issue “to the public forum,” like a clock that could never be wound back. The scandal was brought right into my living room via CSPAN that day. I was glued to the TV for nearly 8 hours. I remember it like yesterday…..

On Thursday, DLA Piper’s Report (aka. The Mitchell Report) was made public and it concluded a nearly 2o month investigation into baseball’s “steroid era.” The closure that Senator Mitchell’s report brought this issue allowed me to put a lot of childhood obsessions and demons associated with the game of baseball to bed.

It’s just a game and not even America’s best professional sport anymore. Roger Clemens, perhaps the greatest player in the game over the past 25 years, is just a man, with some extra ordinary abilities. In my lifetime, he WAS my favorite player. I looked up to him and as a youth even idolized him. I vividly recall meeting him when I was 8 years old at a baseball card show. To save time and make more profits for the show’s promoters he was not allowed to personalize autographs, but did write “Rocket” on mine – along with his signature. It was the thrill of my life up to that point.

Today, it’s just a faded memory. I’ve let go of him and those days. The Mitchell Report made a compelling case for Clemens’ use of performance enhancing drugs … beyond a shadow of a doubt … in my opinion. And that’s that. I hope he comes to his senses and apologizes to the millions of baseball fans in this country and around the world who looked up to him. Ever since Thursday — his whole career, the accolades, and his legacy are in pause mode … until he owns up to what he did.

Here are some links I thought you might enjoy:

The Mitchell Report: http://www.dlapiper.com/mlb_mitchell_report/

ESPN (Baseball) : http://sports-ak.espn.go.com/mlb/index

Yahoo Sports (Baseball) : http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb

I’ll be playing in snow tomorrow,

Kevin