The Mitchell Report caps a sorry era

In almost any large business, there is often a seamy portion that is not for the faint of heart.

When a person gazes upon it, the viewer's perception of the business is often permanently changed. For folks who are naïve and idealistic, seeing this often strips away a part of their innocence.

For others who have been hardened by the world, this ugliness only re-enforces their view of the world and makes them a little more cynical.

A moment like this occurred recently when Major League Baseball released the long awaited Mitchell Report. The report was the product of a commission headed up by former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell.

The commission's task was to investigate the impact illegal steroid use has had on professional baseball over the last decade or so.

The commission named more than 80 former and current major leaguers, which it claimed used illegal steroids during this time. The names in the report ranged from the inconsequential (Brian Roberts) to the extraordinary (Roger Clemens).

There has been no shortage of opinions regarding this report. Many questioned the need for it since most of the steroid use that is alleged occurred before Major League Baseball had a comprehensive steroid testing program.

However, this report was necessary. If nothing else, it puts this era of the sport into some kind of perspective.

For years, steroid use by major leaguers was the game's dirty little secret and rumors that certain players "were on the juice" circulated for years. To many, the inclusion of Roger Clemens in the report was a total shock, but he had been on the receiving end of rumors for a long time. Clemens, however, maintains that he has never used steroids.

Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig likes to talk about how the game is enjoying record attendance and that it is more popular than ever. While this is true, this popularity was fueled by the illegal actions of many.

Back in the mid 90s, the game was reeling after a work stoppage that eventually caused the 1994 World Series to be cancelled. Many fans swore they would never attend or watch another major league game again.

However, beginning in the late 90s, behemoths that looked like lumberjacks swinging a bat began slamming the ball out of the park. Home runs began flying out of ball parks in record numbers as players like Mark McGwire and Barry Bonds took turns breaking the game's single season home run record.

It was a glorious time as every season seemed to bring another amazing feat by these highly paid entertainers.

Everybody got caught up in the wonder of it all. The fans, baseball management, and the media all bought into the idea that baseball had entered another golden age.

However, like all things that seem too good to be true, the golden age was really not much more than a lump of coal.

Renegade slugger Jose Canseco wrote a dubious book in 2005 that named players he said used steroids. Congressional hearings were held in which McGwire famously deflected questions from politicians by stating he only wanted to talk about the future and not what he might have done in the past.

Bonds has been relentlessly hounded, and the book Game of Shadows delivered a devastating portrait of him as a steroid user.

In the shadows of this calamity, Commissioner Selig asked Sen. Mitchell to lead the effort to record the impact of steroids on the game.

Though I have some problems with the report (primarily the credibility of the sources used to finger Clemens and others in this mess), I believe the report is important if for no other reason that it puts the last decade or so into a historical context.

Let's not kid ourselves by believing that the people mentioned in the report were the only ones who might have used the stuff. Far from it. Because of the lack of cooperation of most players with the investigation, the report likely doesn't come close to the true number of players who took steroids.

So, Commissioner Selig can take solace in the fact that baseball is more popular now than it ever has been. However, this success is built on a foundation of manure.

And, as we all know, manure stinks.

I wouldn't want to be Barry Bonds

Whether it is in the movies or in real life, it seems like most of us get as much pleasure from booing somebody as we do cheering for people.

Deep down, I guess we all like a good villain. There is something about our human nature that makes us want to be negative toward certain people.

There are lots of examples of this, but one of the most vivid ones from this year was the treatment of professional baseball player Barry Bonds.

In the last few years, there has been a media obsession with him for a few reasons. Of course, he broke major league baseball's all-time home run record last season, and most would agree that that is the most hallowed record in professional sports.

Hank Aaron held that record for more than 30 years, and as Bonds approached it, he received more attention than the president. Literally, every swing of the bat he made was reported by the national media.

Though it was a big moment when he broke the record, the achievement was not greeted with happiness. Just about everybody who was not a fan of the team he played for reacted with derision.

At every ball park he played in away from San Francisco (which was the team he played for), he was booed and jeered. He was treated like Osama bin Laden in baseball spikes.

Of course, the reason for this is because many have suspected for years that Bonds used steroids to help boost his performance. Therefore, many people branded him a cheater and not worthy to break this record. He came across like a villain compared to the heroic Aaron.

I'm not going to discuss whether Bonds is a cheater or not.

True, there have been books written where people have leveled damaging accusations at him. Plus, federal authorities have recently slammed him with perjury and obstruction of justice charges for testimony he gave before a grand jury about his alleged steroid use.

All of this will play itself out in the coming months and then we should all be able to deliver a more definite opinion about whether he did it or not.

I guess the point of this posting is that there is no way I would want to be Barry Bonds.

When thinking about that statement, it is pretty mind blowing because Bonds has achieved many of the things the world covets.

His professional achievements are stunning, and certainly all of us would love to be as good at our jobs as he has been at his.

Whether a person likes him or not, there can be no questioning that he has been one of the best baseball players of the last couple of decades. Even before the whispers about possible steroid use began, he had put up enough statistics to be considered a future Hall of Famer.

However, he is considered a pariah in many ways. He is a common punching bag for the media. Current players like Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling have been openly critical of him.

Retired players from earlier eras have grave reservations about him being selected to the Hall of Fame. The only people who have remained loyal to him have been the fans of San Francisco where he played so many years.

As I mentioned earlier, federal officials recently indicted Bonds on perjury and obstruction of justice charges. These charges date to testimony he gave to a grand jury back in 2003.

If nothing else, we have learned from other cases in recent months that when federal officials bring charges, they mean business. Disgraced quarterback Michael Vick and Olympic sprinter Marion Jones found that out the hard way, and both suffered stunning falls.

Additionally, for Bonds, news reports have stated that an old friend and an ex-girlfriend plan to testify against him.

The house is burning down around him.

It's easy to envy professional athletes, but when the wheels come off the tracks, the problems become magnified.

I hope Bonds gets a fair trial because we all deserve that.

However, that may be tough to get because folks love to hound people they perceive to be the villain.