(Get) A Sporting Life

Today's NYT's Headline: Selig Says Report ‘Is a Call to Action’ and Vows to Act Swiftly TRANSLATION:My head will be in the sand with such speed, I'll become a god in the ostrich community. It's been refreshing to read and listen to a large percentage of Mitchell Report punditry that feels little can be done and it is only the beginning of any potential change. There are few things more annoying than commentators who should know better, taking to the microphones to pontificate on the latest event, be it a player's death, arrest, drug OD, or whatever and proclaim it a turning point that will alter human behavior for all eternity. While I wish it were otherwise and I hope that the Players Union gets the kick in the balls it deserves over this one, I'm not holding my breath that the Mitchell Report does anything more than provide the slimmest of openings for meaningful change. Let's face it, the track and field and cycling federations haven't been able to ...

Alright. I read the whole summary and the section where the players implicated by Kirk Radomski are enumerated. Here is my take: I think Sen. Mitchell should be commended for doing such an even handed job in the report. It seems clear he collected a preponderance of evidence before releasing any names, and gave all of the accused a chance to tell their side of the story...if they had one. It also becomes clear that the players from the start have been stonewalling, and not just in the sense of trying to keep illegal activities from coming to light. The players or, maybe more accurately, the Players Association have attempted to obfuscate and wrongdoing to the point that they no longer care of the integrity of the game is at stake. For example: Of the 500 former players the Mitchell investigation attempted to interview, only 68 agreed to do so. That is 13.6%. The Players Association refused to supply any documentation on any matter whatsoever. They refused to make chief operating office...