The Mitchell Report

I am heart broken and I feel a little naive.

I wanted to write something earlier but I just couldn't.

I knew better than to not believe that steriods wasn't a huge problem in baseball, I saw it first hand in high school....but those were football players....I just didn't want to believe this about baseball and baseball players.

Shame on me, shame on them.

My eyes are wide open and I am watching all the players I see and will see. But would I dare say something?

This topic, steriods, is a lot like the other topic that got locked / closed earlier today.

What is permissible in the pursuit of excellence, scholarships, or entertainment?

How do we lead as parents?

I am half way torn between thinking that maybe at some level steriods have some redeeming medical place in sports to help injuried athletes recover from the extemes we ask them to put their bodies through. But I can't buy it.

But I am a purist, I want natural grass and dirt fields and yes, I like seeing the boys use wood bats. If they want to get bigger and faster, train with weighs, run hills, do push-ups.

This issue goes very deep into our social fabric.

I am only tossing ideas around I can't seem to stake a claim to an exact position on this yet...other than I don't want my son using steriods or abusing alcohol or driving very fast in cars with or without substances in his body. I don't want him hurting himself or other people around him.

I need to sleep on this one.

I think that as long as some are using, there will always be others who think they HAVE to use to keep up. The cycle begins - where does it end???

After listening to Bud Selig address the Mitchell report today it seems like there is currently a bigger issue than steroids...HGH (human growth hormones) which are powerful and are not currently detectable. I wonder if the MLB players that were experimenting (cheating) have shifted from steroids to HGH since there is currently less likelihood of getting caught...

So, have we really made progress addressing performance enhancing drugs in MLB in the past few years as Selig indicated?

Which leads to the next question... are HS and college kids experimenting with HGH? (This is a rhetorical question...I don't expect anyone to answer this one)

Anyone watch Fox 4 with Mike Doocy? He was TICKED. I've never seen him so upset on air. He even threw his script over his shoulder as if to say, "I may or may not follow that today." Good for him.

Seems inappropriate to suggest complex solutions with simple thoughts...2 words...DRUG TESTING...followed by 1 word...ACCOUNTABILITY. Ban a kid for testing positive the first time unless he identifies his "source". Suspend him for pot, boot him for steriods, make a decision to NOT tolerate underage drinking just because it's rampant. Yes, HDH is undetectable, but you have to start somewhere. The UIL drug czar should be involved in any such decision as there may be unusual circumstances. Did your son receive prescribed steriods for his bronchitis this winter?

Unfortunately, with our world, coaches cannot be held completely accountable. If they "accuse" inappropriately, they will be sued. These aren't f***ball coaches, they don't make $90K.....most can't afford lawyers to battle in court because they "ruined Tommie's career". Sure, any sign of a vial or a needle -- mmediately suspend, pending investigation.

The sport has to take a few very tough stands to get this thing headed in the right direction. Parents need to be willing to talk to each other, even about rumors. "Frank, I'm calling you because I care about your son and I care about other HS kids. I heard talk that Frankie is taking steroids ---- I have no proof and I am not out to nail your kid or anyone else. I just wanted you to know that some people are suspicious. I trust you to handle it with your son." Will that do the trick? I don't know. If someone called me and said that, I'd certainly investigate. If it was untrue, I'd breathe a sigh of relief -- and expect my buddy to correct his rumor mill.

I can name half a dozen kids that we all know that have been linked to steroids. No, I haven't called their dads. Maybe I'm too self-centered to do it. Do I have proof? No. So, it is ok to grant the benefit of the doubt? I dunno.

Professional sports, particularly baseball, has its history of "cheating". Society in general doesn't seem to mind much.....corked bats, betting scandals, shaving points, doctoring the ball, stealing signs with video equipment, paying amateurs, looking the other way. We laugh when the coach sneaks back into the dugout after being tossed, wearing a fake moustache. We hestitate to act because we see the good in sports....we want to believe in something pure when there is so little purity left in life. Herrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreeee, I go.

I'm all for civil rights and we're a mile from a perfect program....but....I'll support drug testing to save a few lives. If my son tests positive, I'll love him, support him, and help him. If he is falsely accused, I'll fight for him. You all would too.

Where will it end? It ends when there are true consequences for cheating and when the players themselves are unwilling to tolerate it in their locker rooms and dugouts.

JMO.

PD........very well said.

Well said PD.

It must start somewhere and the best place to get it started is at home. My sons and I have had many talks about this subject and I will continue to communicate about all drugs out there with them. Someday they will make their own decisions and I pray that my wife and I have given them the knowledge to make good decisions.

I concur that a major source of this problem is that currently, the majority of coaches are motivated to actively avoid this subject rather than actively speak out and act out against using steroids. Even just speaking about it would help in many cases. Another problem is the ease of getting the drugs on the internet. Another is our legal system, as has been correctly pointed out. As a JUCO coach about five years ago, I found out about a problem, went to the apartments of our players (which scared them in itself), AND found needles in the trash. All our players were interviewed, many players were suspended and a few were cut. The backlash basically led to me being told by our administrators to NEVER do ANYTHING like that again. They were scared to death of a lawsuit. I got in trouble, but don't regret it, because the action worked.

Pantherdad,
I trust the "half a dozen kids that we all know that have been linked to steroids" have been "linked" by something other than "rumors".

Mr. Mitchel's report was quite thorough so I would say it was right on. "Linking" kids to steroids via "rumors" or other motives without the proper investigation or testing can also be very damaging.

I'm all for testing as this type of cheating sickens me but when it comes to the kids, I think we need to be careful. I know several whom I have heard thru the "rumor mill" on various occasions that were using but when they were tested were clean. The rumors didn't stop however.

Seems like anytime any player starts working out really hard and starts to get big, the rumors start flying about steroid use.

Our son was really working out hard, drinking the protein shakes, and it showed in his body. We had many discussions about steroids in our house - my son said that steroids were readily available at the work-out facility - one all families go to!

That year we decided to send our son to our internist for his yearly physical. Our internist took one look at our son and immediately accused him of using steroids and called my husband to discuss his concerns. We decided to get him tested for steroids - son readily agreed to prove he was innocent - and the test was negative. When our son turned 18, he went back for his college physical - the internist told him "You can tell me the truth now - I can't tell your parents - but were you doing steroids?" Son replied "NO!" Needless to say, he's a good doctor but not my son's favorite but I appreciate the concern and we definitely have our eyes open!


We have to be vigilant as parents but be careful with the rumors.

So, do you disagree with my point iluvgoodbaseball? I didn't make up the rumors -- are you suggesting that we ignore them unless they involved our own kids? Yes, it is a fine line. Yes, we need to be careful about spreading rumors. Maybe we're all naive enough to believe that we'd notice it in our kids. I think I'd notice. Mr Hooten might disagree. I understand your comment -- I'm not arguing with you -- there are no easy answers.

Pantherdad,
I don't know that I necessarily disagree with your post. I just think there is a big difference in being "linked" to steroids and being "rumored" to being on them.

I also think that anybody who is willing to suspect that a kid is on steroids due to rumors, discuss those rumors, and/or spread those rumors should have the guts to talk directly with the kids parents or notify the parents of those discussing or spreading the rumors. After all if we are really concerned about the kids wellbeing isn't that the best thing to do?

I am not saying that you are guilty of any of this, just trying to make a point. I agree there are no easy answers.

It was a sad day for the sport of baseball although it was needed. This report will hopefully open up the eyes of the players and show them that they will get caught in sure time and thats what was needed to help get us out of the steroid era.

You're right -- there is a difference between being linked to steroids and rumors -- my initial comment was poorly worded.

Roger Clemens was rumored to be take steroids, now he is linked to them.

This article is from 2005, give it a read

http://www.dallasnews.com/s/dws/spe/2005/steroids/index.html

quote:

Originally posted by Natural:
George Mitchell made the following statement today...

[i
BUT... more importantly is what Mitchell said above. We in the High School baseball community have all seen it happening: the kid who grows enormously (and abnormally) from one season to the next... the kid with an oversized head and pimply face... the 17-18 year old that looks like he should be 26-30.

So we must ask ourselves what can be done to save kids from wanting it so badly that they get caught up in this and cheat to succeed?

Here is one idea: Hold coaches accountable. We must find a system that removes the incentive for a coach to REWARD cheating. When a coach plays the "incredible hulk" in front of a player who does it the right way, everyone loses even if the team wins.

I don't have a perfect system to propose. I just know that Mitchell is right. It is much too prevalent in our schools and so it makes sense that it is even more common at the college level. I fear what my own son will encounter when he reaches college next year.

Thoughts?

My kid has a huge head and has since the day he was born, also has a pimply face. He has been accused by opposing football teams of being on roids. He has been "randomly" drug tested at school 4 times in 3 semesters. And guess what: He is a big kid with a big head,and lots of pimples who does not do drugs. And I do not like witchhunts and I don't like your post or what you imply. So everybody needs to calm down before you hurt innocent kids and their reputations, all in the name of doing the right thing.

sluggo -- I understand your comments -- what would you suggest in terms of fighting the problem?

Sluggo-
It is unfortunate that your son has been falsely accused simply because of his physical appearance.
Big heads and pimply faces are probably very common among kids that are still growing and working their way through puberty.
In our society today kids are accused or rumored to do all sorts of things, drinking, drugs, ***.
Many times innocent people are tangled up in the poor choices of others.
But, that being said, there is no question that steriods are being used by young high school aged athletes. It is not a witchhunt - there is a problem and it does need to be addressed. You and your son are fortunate that your school does random testing, so at least you have a basis to respond to false accusations. Read the article I posted above.

Sluggo - no witchhunt intended... I was mainly referring to kids whose appearance changes over a short period of time. Yes, this can be innocent, and it can unfairly cause rumors of steroid use.

That is why I suggest the following to all of us whenever we hear a rumor about a kid using steroids...

1) Tell the person who told you to STOP talking about other people's kids immediately. Rumor mongering is a sin and we should all run away from it.

2) Speak to the parents of that athlete in the manner described above and encourage them to check it out with their son... making sure they know you are simply concerned for his welfare and letting them know you shut down the rumor mill when you heard it.

Finally, my point about holding coaches accountable was beautifully illustrated by Coach Traub's post. I simply wish every coach would act as he did... and then we need administrators to grow a backbone, and parents to stop being foolish and blind to what is going on. Obviously, in that situation some parent complained and threatened to sue so the administration got cold feet and ordered Coach Traub to back off. Very sad, but a perfect illustration of the problem. Kudos to Coach Traub - most coaches look the other way and take no chances.

It's just not MLB, it's the NFL, it's the NHL...

And it's in college and yes, YOUR SON's HIGHSCHOOL.

Not just on the Football team, but the baseball team as well.

And guess what....it's on the girls softball team and basketball team.

It's a huge problem. One that we thought the state of Texas was going to address......well, we've seen how far that program has gotten off the ground.

I personally tested my son, more than once. The fear of random drug tests I hope allowed him to tell his buddies that he couldn't follow thier lead. And there were kids my son played baseball with over the years doing steroids.

In fact, as part of me paying for his college education, as well as my daughters, they are also tested. Am I harder than most other parents? Maybe. But again, if I can save my kid from getting involved by allowing them to tell their peers that they can't partake because dad would kill them....so be it.

Natural hit the nail on the head with his post above.

As far as the steroid issue is concerned with the UIL and state athletic directors, it is much ado about nothing. Just a little face time to make it seem as if they have a clue. Believe me, they're not a bunch of forthright people when it comes to dealing face to face with anything.

As long as we have chemists and athletes who are willing to go the extremes to make what they call a "mistake", we will have a steroid problem.

I would rather be deemed a failure than a cheater. If I couldn't get it on my own, it's not worth having.

quote:

Originally posted by Panther Dad:
sluggo -- I understand your comments -- what would you suggest in terms of fighting the problem?

My statement goal is not to solve the problem, it is to make posters stop and think about their casual comments and how they can be misconstrued. We, as posters, are part of the media and we have a responsibility.

If I was to give it 30 minutes of thought, I could probably come up with better solutions than UIL in Texas using a testing process that is flawed or spending 44 MILLION ($100,000 PER PAGE)on a hearsay report. The National Enquirer probably could have done a better job at a fraction of the cost. It is basically the same kind of garbage. I don't know which I am more upset over.

i've been out of touch for a while but what is the status of the new rule to test high school kids in texas?

Ok, I've slept on it.

KD might have the only approach that will work. (Yes, KD I am agreeing with you)

Testing should be in place and any start is better than no start. It takes a long time to get these things right. I am mostly a Libertarian, but in this regard if you don't want to be tested then don't play sports. Maybe a drug test needs to be done as part of every yearly physical that the players have to have before school starts.

Other than that, we can only really take care of our own kids. Being hard like KD might be the best chance to make sure kids stay clean.

IF and it is a big IF you know a kid and family well you might think hard about talking directly to the parents.

Here is the rub though, the kids know who is on the juice. We always knew in HS and in College who was on and when they were on and off, the change in behavior is noticeable.

In what ways should they have to report drug usage or should they not be encouraged to report drug usage?

MeatsDad,

I can say with all certainty the Coppell golf team is not using PED. I saw them working out in the fitness center last week and they had trouble benching the bar without weights on it.

In theory, testing high school athletes (all of them) is the ideal solution. In reality, money will keep this from happening in the next 10+ years. Hopefully the testing will get cheaper, which I'm convinced it can, but right now it's around $175 per test and it's just not going to happen. So please, parents and coaches, TALK to kids, who will then talk to each other. Steroids are BAD - they lead to impotence and smaller size down there, liver disease, cardiorespiratory diseases, uncontrollable rage, acne, and other problems. If you/they want to perform better (everyone wants an edge), train your mental and physical skills more than the next guy. All high school athletes have plenty of room to improve through hard work!