Saturday, December 15, 2007

Black Baseball Stars Give Barry Bonds Some Company

As someone who regularly attended Dodger games as a child due to the season tickets behind homeplate my grandmother had access to, I am quite disappointed in the lastest findings in the now ever so popular Mitchell Report.

* Roger Clemens, 45, New York Yankees pitcher. Regarded as one of the greatest pitchers ever. A seven-time winner of the Cy Young Award given to the league's best pitcher, who has also been named a Most Valuable Player, Clemens may retire after pitching for the New York Yankees in 2007.

* Andy Pettitte, 35, Yankees pitcher and close friend of Clemens. They shared a personal trainer who admitted in the report with supplying them with performance-enhancing drugs.* Miguel Tejada, 31, Houston Astros shortstop. Formerly with the Baltimore Orioles, where several current and former players were also named, including Rafael Palmeiro, David Segui, Brian Roberts and Larry Bigbie.

* Eric Gagne, 31, Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher. Winner of the 2003 National League Cy Young award, he holds the all-time record for 84 consecutive saves.* Barry Bonds, 43, San Francisco Giants outfielder. Major League Baseball's all-time homerun leader, Bonds was indicted in November and charged with perjury and obstruction of justice for lying about use of anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancing substances during his testimony before a federal grand jury investigating the Bay Area Laboratory Cooperative. Bonds has pleaded not guilty.

* Jason Giambi, 36, Yankees first baseman and a former Most Valuable Player. Giambi admitted taking performance-enhancing drugs in an interview in May. The 13-year veteran then discussed his drug use with Mitchell and Commissioner Bud Selig let Giambi off the hook because of his cooperation.

* Gary Sheffield, 39, Detroit Tigers outfielder. Sheffield had admitted using steroids, but claimed he thought they were vitamins. Mitchell submitted a series of questions to Sheffield but they went unanswered by the time the report was issued.* Mark McGwire, retired, first baseman. A prolific slugger with the Oakland Athletics and St. Louis Cardinals, McGwire at one time held the single season homerun record when he hit 70 in 1998. That mark was later eclipsed by Bonds, who thumped 73 homers in 2001.

* Jose Canseco, retired, outfielder/designated hitter. A slugger with the Oakland Athletics and former teammate of McGwire, Canseco, admitted steroid use in his 2005 book "Juiced."

* Kevin Brown, retired, pitcher. A six-time All Star with the Los Angeles Dodgers, he went to the World Series with the San Diego Padres and Florida Marlins. Also played with the Texas Rangers and the Yankees.

* David Justice, retired, outfielder. Three-time All-Star with the Cleveland Indians, Atlanta Braves and the Yankees and ex-hubby of actress Halle Berry.

* Chuck Knoblauch, retired, second baseman, a Minnesota Twins 1991 Rookie of the Year. Also played with the Yankees and Kansas City Royals.

* Mo Vaughn, retired, first baseman. 1995 American League MVP and three-time All-Star with the Boston Red Sox, California Angels and New York Mets.

Courtesy our sistah, aka Content Black Woman.