Questions After the Report

Q: Who got the blame for baseball’s drug problem?

A: “Everyone involved in baseball over the past two decades — commissioners, club officials, the players’ association and players — shares to some extent the responsibility for the steroids era,” George J. Mitchell said. “There was a collective failure to recognize the problem as it emerged and to deal with it early on.”

Q: Where did the evidence of drug use come from?

A: Primarily three sources:

¶Interviews with former players and incidents in which players were implicated for using performance-enhancing drugs.

¶Accounts of the investigation into the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative.

¶Interviews with Kirk Radomski, a former Mets clubhouse attendant who pleaded guilty to steroids offenses in April; Brian McNamee, a former Yankees strength coach; and news media reports after a raid on a ring of clinics and pharmacies being investigated by the Albany County district attorney’s office.

Q: Will players be disciplined?

A: Mitchell advised against it and Commissioner Bud Selig said discipline would be determined on a case-by-case basis, based on the rules in place at the time of an infraction. Baseball did not start suspending players for failed drug tests until 2004. One clue to possible punishment came last week when Selig suspended Jay Gibbons and José Guillén for 15 days at the start of next season in the wake of the Albany case.

Q: Are drugs still a problem in baseball?

A: Mitchell said that adopted testing policies seem to have reduced steroids use, but that human growth hormone appears to have gained popularity. Mitchell recommended further strengthening the drug policy in several ways, including use of an independent body to judge players when there is evidence that they purchased or used drugs, even if they have not tested positive for them. The union would need to agree to many such changes.

Q: Will any records be affected?

A: Selig said no records will be changed or marked with an asterisk. However, the findings could affect whether players like Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds are elected to the Hall of Fame.

News source：http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/14/sports/baseball/14questions.html?_r=1&ref=baseball&oref=slogin