Michael Giltz: Mitchell Report: America Loves Cheaters http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/mitchell-report-america-_b_76495.html [4/5/2009 8:17:03 PM] APRIL 5, 2009 HOME POLITICS MEDIA BUSINESS ENTERTAINMENT LIVING STYLE GREEN WORLD CHICAGO COMEDY 23/6 VIDEO BLOGGER INDEX ARCHIVE Make HuffPost Your HomePage Get Email Alerts Twitter: Follow Us BIG NEWS : Angelina Jolie | Madonna | Chris Brown & Rihanna | Paul McCartney | More...</p><p> LOG IN | SIGN UP Michael Giltz BIO Become a Fan Get Email Alerts Similar Bloggers Email Print Be the First to Submit This Story to DiggMitchell Report: America Loves Cheaters Posted December 12, 2007 | 01:32 PM (EST) Read More: Barry Bonds , Barry Bonds Steroids , Baseball , Cheating , George MItchell , Jason Giambi, Mitchell Report, Mitchell Report Baseball , Mitchell Report On Steroids In Baseball , Mitchell Report Steroids , PED's , Performance Enhancing Drugs, Steroids , Steroids In Baseball , Steroids Report, Breaking Entertainment News George Mitchell's big report has come out naming names -- like Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte -- of current and former players who broke federal law, risked their health, cheated their teammates,cheated their fans, cheated their opponents and cheated baseball in general, thus pushing kids inhigh school and the minor leagues to damage their bodies and break the law by doing the same.</p><p> Bigwhoop. (Go here for Roger I.</p><p> Abrams' post on what's more American than a home run hitter onsteroids and go here for Gary R.</p><p> Gaffney's post on a paradigm shift in MLB culture and go here for Paul Finkleman's post on baseball, steroids, Bonds and BALCO.</p><p> You wanna know what the fallout will be? Zip.</p><p> MLB doesn't care about cheating.</p><p> Commissioner Bud Selig doesn't care.</p><p> Certainly the players who cheat don't care.</p><p> Rather bizarrely, even theplayers who don't cheat don't care.</p><p> And the fans don't care either.</p><p> Everyone has made it perfectlyclear in the past few years they couldn't care less about performance enhancing drugs (PEDs),about breaking the law, about cleaning up the game and making sure teams compete on an evenplaying field where no player feels they have to risk their health, their life and break the law just tokeep up with the Jason Giambis of the world. (I'm a Yankee fan, by the way.) The names will be named.</p><p> The fuss will be huge.</p><p> Maybe some of them will get some days of suspension.</p><p> The rules will get tweaked a little.</p><p> And then it will be over.</p><p> But look at Barry Bonds, right? He paid a price.</p><p> ButBarry Bonds isn't facing jail because he cheated andtook PEDs.</p><p> He was offered full immunity just like thecheater Jason Giambi.</p><p> But Bonds lied about what hedid under oath.</p><p> If he hadn't, he'd probably bewelcomed by now as having been a "man" and come clean, just like Giambi has been. (All Giambi really did was get caught and not be dumb enough tolie on the stand about it.) Popular Stories on HuffPost Fashion Face-Off! 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Did their teams shun them? Did their fans boo them? Did little kids look up to them and say, "Say it ain't so, Jay/Jose?" Of course not.</p><p> Their parents don't care.</p><p> Why should the kids? Jay is a proud member of the Orioles.</p><p> Last week, despite the cloud of shame that should hover over him, Guillen signed a three year, $36 million deal with the Kansas City Royals.</p><p> Now they've both been given 15 day suspensions beginning next season.</p><p> Are the Orioles or the Royals abashed at signing cheaters? Are they demanding to be let out of the deals? Are fans outraged? Nope.</p><p> Cheaters prosper.</p><p> Will the Yankees dump Andy Pettitte now that they know he's a cheat? Of course not.</p><p> Oddest to me is that the players don't care.</p><p> Derek Jeter of the Yankees -- who I couldn't like and respect more and, thank God, has not even the whiff of scandal about him -- doesn't care; hesimply ignores the questions and wishes pushy reporters would stop asking them.</p><p> Again and again,pros of every sport pile on the people asking questions, not the cheats.</p><p> Charles Barkley and JohnMcEnroe were interviewed by Bob Costas on HBO about this.</p><p> They said virtually nothing about thesimple obvious fact that cheaters are losers.</p><p> If they were playing a casual game of basketball ortennis in their backyard and caught someone cheating them, they'd be furious.</p><p> If they saw kidscheating, they'd surely say that was wrong.</p><p> But performance enhancing drugs? Oh, was it againstthe rules, asks Barkley? It was against the law, says Costas.</p><p> Why do you pick on Barry Bonds, saysMcEnroe? I don't, says Costas.</p><p> All they did was complain about the reporters and the media.</p><p> Notone word about cheating.</p><p> A recent New York Times article pointed out what a joke testing in the NFL is, with loopholes so wide you drive a linebacker through them.</p><p> For starters, no one is ever tested on game day.</p><p> The NFL's response? Mind your own business.</p><p> Baseball's testers call up a day in advance to say they'recoming by to do a "surprise" test.</p><p> Clearly no one wants to catch anyone.</p><p> As Charles E.</p><p> Yesalis ofPenn State said to the Times, "Testing is there to provide the fan, who is already disinterested indrug use, with plausible deniability because the leagues tell the fans the athletes are clean becausethey have drug testing." Compare this to overseas.</p><p> Outside the Olympics, the one sport that has the most stringent testing is cycling.</p><p> And the constant barrage of cheats that are uncovered has the sport -- one of the most popular in Europe and the world -- literally on the verge of collapse.</p><p> The sport is arranged so that sponsors actually back certain teams, which means in fact backing certain superstars.</p><p> Those corporate sponsors don't like being DIRECTLY associated with cheating so they're withdrawing funding.</p><p> That's spawned a crisis, which might just be a quirk in how the sport is arranged.</p><p> But it also seems fans genuinely care about the cheating in cycling and are sick of it.</p><p> That's one reason to look forward to the Olympics: it's the one sport arena where fans know every possible effort is made to punish cheaters and to allow the greatest athletes in the world to compete with pride using their natural abilities.</p><p> Europeans seem to care about cheating.</p><p> Not us.</p><p> Not the US.</p><p> Not by a long shot.</p><p> I think cheaters are losers.</p><p> I think sports like baseball are a lot less fun when some players have an unfair advantage.</p><p> I hate to think of my team winning with the help of cheaters.</p><p> I hate even more tothink of kids in high school and the minor leagues risking their health and dignity by breaking thelaw to cheat because they believe if they don't they'll never make it to the majors.</p><p> I don't boo myown team, but I don't applaud when Jason Giambi's name is in the lineup and I wish he weretraded, however nice a guy he may be on a personal level.</p><p> I just don't like cheaters.</p><p> And peopleusing PEDs don't make a one-time mistake or suffer a slip of the tongue, the sort of thing anyonemight make and be forgiven for.</p><p> They choose actively and aggressively to cheat for months andyears at a time and they sometimes reap millions by doing so.</p><p> I hate cheaters.</p><p> And I seem to bealone in all this.</p><p> Sure, Clemens and Bonds and Mark McGwire will have more trouble getting into Style On CBS' "Washington Unplugged" Arianna was on CBS' "Washington...</p><p> Huff TV Arianna Appears on ABC's "This Week" Roundtable With George Stephanopoulos(VIDEO) Arianna was a guest this morning on... 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See...</p><p> Diana Palin, Sarah Palin's Sister-In-Law, Arrested For Breaking Into Home ANCHORAGE, Alaska —Police say Alaska Gov....</p><p> John Oliver Explains The Real Reason YouNever Touch TheQueen (VIDEO) Jim Cramer Declares The Depression"Over" (VIDEO) On Thursday's episode of"Mad Money" host Jim Cramer declared that the depression...</p><p> New Jay Leno Show Rejected By NBC Affiliate In Boston BOSTON — Boston'sNBC affiliate says it will aira local newscast instead of...</p><p> Ice Bridge Ruptures In Antarctic (VIDEO) An ice bridge linking ashelf of ice the size of Jamaica to two islands in Antarctica has Scientists FindRocket Fuel Chemical In Infant Formula ATLANTA — Traces of aMichael Giltz: Mitchell Report: America Loves Cheaters http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/mitchell-report-america-_b_76495.html [4/5/2009 8:17:03 PM] Michelle Obama's Clothing Has Sean Hannity All Out OfSorts Cenk Uygur: Have WeReached the Tipping Pointon Guns? RICHARD POPLAWSKI,Pittsburgh Gunman, Kills 3Police Officers Dr.</p><p> Rachel Ehrenfeld: DoesIran Harbor Osama binLaden? Comments 11 Pending Comments 0 MLB to Start Steroid Hall of Fame SNL: Madonna And Angelina In Weekend Update...</p><p> Reality Star Jade Goody Buried In Lavish...</p><p> Robert De Niro Nanny Sues For $40,000the Hall of Fame.</p><p> But I predict not one single current player that is valuable to their team will be dumped.</p><p> Some team might dump a marginal player they wanted to get rid of and use the report as an excuse.</p><p> But that's it.</p><p> If your player helps the team, there's no way they'll get fired.</p><p> Is cheating All-American? I'm starting to think so.</p><p> Read more news and blog posts on the Mitchell report on steroids in baseball here .</p><p> Comments for this post are now closed Email Print More in Entertainment...</p><p> HuffPost Stories Surging Right Now Buy a link here Sponsored Links "My Teeth Are so White" Read the trick, discovered by a mom, to turn yellow teeth white.</p><p> CathysTeeth.com Spine Surgery Advancement NO Hospital, NO Gen Anesthesia.</p><p> Get Your Life Back NOW! www.LaserSpineInstitute.com I'm Happy I Lost My Job After I got laid off, I found a easy way to make $7k a month online... http://coreyhasmoney.com/ca Want to reply to a comment? Hint: Click "Reply" at the bottom of the comment; after being approved your comment will appear directly underneath the comment you replied to View Comments: Newest First Expand All Namtillaku See Profile I'm a Fan of Namtillaku permalink I haven't cared much for MLB or the NFL.</p><p> Personally, they are too infused with advertising, at their heart they are corporate sports.</p><p> That's not to say that events such as the Tour de France or sports likesoccer don't have their fair share, I just don't feel it with them.</p><p> Speaking of Le Tour, look to it to see what can happen to a sport affected by steroid use.</p><p> Many are saying that it may be dead (I doubt it).</p><p> Computers India Barack Obama Michelle Obama Sports Olympics Housing Crisis Fox News Cars MORE BIG NEWS PAGES » Books by this author A cabin of one's own: New England's MacDowellColony celebrates 100years of artistic utopia.And the gay and lesbianartists who prosperedthere celebrate ... (Thenational gay & lesbiannewsmagazine) by Michael Giltz Affairs to remember:Farley Granger beddedAva Gardner, ShelleyWinters, and LeonardBernstein.</p><p> In hisautobiography, IncludeMe Out, Hitchcock's muse... (The national gay &lesbian newsmagazine) by Michael Giltz Barry Bonds Barry Bonds SteroidsBaseballCheatingGeorge MItchellJason GiambiMitchell ReportMitchell Report Baseball Mitchell Report Onchemical used in rocket fuel were found in samples of...</p><p> HUFFPOST'S BIG NEWS PAGES Bloggers Index Read All Posts by Michael Giltz Related Tags This Blogger's Books from Michael Giltz: Mitchell Report: America Loves Cheaters http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/mitchell-report-america-_b_76495.html [4/5/2009 8:17:03 PM] HOME POLITICS MEDIA BUSINESS ENTERTAINMENT LIVING GREEN STYLE WORLD CHICAGO COMEDY FUNDRACE ARCHIVE Advertise | Login | Make HuffPost your Home Page | RSS | Jobs | FAQ: Comments & Moderation | FAQ: Huffpost Accounts | Contact Us Copyright © 2009 HuffingtonPost.com, Inc. | Archive | User Agreement | Privacy | Comment Policy | About Us | Powered by Movable Type Comments are closed for this entryFor me, if there's one athlete doing steroids, the whole game is tainted.</p><p> I have ZERO interest in following and event/sport where an undetermined number of players have a huge advantage.</p><p> But itsounds like I am in the minority.</p><p> ShawnMichel See Profile I'm a Fan of ShawnMichel permalink We can take this disdain and apathy further.</p><p> It explains our total indifference to our natural world andthe pigs who are gutting it--which includes the suburbanites who feel they gotta keep up with theJoneses.</p><p> There is no difference here.</p><p> Just a change of venue.</p><p> SMdM Nommo See Profile I'm a Fan of Nommo permalink And how it has crept into elections, local and national...</p><p> Chalkeater See Profile I'm a Fan of Chalkeater permalink There seemed to be a generation of players who had no problem making a deal with the Devil.</p><p> More money and prestige for some of their integrity and health.</p><p> Even those that weren't cheating made the choice to play dumb and go along.</p><p> Eventually you'll see a lot of these guys die young from heart attacks like the "freakazoids" in wrestling who died before 50.</p><p> It's sad that winning trumps all other values. mbafromharvard See Profile I'm a Fan of mbafromharvard permalink Baseball made the right choice when faced with its own extinction.</p><p> With modern sports fans requiring action, and lots of it, baseball continued to move at a snail's pace.</p><p> Kudos to Selig for not only makingbaseball exciting again, but saving the sport from the trash heap altogether.</p><p> Michael Giltz See Profile I'm a Fan of Michael Giltz permalink Great point.</p><p> The only unforgivable sin is in fact being a loser.</p><p> Thanks for reading. hopeless277 See Profile I'm a Fan of hopeless277 permalink You are correct, sir.</p><p> Cheating is probably last on list of unacceptable behavior in sports and in life.</p><p> Thenumber one item on the list of unacceptable behavior? Losing.</p><p> America loves winners no matter howthey win.</p><p> It's a disease and it's spreading.</p><p> You must be logged in to reply to this comment.</p><p> Log in or Steroids In Baseball Mitchell Report Steroids PED's Performance Enhancing Drugs SteroidsSteroids In BaseballSteroids Report Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 06:33 PM on 12/13/2007 Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 12:35 AM on 12/13/2007 Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 10:46 PM on 12/12/2007 Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 07:23 PM on 12/12/2007 Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 03:36 PM on 12/12/2007 Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 03:23 PM on 12/12/2007 Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 02:27 PM on 12/12/2007
