Mitchell Says Panel Wants To Interview Active MLBers

Bonds Unlikely To Be Called Before MLB’s Steroid Panel Anytime Soon

Former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell indicated for the first time Friday that he has “asked a number of active players to appear” before his commission investigating the use of performance-enhancing substances in MLB, according to Macur & Sanger of the N.Y. TIMES. Mitchell “declined to say how many players had been sent letters requesting their appearance,” but sources believe that “at least three dozen current and former players were being sought.” League and MLBPA execs said that they were “unaware of which players had been or would be asked” to meet with Mitchell. Mitchell “described his investigation as entering its final phases” and indicated that MLB Commissioner Bud Selig “had agreed that the panel’s final report would be made public.” Meanwhile, a source said that Giants LF Barry Bonds “will most likely not be asked to meet with the panel soon.” Bonds’ attorney, Michael Rains, said that Bonds “would decline to speak to the panel if he would risk incriminating himself.” Rains expects Bonds to receive a letter from Mitchell eventually, but indicated that Bonds “would cooperate with [Mitchell’s] group only if federal prosecutors promised to end” their investigation of Bonds (N.Y. TIMES, 5/5). ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark wrote, “Without some kind of legal muscle to compel these players to talk, the indications we get are that [Mitchell is] going to run into the same brick wall he has been slamming into for the last 14 months. ... We’d be very surprised if any of these players help him” (ESPN.com, 5/5).

ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS: In N.Y., Mike Lupica wrote many believe that since baseball “didn’t want to know about steroids in the past it still doesn’t want to know now.” Lupica: “If Selig is so afraid about what Mitchell will find out ... then why does he continue to stay out of Mitchell’s way even as [Mitchell] starts to ask present and former players to testify in front of him?” (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 5/6). In Chicago, Carol Slezak: “Fans will demand accountability and solutions. Is Selig up for the job? Nothing we’ve seen so far would indicate that he is. But it appears he will get one last chance to make good” (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 5/6). ESPN.com’s Buster Olney wondered if the Mitchell group would release circumstantial evidence “without absolute proof of steroid use?” Olney: “For the credibility of the final report, this would seem to make some sense. For [MLB], as a business, this would seem to be kind of a brutal scenario, like a hardware chain commissioning a study and announcing that yes, in fact, there is a lot of evidence that all of our kitchen figures are defective” (ESPN.com, 5/5).

Fehr Says His Obligation Is To Protect Players' Interests

FEHR: In N.Y., William Rhoden wrote MLBPA Exec Dir Donald Fehr “has been cast as an obstructionist who resisted drug testing and came to an agreement kicking and screaming. ... That may be all be true, but I’ll tell you this: given a choice between his union and hundreds of others (including my own), I’d choose baseball’s.” Fehr: “We’ve got an obligation to represent the players. It’s not to be the nicest guy in the world; it’s not to be the most well-liked guy in the world. It’s to negotiate the best kind of agreement consistent with what the players’ interests are, and what they want you to do” (N.Y. TIMES, 5/5).

GOVERNMENT INVOLVEMENT: In L.A., Bill Shaikin wrote Selig “would love nothing more than to march back to Congress and say, ‘Thanks, guys. We’ve got our drug problem under control.’ He can’t. He needs help from Washington.” MLB Senior VP/PR Rich Levin: “We can’t say we have it under control by ourselves. I don’t know if we could ever say that.” Dodgers 2B Jeff Kent said of government involvement, “I think the game needs to have some pressure put upon it.” U.S. House Oversight & Reform Committee Chair Henry Waxman (D-CA) said, “I hope that, as baseball becomes more effective in enforcing its policies, there will be less need for the federal government’s involvement” (L.A. TIMES, 5/6).