Mitchell Report: Major League Baseball

The Mitchell Report and Major League Baseball. Two things that don't have harmony with one another, but only discord. Shamefully, the public has been given its own dose of bad news for what many years ago could have been considered a clean sport. Noone accuses Lou Gehrig or Babe Ruth or Willie Mays of engaging in unlawful acts to further their careers. Most would say that the old-timers of the past in baseball history worked hard, and achieved their goals on their own.

So, why, oh why, did baseball become a profession tainted with dishonesty and illegality? It's a question I will now always ask myself, whenever I pick up a glove to play the game. And I won't be the only one whose eyes change when they pass Camden Yards in Baltimore or Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, knowing that the past actions of some players may have discolored the way we see the game forever.

Most of us remember back in 1994, when there was a strike that lasted for 232 days, from August 12, 1994 to April 2, 1995. That was quite a time! It was hard to believe that baseball was actually stopped dead in its tracks, and no major league games were played for that whole time. We had no playoffs and no World Series in 1994! For those who live for the baseball postseason, this was devastating. And what did you tell your kids? Was it something like "The players want more money, and baseball won't give it to them, so we can't go see the Orioles play this summer." Imagine all the kids whose hearts were broken that year (and maybe yours too.)

After the strike, it took some time for Americans and baseball lovers worldwide to regain their faith in their favorite pasttime. For awhile, many of us wondered whether baseball would ever regain its previous status as the great American sport. The fervor died over time, and we regained excitement with Mark McGwire's home run chase in 1998, as well as other major league baseball events.

Where are we now? We are back to the gloom of 1994. We are back to a shadow being cast on major league baseball. And for what? For certain individuals to achieve status and break records and be better players through taking some illegal action.