On the Yankees beat

Pettitte is a stand up guy. I believe his statement. Too bad the rest of them won't come clean. FYI, someone tell Conseco to shut up and let baseball digest the report instead of throwing out names that are not on the report.

Diane, That darn spelling got me again!! Underwear!! No I get it. Any chances now?

Diane,That darn spelling just came up and got me again. How's this underwear..now do I have a shot?

Mitchell report was right about Pettitte and I am sure about Clemens. Andy admitted his mistake. Hope Clemens does too. Doubt that will happen. He definetly used it for an edge in his career. I am hopeful that this situation (Steroids,HGH) with players currently on this team will die down. I doubt it though. The media needs this for their revenue stream. Plus their are a lot of Clemens and Yankee haters out there. So have some fun. Our heart is wounded but we will still support Andy and our Yankees.

KICK HIM OUT OF THE LEAGUE,,,,,,,CHEATER, LIAR , DRUG ADDICT !!!!

The edge that Clemens would get is different than the edge a hitter would get. It was, as Andy Pettitte said, to allow him to recover between starts more quickly, as the Rocket got older. Indeed, pitchers who bulk up almost always lose effectiveness on their pitches.That is still wrong for players to do and Clemens needs to admit it, just the way Pettitte did.

I think he was a MAN and stepped up and said Yes I took it and I am sorry. Geez that is more than any of the other athletes are doing. GIVE THE MAN SOME CREDIT crap you people are unbelievable. If they say nothing you think wow he is guilty can't even say anything to help his case. If they say something you go after him.... I would go through my agent too with a bunch of fickle a*** people as yourselves.
I think he should be penelized for what he did .. they will not banned .. we know that. But he should either be suspended for a few games or money should be taken from him. He should not get away with what he did.

I am disapointed he used it , though it wasn't a banned substance when he supposedly used it.............Bonds as well but at least Petitte is manning up and that and that alone is my major gripe with Barry.

Admit it , you will be forgived.......

Now the next generation of designer roids will begin....

Clemens is probably officially retired based on the drop off in his perfomance at age 44 and the fact that he has nothing left to accomplish.. Pettitte says he used HGH twice in 02 to recover from injury when there was no prohibition against it at the time by major league baseball. He deserves no punishment. But I do find it somewhat amusing that someone called Anonymous is calling for him to be thrown out of the league. Why are you afraid to sign your name to such a bold comment?

Steve O ,

Cowards fear to tread where braver men don't. Hence the insignifigance of "their" statements. As far as Petitte is concerned , I agree with you.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/2007/12/15/2007-12-15_andy_pettitte_admits_using_human_growth_.html?page=1

Pettitte made it clear in his statement that his use of HGH did not overlap with those title years.

Pettitte signed a one-year, $16 million deal last week to return to the Yankees. General manager Brian Cashman did not return a call seeking comment on Pettitte's statement.

"If I have let down people that care about me, I am sorry, but I hope that you will listen to me carefully and understand that two days of perhaps bad judgment should not ruin a lifetime of hard work and dedication," Pettitte said. "I have tried to do things the right way my entire life, and, again, ask that you put those two days in the proper context. People that know me will know that what I say is true."
“Contrary to media reports, I have never used steroids," Pettitte said. "I have no idea why the media would say that I have used steroids, but they have done so repeatedly. This is hurtful to me and my family."

andy is a good man and a true Yankee..

this shows why the report is a joke.. It is a not a report it is a hunt on a few teams..

where is pudges name?/ I mena the previous pudge now he is a minnow..
Where is Nomar?????

Where is sosa?

How about Mcgwire???

Big Papi d=rinking those mysterious shakes!!!!!!!!Give me a break.. about 200 real roid boys are laughing that Pettitte has to deal with this grief over HGH for 2 weeks 5 yrs ago when he was on the DL.. Proportionality, this reprot has none..

JOKE

It's two days, not two weeks.

It's actually only two times, period.

Compare Pettitte's response to this issue with Jason Giambi's. Well, really, there is no comparison.

I don't think Pettitte should get off scot-free on this one, though. He and Major League Baseball should reach an agreement where he makes a substantial payment to a charity, forfeits the acknowledgment of some of his wins and strikeouts in the official record book and promises never to do it again.

Just admitting doing something wrong isn't really enough; there should be some ramifications.

Then, let Pettitte get on with his career and his life.

Other players who are implicated, who don't come clean, should face stiffer penalties.

I love the qualifiers Pettitte put into his statement. "If" "perhaps", "only two days," etc. If this was Pedro or Schilling, I wonder if so many of you would be as supportive.

He should've issued a real apology to MLB, his team and the fans. Instead he tried to make it seem that he was such a team guy that he sacrificed his beliefs in order to return faster. And he says it wasn't for an edge. It is an edge to return faster from an injury. Someone not taking HGH, aka not cheating, won't be able to return as fast.

I'm not saying he's as bad as Bonds. But I hope he doesn't get painted as a hero for his non-apology.

The major problem I have with Pettitte's story is the fact he was on the DL when he was getting the HGH from this "assisstant trainer". Obviously, this is not the Dr. that was "on record" as treating\diagnosing Pettitte. Pettitte was using this "back alley" character to get what he felt he needed, and keep everything hush-hush. This is not a case of "2 days of bad judgement". He knew it was wrong at the time, did it, and attempted to hide it. He should just "man up", and admit he knowingly and willfully did something wrong.

Nomar and Ortiz were not named in this report. so keep them out of it. Doesn't mean they never did it, but there is absolutely no evidence in THIS report to suggest they were a part of it.

As for Pettitte, I applaud his honesty in all this. I would be amazed if Clemens follows that path...I think not. BUt it is a big step for Pettitte to come clean. If only all of them would, but that won't happen in this lifetime.

Chris Russo says

" Don't give me that Garbage that Andy use Hgh only for two days" Give Me that break" Andy's is a cheater. Russo will also say that Andy use Hgh when Roger came to Yankees in 1999 with his trainer. Can someone please called Wfan Russo on Monday to discuss this?

[quote]Chris Russo- How we are supposed to believe that he only did it twice to heal his elbow?

Are people really going to sit here and believe this crap?

NO one takes one or two HGH shots. That's not how it works. You take daily HGH shots to raise the levels....Also HGH shots cost about $1,000 for a month's supply of daily shots and if you look at the checks people were writing you will see where the person was making his commission.[/quote]

I know I am going to get dog piled for saying this but would someone please kindly explain to me why Andy Pettite is a stand up guy in this situation?

I don't recall when his name first came up in the Jason Grimsley rumors him holding a press conference saying "Hey... I took one HGH Flintstone Chewable for my elbow."

We had to wait for his name to be dragged out in the Mitchell Report.
And NOW we are getting the "Oh yeah! You know when my name was being dragged around in those allegations, I totally forgot I WAS using HGH! I lose my car keys all the time."

I'm not calling Pettitte a bad guy. I'm sure he's a nice guy. He was also best friends with a juicer the same way Giambi was looking up in awe at Canseco and McGwire when he broke in with the A's

"Hey, if Roger is using it, then what's the problem?"

Look... if you want to say "Hey! He secretly used illegal HGH one time and that's it" fine.

Then my SF Giants friends are allowed to say "Bonds used it, but thought it was flax seed oil."

Same exact thing

I'm glad he didn't pretend he didn't do it.

I'm sorry he had to admit it in such a self-excusing way, as if he was somehow better than others who made the same mistake. But there is no doubt that this is better than a bald-faced lie.

Or perjury.

Sully,

I agree with you in regards to Bonds , though he is linked to steroids AND HGH.....there is a differance , small as it is , a differance. Plus his denials which may result in perjury.....

Admiting guilt doesn't make one innocent nor give them a free pass. It does show remorse for the ill deed...I am sure you never did anything of which you were wrong. You are above this and all that it represents.......let's all hail you.

You fail to see the distinction between guilt and denial and guilt and refusal to admit. Neither is acceptable nor should be condoned.......we were all taught that. You also fail to see that HGH wasn't a banned substance in 2002...making Petitte AND Bonds innocent at that given time.

I usually agree and laugh with you....I don't as of now.

Edit:

Guilt and acceptance vs. guilt and refusal to admit.

My bad!

Sully,
Here's my take on the Pettitte situation: I think he probably wanted to admit it to the Mitchell investigators at one time but clammed up like all the players were doing at the time.

I think he has been wrestling with admitting what he did for quite some time but he was probably under a lot of pressure from Clemens to keep quiet about it and maybe he told Clemens that if they were named in the report, then he couldn't keep it quiet any longer.
This is very bad for Clemens as it gives McNamee credibility.

I won't excuse what Pettitte did but if I were him I'd offer to take a lie detector test to back up his story. That would be a great gesture toward proving he is telling the truth.

All I can say is if I was a pro athlete and I was hurt and wanted to help my team, I'd have a tough time saying no to the HGH, especially if it was something that was not banned by the league at that time.

Andy is not a hero for admitting this, but I believe he is still a good man.

If Pettite's statement is true and HGH was not illegal until 2005, what exactly did he do wrong?

For a similar example, consider that mushrooms have recently been made illegal in the Netherlands. If a Dutchman were to be "outed" for using mushrooms in say 2005 (still legal), would that be considered wrong because it is now illegal?

Am I missing something here?

All that matters at this point is that he hopefully won't get really sick.

And Ankiel won't get sick.

Paul Byrd has a tumor.

This stuff is so dangerous as if GM foods, GE foods, Big Pharma and the rest of the chemicals in our food and in our ground water and a pill for every mood.

This is all far, far bigger than baseball.

The little minds that can't see this are the sick ones who belong on medication.

Sorry ... "as is GM, GE foods ..."

Read "Fast Food Nation" which was on the NY Times best seller list! It speaks of the factory farms, what they put in the cattle and feed the chickens ... we're being poisoned in every way imaginable from the environment to food to water to whatever ...

Steroids for pitchers is small potatoes.

Pettitte is NOT a stand up guy.

Not compared to Giambi.

There are few real men left in America.

Look at our leaders ... they are effette. They are wussies. They ran from Vietnam yet send women to fight and die and lose limbs in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Every society has leaders that are a product of their people.

Our people reflect our leaders.

Our people do not STAND UP.

Our leaders do not STAND UP.

Any questions?

Questions -- yes..what institution did you escape from? You make no sense whatsoever, you just rant about a lot of garbage...such nonsense. Oour people do not stand up? What drugs are you on? Sounds like your brain is fried. Are you a Viet Nam vet by any chance?...or are you a product of agent orange? Something is not right about you...it's scary.

This two-faced stool pigeon personal trainer says that Andy used it two times -- four times possibly the most. Andy admits to two times. Why the hell would Russo suggest he used it more? He has no right making such a suggestion. HGH is not a steroid and it's not illegal -- it's STILL NOT ILLEGAL. It wasn't banned by MLB until a couple of years ago. Andy used it off season and for healing purpose -- which this personal trainer said as well. So what's everyone's problem? I can understand Red Sox fans like Sully having a problem with it, I can see Mets fans having a problem with it -- and that's just because they have a problem with the Yankees -- but why would any true Yankee fan have a problem with Andy using HGH two times during the off season in 2002 in order to help him heal? Come down off your pedestals, take your noses out of the air, and stop with the arrogance. Take this investigation for what it is...a witch hunt by the Red Sox Director of the Yankees World Series teams.

Mike Lupica- Andy Pettitte can spare us the crocodile tears and contrived 'regret'
[quote]
Andy Pettitte apologized for using HGH in a statement on Saturday released by his agent.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/2007/12/16/2007-12-16_andy_pettitte_can_spare_us_the_crocodile.html?page=0

A little over a year ago, it was reported in the Los Angeles Times that a former Yankee pitcher named Jason Grimsley had accused some major-league players of using performance-enhancing drugs in a federal agent's affidavit. One of the players named in the Times story was Andy Pettitte, who was about to finish his last season with the Houston Astros.

When asked about the story at the time, here is what Andy Pettitte, who now says he has worked hard his entire life to do things the right way, said: "I've never used any drugs to enhance my performance in baseball. I don't know what to say except that it's embarrassing that my name would be out there."

Now Pettitte's name is out there - for using human growth hormone - in former Sen. George Mitchell's report. Two days after Mitchell releases that report to the public, a report that has Pettitte getting HGH from personal trainer Brian McNamee and using it for two to four days, Pettitte issues a statement, throws himself on the mercy of the public and cops to two.

So Pettitte essentially cops to half of what the report said he did. In a way that really sounds half-something-else. This really is an absolute classic sports apology, the kind where somebody says that if he offended somebody he's sorry, when the only thing he's really sorry about is getting caught.

This wasn't from Pettitte's heart Saturday, it was from the lawyers and agents, with more addendums than Mitchell had in the report that brought Andy Pettitte to this moment.

Maybe, using Pettitte's logic, using human growth hormone to rehab faster from a sore elbow doesn't mean you were looking to enhance your performance. We really are getting a lot of that these days.

The real truth is that he got these drugs from McNamee, drugs he never could have gotten from a legitimate doctor for an elbow injury, and when people find out about it five years later, Pettitte expects everybody to believe he was just doing it for his school.

He wants to come across as a standup guy here. Instead he looks like somebody in a boxer's crouch, covering up so he doesn't get hit anymore, doesn't get lumped in with all the other cheap, dirty drug users named in George Mitchell's report.

"If what I did was an error in judgment on my part, I apologize," Pettitte said in a statement so carefully worded you imagine he kept waiting for his agents' keyboard to explode if there was one wrong word in it, any word that could move Pettitte away from Monument Park someday.

If?

Pettitte takes responsibility for those two days with HGH and then goes on to say this:

"Everything else written or said about me knowingly using illegal drugs is nonsense, wrong and hurtful. I have the utmost respect for baseball and have always tried to live my life in a way that would be honorable. I wasn't looking for an edge; I was looking to heal."

We're supposed to pin a medal on a guy for using drugs he knew he shouldn't be using, that a doctor would never give him for his particular medical condition. He wasn't just another guy going to the needle. Oh, no, he was going to McNamee the way believers go to Lourdes.

Come on.

Here is something else Pettitte said about McNamee last October: "I talk to Mac once a week. ... He's the greatest trainer that I've ever been involved with or around. He's trained me for the five years he was in New York. ... Mac's been awesome. I will continue to use Mac to train me. He's one of a kind."

But if you read the statement Pettitte issued Saturday, this awesome, one-of-a-kind trainer gave him the worst advice any trainer could ever give a ballplayer. And nobody's supposed to wonder why Pettitte stayed with McNamee after that, continued to think of him as an awesome and one-of-a-kind guy.

"In 2002 I was injured," Andy Pettitte says in his statement. "I had heard that human growth hormone could promote faster healing for my elbow. I felt an obligation to get back to my team as soon as possible."

There you have it. Maybe all the other drug users in George Mitchell's report had different motives. With Pettitte, HGH was practically a responsibility. Or a sacrament. And Dr. Lewis Maharam, whose specialty is sports medicine and is quoted in the Mitchell Report, isn't buying Pettitte's almost beatific view of his actions.

Maharam also says that agent Scott Boras' notion that legitimate medical doctors used to prescribe HGH for recovery from baseball injuries is ridiculous.

"No legitimate doctor in his right mind would prescribe human growth hormone for recovery," said Maharam, former president of the New York chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine, and now medical director for the New York City Marathon. "Anyone who has prescribed it should be ashamed of themselves. You use HGH for dwarfism. Or with AIDS patients. Nobody uses it in sports medicine, at least nobody in their right mind. You'd be afraid the government would come and take your license."

Then Maharam said, "Yeah, it helps you heal, but it also gives you an edge."

And you know who would have known that? Brian McNamee, trainer to the stars.

Pettitte, for all his qualifiers, at least says McNamee was telling the truth to George Mitchell, and the federal agents in the room. His buddy Roger Clemens is up next. Maybe Clemens will be able to explain why McNamee was telling the truth about Pettitte but lying about him.[/quote]

Pettite is a liar and a cheat. If Yanks want to save face they will CUT HIM NOW !!!!

As for Hank....Do you poor fans really take this guy seriously? You are backing this moron? He is the joke of MLB. HE flip flops more than "Realist" with his silly comments! My God he was PASSED OVER by his own father. The only reason he has the keys to the castle is b/c his brother in law was sick of being part of the dysfunctional family!

Hank = FREDO from Godfather!

FREDO FREDO FREDO

The 80's are back gentlemen......ENJOY THE DEMISE !!!!

Little Midget aka Sox’ Pedroia claims younger players are not steroid users

QUOTE
BY JOE McDONALD

http://www.projo.com/redsox/content/sox15_...v3.45e79a8.html

Something positive did come from Thursday’s Mitchell Report on steroid use in Major League Baseball.

The game does need a major cleansing, but it appears it is heading in the right direction already with the young players in the league, inasmuch as not one player named in the report was under the age of 27 — though that’s not to say that there aren’t professional players in their early 20s who have taken performance-enhancing drugs.

Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia, 24, recently coined the phrase “clean generation” when talking about all the young talent in both the major and minor leagues.

If there is such a thing as the “clean generation,” what makes these players even more remarkable is that they were playing high school baseball at the height of Steroid Era, and possibly could have been influenced by their heroes.

When former Sen. George Mitchell presented his report to the world Thursday, he spoke about the importance of educating children on the harmful effects of PEDs. He did say steroid use among youngsters has decreased in the last decade, and Pedroia says fans are seeing that change at the major-league level right now.

“Coming up through the Red Sox organization, I never heard the talk about steroids…,” said Pedroia. “I think the game is getting cleaned up and it’s definitely a lot better for baseball.”

The World Series champion and American League Rookie of the Year in 2007, Pedroia was very interested to learn the names of those players mentioned in the report and was relieved to know not one current Red Sox player was on it.

“This is all new to me,” he said. “It’s pretty much new to everybody. It was definitely a shock with all the names, but we have to move forward because we want fans to enjoy this game. It is a great game.”

Pedroia was also quick to point out all the young talent within the Sox’ organization — all of whom are 26 or younger — are all of sound mind and body. Players such as Jonathan Papelbon, Jon Lester, Jacoby Ellsbury, Clay Buchholz, Brandon Moss, and Pedroia, consider themselves fortunate to be part of a new and cleaner game.

“I think a lot of teams are going on to draft college players because they are a lot more mature and understanding of the game,” said Pedroia, who played three seasons at Arizona State before he decided to turn pro. “They play because they love the game. I’m speaking for a lot of guys in our organization. A lot came up through the minor leagues, and these are baseball players; they’re not about numbers, they are about helping the team win.

“The Red Sox have done a great job drafting a lot of players like that,” Pedroia added. “I don’t think steroids enter into any of those guys’ minds.

"If a guy is on steroids, then you have to try to outwork them naturally. If they’re working out for an hour, then I’m working out for two hours. You have to try to overcome a lot of things.”

If there’s any player in Major League Baseball who people might think took steroids at some point, Pedroia could be on that list just because of his 5-foot-7, 180-pound frame. He’s confident and carries a big bat, but he said he has never taken any kind of substance to help his performance.

“No,” he said. “Being a young player and being around a lot of young guys, not one time has someone said to me ‘You should take this.’ No one has ever asked. There hasn’t even been a thought in my mind or anyone around me that if you take steroids, you’re going to do this. I’ve never been approached and I’ve never even thought about doing it. Obviously, with my position I don’t need to take steroids. I’m here to play good defense and get on base. I don’t get paid to hit home runs. It never crossed my mind to do something like that. It really wouldn’t benefit me. I would never do it.”

Pedroia is part of the post-steroid era and feels like he missed it by 5 to 10 years.

“I’ve never heard of anybody doing it coming through the minor leagues or anything,” he recalls. “There’s never been one time in the locker room or hearing any talk about it.”

The argument can be made that fans want to see one of two things when they go to the ballpark — an offensive onslaught with a ton of homers or a pitching duel. Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa revitalized baseball with their home-run chase to No. 61 in the summer of 1998. It was around that time when people began to whisper publicly about the possibility of players using PEDs. Still, a lot of people in the business put on the blinders to the situation.

In Pedroia’s mind, the game will get away from big power numbers and low ERAs and back to players relying on fundamentals rather than supplements.

“The game is going to get back to the guy who will do anything he can to help his team win,” said Pedroia, “meaning bunting guys over or hitting the ball to the right side with a runner on second and nobody out — just the little things. You’re going to see more of that in the game.”

Oh Really?

That midget was rookie of the year and dwarfs any of your young thugs that cannot get you any trade value.

p.s ANT COLONY: Jump head first into a wood chipper you commi!

You know, it might just be possible that everything Pedroia is saying is true....he is a great player, and a very hard worker. Who knows that he won't fall under the influence of the "big" stars, but for now I give him the benefit of the doubt. As for Pettitte, like I said before, I applaud his honesty in this, and I think this gives great credibility to the trainer now. And I have no doubt that this does nothing but hurt Clemens. If only he would stand up and admit it, but I doubt that. His arrogance knows no end, and in the end it will be what does him in. Too bad, he was one of the best at one time. Maybe people will now stop thinking Duquette was foolish to let him go...maybe he was right all along........

According to the NY Times, 40% of the players named in the Mitchell Report had connections with either Segui or LoDuca. If you are interested in seeing the graphic which charts the relationships among them, here's the link:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2007/12/15/sports/baseball/20071216_MITCHELL_GRAPHIC.html

I can take no joy whatsoever in seeing so many modern athletes, so much better trained and conditioned than the players of my youth, many of whom have exceeded the exploits of my personal heroes, exposed for having turned to 'artificial' sources of strength. I'm especially saddened for those like Pettitte, who may have been led briefly astray, only to have a whole career sullied as a result, or like Roberts, condemned by second hand hearsay.

Furthermore, I'm outraged that a select few are paying the price for the many. I won't try to impugn the integrity of Senator Mitchell, but I do severely question his judgement. For one thing, I believe he let the pressures of getting a report out there by a specified time, impinge upon his good sense by having him release a report that, as we all know, is far too narrow in scope. It's obvious to everyone that there must be dozens upon dozens, if not hundreds, of other players who are just as guilty, if not far more guilty, than some of those named.

In doing so, he has given detractors serious grounds for criticism for a possible lack of impartiality, a criticism he had to know was all too obvious by dint of his association both with the Red Sox and with Bud Selig. If he ever entertained any hope of coming across as a fair and honest investigator, his investigations should never had been allowed to remain primarily centered on New York and the Bay area. But, as that was all he had to go on, he went ahead anyway, giving the whole report the look of a vendetta, whether or not it was meant to be. If it really was impossible to gain more information on sources outside these two areas, then, in my opinion, he really should have given far more emphasis then he did to to the obvious fact that this is just the tip of the iceberg, and that there are multitude of players from throughout the country who have used performance enhancing drugs. It's truly difficult to understand how Sosa, Mc Gwuire and so many other obvious cases (I believe Rick mentioned Brady Anderson) went unmentioned as well.

I know that people on this blog and other blogs have also called for the commissioner's head. Let's face it, Bud Selig has a lot to answer for, as does Fehr and the player's union. But Selig is just the CEO of Baseball Inc. He is not an 'honest broker' between the players and the owners. He's the owner's employee. I think that he should resign or be dismissed, but frankly it really won't matter because, at the end of the day, we're going to get the same kind of owner's flunkie fronting as Baseball "Commisioner," when he/she is really just the Chairman of the Board for baseball's business interests.

Fehr, of course, is the George Meany of the 'United Millionaires Baseball Union" and, as such, is always going to try to protect his members, even if their individual transgressions are really against the best interests of the whole (for example, enabling drug users to make more money at the expense of players who are playing fairly.)

So, where is baseball to go from here, and how? Does Congrees have to step in with a temporary overseer to assure that the mess is cleared up? Are there better answers? Thoughts, anyone?

Finally, how does this whole unsavory episode impact on those cherished records that we all honor. There will be no asterisks, but a whole era will be defined, fairly or unfairly, by performance enhancing drugs. So, just as baseball has loosely labelled other eras, such as pre-modern times (the late 19th century), the dead ball era (roughly 1900 to say the mid twenties when Ruth and a 'jacked up' baseball revolutionized the game), to the modern era (about the mid-twenties to say the mid-nineties), perhaps this latest period has to be defined seperately as well, so that those records broken during this latest period are set apart from earlier records, even if they still stand as the overall record. And let's hope that we're entering a new period that will be untarnished by blatant and clearly wide spread cheating.

Sorry for the long rant!

What I'd be interested in knowing is the name of the active player who collaborated with Mitchell so he could keep his name out of the report.

If I were a conspiracy theorist I would limit my list of 'suspects' to one team...

How can you people APPLAUD Pettite? HE came clean AFTER he got caught. Three months ago he denied he ever took the HGH. He is nothing more than a LIAR and a CHEAT!!!

Ohhhhhhhhhhh big man to admit something after he gets busted. Give em a break!

ROID FACTORY IN THE BRONX !!!

GOT NEW RINGS ???????

An unsavory fact about investigations of criminal behavior is that your witnesses are likely to be criminals themselves. McNamee is an admitted drug dealer, and has been charged at least twice with assault, once in the case of a woman he had been giving drinks to who turned out to be full of Rohypnol. (Fortunately he was fired from the Yankees over that incident or we would have the further embarrassment of seeing 'current member of NYY training staff' after his name.)

Often criminal witnesses are compelled by threats to testify. Even if some actual facts are obtained by prosecutors this way, there is always the likelihood that the information is tainted by the witness's personal agenda, whether self-protection or revenge against someone. McNamee for example is said to have been angry that he was no longer employed by Clemens after Clemens went back to the Yankees because McNamee had been banned by the Yankees.

It puts everyone in an awkward position. SOME of what a criminal witness says is probably true. How much? We don't know. SOME of what those he incriminates reply with (he's a known liar and criminal with reason to be angry at me and what he says is false) is probably true too. Again we don't know how much.

Unsavory stuff which reflects no credit on anyone involved. Mitchell included.

Very revealing when Hank says the Santana deal comes down to "whether I want to do it". Not the baloney being spread around on this Blog about the Yankees not wanting to give up their young players. Hank even throws in comments like, "Santana is young", and "the players the Twins are asking for are not unreasonable". Pettitte claiming his $16 million dollar contract "queered" this deal, no ifs, ands, or buts.

I notice the Steroid Deniers have vanished after frothing at the mouth about Mitchels Boston induced lies for a few days. Dont expect Clemens to be a man and admit anything. He's a punk and punk never admit things even when caught rehanded.

Jason Giambi is looking better and better the more I read Andy's weak excuses.

Pats superbowls titles 3*

*2004 *2007

That was Last year of 2006 Andy Pettite admitted He didn't use any enhancing perfomance drugs to enhance his performance ..
He use Hgh to heal and recover quicky

what you said was ridiculous and a way to point a finger at a guy who for all intents and purposes is innocent. Pettitte made an impact-less mistake. 2 doses of HGH did not effect his recovery or how he pitched after he had recovered. If he was looking for an edge, he would have done it more than twice. HGH for the purposes that he (barely) used it for was NOT a performance enhancing supplement. What good is an apology if you don’t explain the circumstances surrounding it. Obviously, what he did was way different from what Clemens or Bonds is accused of. If he apologized vaguely, people would have grouped what he did with what Bonds did, and that isn’t fair. For him to be criticized over this apology is completely absurd.
No hard feelings, but I had to say it. Pettitte’s being slammed here and now and it was just not right.

I think he was a MAN and stepped up and said Yes I took it and I am sorry. Geez that is more than any of the other athletes are doing. GIVE THE MAN SOME CREDIT crap you people are unbelievable. If they say nothing you think wow he is guilty can't even say anything to help his case. If they say something you go after him.... I would go through my agent too with a bunch of fickle a*** people as yourselves.
I think he should be penalized for what he did .. they will not banned .. we know that. But he should either be suspended for a few games or money should be taken from him. He should not get away with what he did.

It's hard to say he's a cheater when he used HGH for 2 days for an injury.

He's lost no respect from me. Still one of my favorite Yankees ever. I'm just glad that he's got this out there.

I have a hard time burying players for using HGH. I can see the conversation in my head:

Player A: I took this stuff that I got from my trainer that really helped me recover from my injury last season. I healed quicker and I found that my body held up better.

Player B: Is it illegal?

Player A: No, you just need a presciption. It isnt even against baseball rules.

Player B: Okay let me give it a try.

Put yourselves in that position. A substance that is not illegal, is not a steroid and will help you recover faster from injuy and hold up to the wear and tear. Before everyone starts jumping down these guys throat, look in the mirror. You can say all you want that they knew it was wong because they were not using the drug for its intended purpose. How many people who post here have never taken a few pills of someone elses prescription to help you sleep, or relax, or to help with back pain. In my eyes its the same thing.

Steroids are a different story which presents the biggest problem with the Mitchell report - lumping together players who used HGH with those who used steroids and puting no context with regard to the frequency of the use, or the amounts used. SHould a guy who used HGH twice in one season when it was not against the rules be lumped in with a guy who used steroids in large doses for years at a time?

Also, I still don't get eactly what this report accomplished and why it was even necessary to publish. Were fans that interested in finding out this infomation about their favorite players? I, for one, didnt care and I see absolutly no positive coming out of this report whatsoever especially since it contains little to no hard evidence and is basically heresay

Some good may come of this from a Yankee standpoint. Perhaps, the powers that be will be nervous that the inevitable distractions that will come Pettite's way will effect his pitching; therefore causing them to wake up and make this Santana deal (provided that only one of the Holy Trinity is included in the deal)

hate to get off the HGH discussion, but any opionions on

Mussina's trade value and whether he would accept a trade (going to the NL would be very good for his career and could keeping him pitching fairly well for another 3 years)

Interest in Matsui and what they could get in return? I think they need to wait for spring training so that he can demonstrate that he is healthy in order to get top value.

Will the Yankees entertain the idea of trading Damon if they cannot unload Matsui. Hurts them at the leadoff position, although the offense did quite well last season with Melky (far from a prototype leadoff man) at the top of the lineup.

If the Yanks pull a miracle and trade for Santana who would the preferred replacement be for Melky?

Patterson (loads of talent and inconsistancy) or Cameron (a strike-out machine who plays above average defense and has defenitly left his best days behind him. For me I go for Patterson as I see far more upside as he does have talent and is still relatively young, but it is hard to forget how bad he was a couple years ago with the Cubs (hitting .200 and being sent to AAA) in what was supposed to be his break-out season.

Yanks61,

Excellent post...not a rant at all.

There is one thing I'm glad you brought out that I want to comment on. This investigation took TWENTY (20) long months and all Mitchell came up with is TWO -- that ONLY 2 -- people, two clubs, he investigated over 20 long months. Think about that. That's a long, long, long, long time to spend on ONLY 2 PEOPLE, 2 CLUBS. When you look at the information Mitchell has in the report, it was ALREADY KNOWN, ALREADY OUT THERE (nothing new by Mitchell). The names were given by these two guys (they did that work) and none of these guys cooperated (how long does a phone call take?). The Bay area documents were already out there and he was just repeating that information. What was Mitchell doing for 20 long months where he couldn't get beyond the Yankees and Mets? At that rate, if an investigation were to take place of the entire MLB, it would take Mitchell 25 years. Does anyone believe it takes that long to interrogate and then threaten one trainer from each club?

What was Mitchell doing all this time he was supposed to be investigating the MLB? He was employed by the Red Sox. He was working for the Red Sox. He was too busy with the Red Sox. In fact, where are the results of conversations and investigations he's done of the Red Sox...which would be the easiest club for him to investigate. All the papers and people are at his fingertips. He would perjure himself by saying they were all innocent so he focuses on New York only and claims his work took 20 long months.

Mitchell is a farce. He cheated in producing this report. What he's done is worse than taking steroids and should be sued. But of course he was granted immunity. He knew he would have to after ruining the lives of many players for his own personal purposes (making the Red Sox look good and the Yankees look bad). Selig needs to be fired. Mitchell is a disgrace to the human race.

Chris,

Your argument is appealing and merciful.

The only trouble with it from my point of view is that we are dealing with a game in which ALL the rules are trivial.

There is no moral or ethical basis for any single rule of a game. Rules about touching the bag, catching the ball before it reaches the ground, not balking, all that -- they have nothing to do with right and wrong. They simply define the game so everyone can play it the same way.

The only ethical or moral question in any game is simply to accept and follow its rules, not because in themselves they are right or wrong on some cosmic scale, but because everyone playing by the same rules makes it FAIR.

I believe there has been a rule in MLB for more than thirty years against taking any prescription drug without a prescription.

More recently some drugs have been banned entirely.

Anyone who broke those rules broke the basic covenant of game-playing -- that everyone follow the rules so that the contest will be fair.

They may not be criminals but they are cheaters.

They know it and we know it.

They hid what they did so others would not know they were cheating.

Now they're busted and we get the excuses.

"I only cheated because I was hurt."

"I only cheated because my team needed me."

"I didn't cheat as much as others did."

"I only cheated because others were cheating."

We may sympathize, we may even be cheaters too.

We may say that what our favorite cheater did was not a crime.

Well, hardly any of the rules of baseball involve crime.

They just involve everybody playing the same game by the same rules so that it's fair.

HGH promotes healing, avoids detection
There's no reliable test for naturally secreted hormone
BY JOHN FAY | JFAY@ENQUIRER.COM

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20071215/SPT04/712150406/

Somewhere out there, a big-league baseball player could be reading the Mitchell Report while being injected with human growth hormone and still fully expect to be playing on Opening Day.

That's because human growth hormone, or HGH, is impossible to detect with a urine test and very difficult to find with a blood test.

"We're working with the NFL to develop a test for human growth hormone," Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig said at his Thursday news conference after the release of the Mitchell Report on performance-enhancing drugs.

Many of the players named in the Mitchell Report were accused of buying HGH, including current Red Mike Stanton and former Red Kent Mercker.

Stanton declined comment through a Reds spokesman Friday.

Anabolic steroids build muscle. HGH has a different effect.

"The anabolic steroids make you bigger and stronger," Reds medical director Dr. Tim Kremchek said. "HGH increases the rate of recovery. The biggest problem with pitchers is they have these micro-injuries and tears from throwing so much.

"HGH helps you recuperate faster."

Doctors prescribe HGH to help patients heal faster from a variety of injuries.

"Healing is enormously important when you're talking about pitchers," Kremchek said.

HGH first was used to stimulate growth in those with pathologically short stature. It is also used to stimulate growth in farm animals.

In 1990, a study of men ages 61 to 81 showed that HGH increased muscle and bone mass and decreased fat mass.

That led to athletes seeking an edge to begin use of HGH. Google HGH and you'll find claims of all the wonderful things it will do.

"No. 1 use on the street for HGH is anti-aging," Kremchek said. "There are a lot of questions about use and abuse. We don't know the long-term effects."

Use of HGH is a major concern of the World Anti-Doping Agency heading into next summer's Beijing Olympics because there is no effective test.

"(Athletes) just have to make sure they don't get caught with the drug in their bag," Peter Sonksen, a British professor who has studied HGH, told the BBC.

"There are ways of finding it through a blood test," Kremchek said. "But the timing is important because it's a naturally secreted hormone."

Arne Ljungvist, vice-president of the World Anti-Doping Agency, told the Associated Press in November that he would not speculate if an effective test would ever be developed.

But it's pretty certain that there won't be one before Opening Day 2008

Roy is going to find a way to spin anything the Steinbrenners do into persuading us fans to believe that he is right and they will end up selling the team.

Here are his main arguments:

* Yanks spent $400M+ on four players this offseason but Roy says it's just "window dressing" in order to sell tickets. Keep in mind that no team would be insane enough to commit that much money to a team they were planning on selling.

* Based on past mistakes, Cashman and the front office didn't want to give up one of their best young arms in a trade for Santana because Roy says their priority is making money over winning.

Personally, I don't think it's going to happen but what if Cashman and the Steinbrenners do decide to pull the trigger on Santana and sign him to long term deal?

Are you going to tell us that it's just "window dressing" again?

Sorry, but you can't have this argument both ways. No matter what actions the FO have taken in recent weeks that completely destroy your argument - you always seem to find a way to spin it as another indication they are going to sell the team.

Get it through your head, Roy. You are wrong.

How many people bend the rules at work and don't think much about it? Did you ever take home a rubber band or paper clip? Well you're stealing. But you say it's ONLY a rubber band, it's only a paper clip. You're still a thief. It doesn't matter how cheap it is, It doesn't belong to you. Did you ever make a private phone call at work? Or take a piece of paper and write a personal note? Technically you're stealing. The rules of the workplace are that you don't take anything that belongs to the company. Anything, period. You do, you steel, you're a criminal.

If a player takes Tylenol for pain it's OK. But if he takes two or three for pain it's consider prescription strength -- so he's now become a drug abuser. Now he's cheating and he can be reporting as a drug user by his trainer. HGH can be purchased over the counter but you're not SUPPOSED TO inject it. Injecting it makes it illegal. But if someone has authority to give injections -- like the person who has authority to inject insulin -- then it's use becomes open to question as to its illegality -- especially since HGH WAS NOT BANNED BY MLB AT THAT TIME.

REPEAT: HGH WAS NOT BANNED BY MLB AT THAT TIME.

Please don't get caught up in the petty stuff where you accuse a man of wrongdoing because he trusted his trainer. You're dealing with petty semantics -- like taking that rubber band and being called a criminal thief after an audit is done by someone who hates your guts.

HGH promotes healing, avoids detection
There's no reliable test for naturally secreted hormone

HGH by itself has no effect on a person. The only thing it does is encourage the body to secrete its OWN NATURAL HORMONES. Your own natural hormones aid in healing. That's the difference between steroids and HGH. That's why HGH cannot easily be detected but steroids can. The blood test will show elevated amounts of natural hormones. HGH is considered a supplement and can be purchased without a prescription because all it does is force the body to increase its own natural hormones.

That is the main thrust of those defending Pettitte, 'Well, HGH wasn't specifically banned by baseball.' That, to me, is such a load of b.s., does MLB have to present a list of every single offense that is banned under their rules? Like others have mentioned, hiring a hit man to smash the opposing pitcher in the head the night before a game is not specifically banned by MLB, so is that also a valid defense? HGH falls under the category of using prescription medication without a valid prescription, right? So it is banned, right? It is breaking a federal law, right?

Sickened,

You are wrong about the facts.

HGH does not encourage your body to make its own hormones. It puts into your body hormones that it would otherwise make on its own, replacing the naturally produced ones with externally produced substitutes.

The result is that your body stops making its own hormones since it has 'enough'.

That's why it's dangerous to stop suddenly. You've stopped your body's natural processes and they take time to get back up to speed.

Hey, I've always loved Pettitte and this revelation doesn't change my opinion of him one iota.

That said, he did something that he knew was wrong. You can justify it or make excuses until you're blue in the face but that's the truth.

It doesn't tarnish his accomplishments or legacy as a Yankee because the players of yesteryear would have done the same thing if the technology had existed.

Jim Bouton was interviewed today and he said the same thing. He talked about "greenies" in Ball Four when all the players knew the public and commissioner would frown on it. They did it anyways.

He also said that if there was a pill that would add 5 MPH to their fastball, but take 5 years off their lives - they would have done it in a heartbeat.

He also talked about how he and Whitey Ford rubbed some kind of oil made for horses on their ailing shoulders because they thought it would alleviate the pain. It didn't really work but he acknowledged they would have tried anything.

Players have been doing this stuff for decades. Very few players or professional athletes in general are not guilty of something.

At this point, instead of making excuses and debating the legalities of what Pettitte did, we should just forgive the guy for making a mistake and move on.

He wasn't a serious candidate for the Hall of Fame before this revelation so nobody is really going to care about this stuff when history reflects on his career in a few years.

NSH,

There are HGH inducing supplements that increase your own natural HGH levels. They can be injected or taken orally. There is no proof that synthetic HGH has any positive effects or that the body will not reject it. The key is to increase one's own natural HGH levels -- which the body will always accept. That's why it's hard to test for...because one's own natural HGH is difficult to detect.

And yes there are people who have a hormone deficiency so they must be injected with foreign HGH substances and hope that they body doesn't reject it. But for someone who doesn't have a deficiency the key is to increase their own natural levels of HGH. Why would you inject a foreign substance when you can induce your own natural levels?

I don't know anything about 'HGH inducing supplements' and they have nothing to do with the issues we are discussing here.

None of the players are accused of taking 'HGH inducing supplements', whatever that may be.

They took Human Growth Hormone itself, which was originally created for people whose bodies did not produce enough HGH on their own (dwarves, AIDS patients, the very elderly).

Your attempting to bring 'HGH inducing supplements' into the discussion is a red herring. Drop it.

You obviously need to do some research NSH -- since you don't know what I'm talking about. You don't know what they took do you? That's the problem. But you make a good point. They induced HGH levels but it doesn't say with what. There are many forms of HGH and much is what is called HGH is a chemical that induces natural HGH levels. Until we know exa