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Say it ain't so! Brian Roberts to be named in Mitchell Report

Animal-picture-baby-duck-taminsea_tiny by duck on in News

From SI.com:

Former American League MVP Miguel Tejada is mentioned in the Mitchell Report, due to be relased by 2 p.m. on Thursday afternoon, SI.com has learned.

Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts also is in the report, as are Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte and Chuck Knoblauch.

Wow. Just, wow. I didn't think he'd be there. Jay, Miggi, Raffy, sure, we KNEW they would be in there. But B-Rob?

I'm gonna go cry now...

Update: For the record... Brian Roberts' name is linked via Larry Bigbie's squealfest when he mentions that Roberts once said he had tried them "once or twice" several years ago. Quite frankly, even the outraged mainstream sportswriters are having trouble sticking it to Brian Roberts. I'm kind of in the same boat, as I think most of us are mature and sane enough to admit that probably 90% of all pro ballplayers have "tried" something "once or twice." -- SC

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His name has been tied to this crap for ages
It doesn't make me like him any less, and I don't think it'll affect his trade value.

by Stacey on Dec 13, 2007 1:03 PM EST   0 recs

I always thought....
Grimsley named him a a FU to the feds - I mean, a 160 lb 2B? What's HE doing with steroids? I mean, WTF?
"If a bum like Aubrey Huff has that much fun, can you imagine how cool it must be to be a real baseball player?" - Rick Maese

by duck on Dec 13, 2007 1:05 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

re:
That's exactly what he's doing with steroids, dude. People need to stop equating steroids with bodybuilders. This isn't 1983.

Thanks for the time that you've given me...

by SC on Dec 13, 2007 2:08 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

Many predicted this
I mentioned it in this thread, as did a few others.

I'm not remotely surprised.


It's just a question of arrogant self-entitlement against drunken limp-dicked self-loathing--DaBB

by zknower on Dec 13, 2007 1:07 PM EST   0 recs

See above
for the source of my surprise
"If a bum like Aubrey Huff has that much fun, can you imagine how cool it must be to be a real baseball player?" - Rick Maese

by duck on Dec 13, 2007 1:09 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

Nothing
shocks me anymore.  This will probably be explained away as trying to recover from that arm injury.  That doesn't make it right but whatever.  This whole thing seems pointless but I'm still anxious to see what all is in the report.
"Hating the Yankees is as American as apple pie, unwed mothers, and cheating on your income taxes." -Mike Royko

by BPinOK on Dec 13, 2007 1:09 PM EST   0 recs

SHOCKING
Not....seriously, most of these guys have been doing this stuff for years, anyone who thinks otherwise is childishly naive. Who really cares?

by GeronimoGil on Dec 13, 2007 1:26 PM EST   0 recs

Geronimo Gil
cares.  
"Hating the Yankees is as American as apple pie, unwed mothers, and cheating on your income taxes." -Mike Royko

by BPinOK on Dec 13, 2007 1:30 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

haha
all I'm saying is, it doesn't even matter to me...B-Rob is still awesome, Barry Bonds is still the greatest baseball player I've ever seen, and I still like all the other guys I liked who are on the list...all the guys I thought were douches are still douches....I've just assumed for a LONG time that roids and HGH were rampant in baseball, even before it became a big thing publicly

by GeronimoGil on Dec 13, 2007 1:32 PM EST   0 recs

It's still real to ME!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvTNyKIGXiI

Forgot how to embed, so sue me.

"If a bum like Aubrey Huff has that much fun, can you imagine how cool it must be to be a real baseball player?" - Rick Maese

by duck on Dec 13, 2007 1:38 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

I suspected as much
Roberts has seemed too defensive about it in his public comments about steroids. BPinOK mentions that he might try to blame his recovery from the arm injury, but its very possible he was using in 2004 and 2005 before the injury.

by silverstadium on Dec 13, 2007 1:36 PM EST   0 recs

Ya THINK?
I guarantee you that half these guys are going to say, "it was a doctor prescription that I had for blah blah blah injury", the way Jay Gibbons did.

Sure fellas. It was that one injury and you just bad judgment just for a month or two, right?


It's just a question of arrogant self-entitlement against drunken limp-dicked self-loathing--DaBB

by zknower on Dec 13, 2007 1:45 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

Roberts
is also best friends with Jay Gibbons.
"If you're not practicing, somebody else is, somewhere, and he'll be ready to take your job." -Brooks Robinson

by exitfare on Dec 13, 2007 1:45 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

I was really hoping B-Rob wouldn't be on this list
But now that he is, we need to trade him. The team needs a clean break from this shit. He was my favorite player for a while, but thats over.

We probably won't get as much for him as we would have yesterday, but, thems the breaks....

"Baltimore? That's like being hit in the head with a crowbar once a day."

by spike2131 on Dec 13, 2007 1:47 PM EST   0 recs

I'm not surprised
It explains his offensive surge in 2005.

Personally, I've always assumed that like football and the Olympics steriod use has been pretty common in baseball since the 1970's or 1980's.

by yurizanow on Dec 13, 2007 1:48 PM EST   0 recs

there is nothing surprising about this
Nothing whatsoever.

Thanks for the time that you've given me...

by SC on Dec 13, 2007 2:07 PM EST   0 recs

He actually comes off not that bad in the report!!
Brian Roberts is an infielder who has played for the Baltimore Orioles since 2001.
He has been selected to two All-Star teams.
Roberts and Larry Bigbie were both rookies in 2001. According to Bigbie, both
he and Roberts lived in Segui's house in the Baltimore area during the latter part of that season.
When Bigbie and Segui used steroids in the house, Roberts did not participate.
According to Bigbie, however, in 2004 Roberts admitted to him that he had
injected himself once or twice with steroids in 2003. Until this admission, Bigbie had never
suspected Roberts of using steroids.
In order to provide Roberts with information about these allegations and to give
him an opportunity to respond, I asked him to meet with me; he declined.

So he admitted to Bigbie that he did it once or twice.  

Here's the actual report: http://files.mlb.com/mitchrpt.pdf

"Hey Yankees... you can take your apology and your trophy and shove 'em straight up your ass!" --Tanner Boyle

by BirdFanInPhilly on Dec 13, 2007 2:13 PM EST   0 recs

Yeah...
That is total hearsay.  Of all the players I've read so far, he comes off the best (well, for being on the list in the first place)

by Chanumas on Dec 13, 2007 2:50 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

Jack Cust
This is fun.

by pipkin on Dec 13, 2007 2:16 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

Greg Zaun

It's just a question of arrogant self-entitlement against drunken limp-dicked self-loathing--DaBB

by zknower on Dec 13, 2007 2:48 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

Bigbie
Bigbie is really coming across as a major bad guy here. He introduced, like, everyone to Kurt Radomski.

by pipkin on Dec 13, 2007 2:19 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

re:
It's the shitty ones ya gotta watch.

Thanks for the time that you've given me...

by SC on Dec 13, 2007 2:21 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

Actually, I think it's more David Segui....
It said that Segui introduced Kurt Radomski to Bigbie, and that's when the dominoes fell....

by Chanumas on Dec 13, 2007 2:30 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

fair enough
All those roids and Bigbie still never made any money. Segui's a millionaire. Bigbie probably sells cars.

by pipkin on Dec 13, 2007 2:33 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

goddamn
If Jamie Walker is on steer-oids, I'm out.

Thanks for the time that you've given me...

by SC on Dec 13, 2007 2:20 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

just searched
he doesn't show up

by pipkin on Dec 13, 2007 2:24 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

I'm hearing...
no current Red Sox showed up on the list (from Fox 25 in Boston). Anyone know if this is the case?

by rebop on Dec 13, 2007 2:36 PM EST   0 recs

RE:
Gagne is it.
"Hey Yankees... you can take your apology and your trophy and shove 'em straight up your ass!" --Tanner Boyle

by BirdFanInPhilly on Dec 13, 2007 2:37 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

He's not...
with the Red Sox anymore.

by rebop on Dec 13, 2007 2:40 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

yep
no current sox.

by brooklynlovesorioles on Dec 13, 2007 2:39 PM EST   0 recs

I cry foul!
The whole thing stinks. Mitchell had an obvious conflict of interest, and should never have been head of this commission. The fact that no Red Sox got thrown under the bus is highly suspicious given Mitchell's position with the team.

by rebop on Dec 13, 2007 2:41 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

Brendan Donnelly is on there
Granted, he spent most of '07 (his only year so far w/ the Sox) on the DL and was just non-tendered (but it's believed they'll be bringing him back next year anyway)

by GeronimoGil on Dec 13, 2007 3:22 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

off to the brew crew
like the o's with tejada, they dumped him just in time

by brooklynlovesorioles on Dec 13, 2007 2:40 PM EST   0 recs

Looks like the biggest Red Sox
name on there is Mo Vaughn.

This isn't going to do any good for the conspiracy theorists.

by KenDixonFanClub on Dec 13, 2007 2:40 PM EST   0 recs

why did we suck?
If every oriole was using, why weren't we winning more?  I think it should only count if performance was actually enhanced.  If so, Gibbles' suspension would for sure be lifted.

by brooklynlovesorioles on Dec 13, 2007 2:42 PM EST   0 recs

re:
Three things:
  1. A lot of our users were/are marginal guys who were just trying to stay in the league. This refers to Bigbie, Hairston, Clark, The Turd, Jack Cust, etc.
  2. Tejada used back when he was with the A's (at least that's what the report says), not with the O's.
  3. The effectiveness of HGH for improving athletic performance is medically disputed. JC Bradbury has written a lot about this on his Sabernomics blog.

by pipkin on Dec 13, 2007 2:50 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

though...
reading the section on tejada/palmeiro, it sounds like dudes were running around the clubhouse just sticking each other w/ needles.  doesn't that reflect poorly on richie bancells & the training staff?
So, I said, uh, lama: how about a little something for the effort?

by jq higgins on Dec 13, 2007 2:58 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

Why would you choose a needle over a pill
I hate needles.  I'll take B12 in pill form any day of the week, but I don't want anything in a syringe unless my life depends on it.

by PhilR8 on Dec 13, 2007 2:59 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

For those who don't want to pore through the repor

Marvin Benard
Barry Bonds
Bobby Estalella
Jason Giambi
Jeremy Giambi
Benito Santiago
Gary Sheffield
Randy Velarde
Lenny Dysktra
David Segui
Larry Bigbie
Brian Roberts
Jack Cust
Tim Laker
Josias Manzanillo
Todd Hundley
Mark Carreon
Hal Morris
Matt Franco
Rondell White
Roger Clemens
Andy Pettite
Chuck Knoblauch
Jason Grimsley
Greg Zaun
David Justice
F.P. Santangello
Glenallen Hill
Mo Vaughn
Denny Neagle
Ron Villone
Ryan Franklin
Chris Donnels
Todd Williams
Phil Hiatt
Todd Pratt
Kevin Young
Mike Lansing
Cody Mckay
Kent Mercker
Andy Piatt
Miguel Tejada
Jason Christianson
Mike Stanton
Stephen Randolph
Jerry Hairston Jr.
Paul Lo Duca
Adam Riggs
Bart Miadich
Chad Allen
Fernando Vina
Kevin Brown
Eric Gagne
Mike Bell
Matt Herges
Gary Bennett Jr.
Jim Parque
Brandon Donnelly
Jeff Williams
Howie Clark
Nook Logan
Daniel Naulty
Rick Ankiel
Paul Byrd
Jay Gibbons
Troy Glaus
Jose Guillen
Gary Matthews, Jr.
Scott Schoeneweis
Jose Canseco
Jason Grimsley
Darren Holmes
John Rocker
Ismael Valdez
Matt Williams
Steve Woodard
David Bell

by Chanumas on Dec 13, 2007 2:43 PM EST   0 recs

Nope...
not a single current Red Sox player. Yet B-Rob gets in there solely on the basis of a second-hand account, and will have that stigma attached to him for the rest of his career.

I'm not saying B-Rob is necessarily innocent, but Mitchell couldn't find a single second-hand account or rumor to smear one of his own players?

by rebop on Dec 13, 2007 2:58 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

I thought
Ortiz had admitted to taking steroids before.  Where the fuck is he on this list?
Friend of the Working Man

by Jonnypops on Dec 13, 2007 4:01 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

No Pujols, either.
oriolesupdate.blogspot.com

by BrianS on Dec 13, 2007 4:03 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

more than the o's?
any team have more current and former players implicated than the O's?

by brooklynlovesorioles on Dec 13, 2007 2:47 PM EST   0 recs

he admitted that it was incomplete
Brady must have used a different dealer.  Mitchell straight up said that they only know who these couple of guys supplied.

The section on Clemens is just...wow.

by brooklynlovesorioles on Dec 13, 2007 2:55 PM EST   0 recs

So if it is admittedly incomplete
I don't fully understand why they released the names.

by PhilR8 on Dec 13, 2007 2:57 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

because you could never have a complete list.
and releasing that many names (nearly 80) makes it clear that this wasn't an isolated incident, and that many, many players, including marquee players, have lied through their teeth about the problem.

It's just a question of arrogant self-entitlement against drunken limp-dicked self-loathing--DaBB

by zknower on Dec 13, 2007 3:13 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

Yeah, makes sense
The are also saying on mlb.tv that they think that the players named in the report will cooperate and implicate those who are not on the list.

"Why am I on the list and this guy isn't?" picks up telephone

by PhilR8 on Dec 13, 2007 3:17 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

lol
exactly.

"son-of-a-bitch!"


It's just a question of arrogant self-entitlement against drunken limp-dicked self-loathing--DaBB

by zknower on Dec 13, 2007 3:34 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

exactly
the report basically goes on the testimony of 3 guys, and almost no players, there could be a lot more that had no association with the any of those trainers.

by nesloq on Dec 13, 2007 3:23 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

Well, if BRod was on steroids...
 he obviously wasn't taking the ones to make you alot bigger and stronger.
"Beauty is in the eye of the bill-folder." - Buck O'Neill

by Born Under a Bad Moon on Dec 13, 2007 3:01 PM EST   0 recs

Anyone else disappointed...
by how anticlimactic this was? There weren't any big revelations....maybe I'm missing something, but I went over that list a few times and didn't really find any superstar types who weren't already presumed guilty a long time ago

by GeronimoGil on Dec 13, 2007 3:37 PM EST   0 recs

Not really
Not so much disappointed as that I really don't care much about it to begin with. This report only makes me more tired of hearing about steriods in baseball.
I still save my disappointment for the front office.
 
Ahh, well, you know. Its a team effort and I guess it took every player working together to lose this one. - Doug Remer

by O face on Dec 13, 2007 6:41 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

The Orioles Win
I'm pretty sure this is a list of all the players from the list who at one time or another played for the Orioles. Yes folks, we beat them all.  WE'RE NUMBER 1!!!!!

Palmeiro
Gibbons
Jerry Hairston
Miggy
Roberts
Laker
Todd Williams
Gregg Zaun
Jack Cust
Larry Bigbie
David Segui
Jason Grimsley
Gary Matthews Jr.
Kevin Brown
Kent Merker
Manny Alexander

by brooklynlovesorioles on Dec 13, 2007 3:45 PM EST   0 recs

The MFY have a bunch of players too
damn the Yankees, have to try and buy EVERY single championship!

Jason Giambi
Gary Sheffield
Randy Velarde
Hal Morris
Rondell White
Roger Clemens
Andy Pettite
Chuck Knoblauch
Jason Grimsley
David Justice
Glenallen Hill
Ron Villone
Mike Stanton
Kevin Brown
Josias Manzanillo
Denny Neagle
Todd Williams
Jose Canseco

16 O's vs 18 Skankees, ugh.

also, who knew that Jerry Hairston Jr. was actually with the O's for 7 seasons?

by nesloq on Dec 13, 2007 4:03 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

Umm...
A lot of people I assume.  Considering the only reason B-Rob got in the lineup was b/c Hairston got hurt early in the season.
"Hating the Yankees is as American as apple pie, unwed mothers, and cheating on your income taxes." -Mike Royko

by BPinOK on Dec 13, 2007 4:11 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

Wow
Look at the names on their list vs. the names on our list. By how many runs would a team of thier 'roids users kick the ass of a team of our 'roids users?
"Baltimore? That's like being hit in the head with a crowbar once a day."

by spike2131 on Dec 13, 2007 4:15 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

lol! Nice one, spike. Let's get a charity game up!
I was going to contribute to the Alberto Gonzales Defense Fund, but I forgot.

by Titov on Dec 14, 2007 3:55 AM EST to parent up   0 recs

Are you sure?
Even the Sox had 14 former players on the list (via the Boston Globe):

Roger Clemens, Mo Vaughn, Eric Gagne, Brendan Donnelly, Steve Woodard, Jose Canseco, Manny Alexander, Paxton Crawford, Jeremy Giambi, Josias Manzanillo, Chris Donnels, Mike Lansing, Kent Mercker, and Mike Stanton.

If the Sox had 14, I wouldn't be surprised if someone trumps our 16. I certainly wouldn't be surprised if the Mets top us since one of the top informers came out of that organization.

by rebop on Dec 13, 2007 4:04 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

Brian
From ESPN:
Brian Roberts never used any time he roomed with the others. He confided to Bigbie he tried it once or twice on his own in 2003.  Bigbie was surprised to hear that.  ESPN feels this is not an infraction, it's nothing.  To me it's like your kid confiding that s/he tried pot once at a party.

I assumed it was when he rehabbed for his elbow. I don't know about other guys but he earned that 2006 All Star spot cleanly. My opinion.

by Montego76 on Dec 13, 2007 3:46 PM EST   0 recs

Mitchell asked to talk to Brian
And he refused according to the report.

I'm not quite sure how to respond to that -- is there more than "he tried it once in 2003 on my own" going on here, or was just trying to stay out of it, or didn't want to rat out friends/teammates that he knew were more heavily into it?

oriolesupdate.blogspot.com

by BrianS on Dec 13, 2007 4:00 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

Could be a lot of things
Roberts is far from the only player to decline an invitation to speak to the commission. Schilling said this morning on WEEI that he declined because he didn't want to go in there and "name names." But of course whatever hearsay they had on Schilling didn't make it into the report.

by rebop on Dec 13, 2007 4:07 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

That's the real shame...
If they had enough evidence to want to talk to Schilling, I would have liked to see his name in the report, too.
oriolesupdate.blogspot.com

by BrianS on Dec 13, 2007 4:12 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

I don't know...
if they had any evidence or not. But they did want to talk to him.

by rebop on Dec 13, 2007 5:36 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

Yes, Brian had an opportunity to clear his name
In a case like this, when evidence is so impossible to come by, a player who takes the fifth is going to be presumed guilty of whatever they've got him on... and more.

It's just a question of arrogant self-entitlement against drunken limp-dicked self-loathing--DaBB

by zknower on Dec 13, 2007 4:09 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

giving him further benefit of the doubt
just like the fella up there said about schilling, maybe he knew by talking to mitchell he would be squealing on close friends, something he may not have wanted to do.

If he went out of his way to tell Bigbie he tried it only a couple of times, I'll assume that's all he did. Which isn't as bad as the other guys, right?

Furthermore... Just look at the guy, it's not like he ever inflated and then deflated. Remember how jacked Gibbons was? And how he thinned out recently? That's what I'm assuming most roiders look like...

I dunno, I'm still a BRob fan.

by dfleis on Dec 13, 2007 8:56 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

re:
I'm not sure how he clears his name of an accusation by a third party who says Roberts told him he tried steroids a couple times.

What do you suggest? Should he have gone to the investigation and said "no I didn't". and then the committee keeps his name out of the report?

You keep talking about the chance everyone had to clear their names. I don't see how it could be done in this investigation. Seems to me players were presumed guilty via any accusation. I'm not sure how they "clear their name" in such circumstances.

by drj on Dec 13, 2007 9:17 PM EST to parent up   0 recs

presumed guilty by you perhaps
there's no evidence that they were presumed guilty by mitchell or the investigation.

You clear your name by answering questions when the panel convened to conduct an investigation gives you the oportunity to do so; instead of a blanket refusal to talk to them. That's exactly how to clear your name.

What do you suggest? Should he have gone to the investigation and said "no I didn't". and then the committee keeps his name out of the report?

Exactly. If it's not a true story, then deny it like any person with nothing to hide. "Sir, all due respect, that is an outright fabrication, and I resent the implication."

If it is a true story, well, then I guess I'm suggesting he take his medecine. If someone catches you doing something illegal, man up and admit it. It certainly would have quelled any rumors of further wrongdoing, i.e., "Roberts was one of the few players who met with the committee. He did not deny the Bigbie story, but rather said it was true and that's as far as it went and he regretted his actions. He elected not to answer questions about teammates, stating it was none of his business."

Done. And people respect you for it, I think. Right now, there's more suspicion because he refgused to answer questions: Did it stop with Bigbie and Segui, or did it go further than th