Feanor

It's really sad that we have to discuss steroids and the Mitchell Report after the hype around it seemed to die down, but unfortunately, our friends from the media refuse to let this topic go.  It's pretty sad to see the media cover this topic with an air of moral superiority.  These were the same people who relentlessly hyped up McGuilre and Sosa, but admitted steroid users , in 1998, yes ,the same people who now act like taking steroids is tantamount to murder.  The inconsistencies in their coverage of the matter was rather apparent, as well.  First, they say that the real problem is lying about taking steroids like Clemens allegedly did.  But then you have Andy Pettitte, who told the truth about all his HGH use, in the process straining a close friendship and revealing very private information about his father, and the media, like Jayson Stark at ESPN, Scott Miller here at CBS.sportsline and Ken Rosenthal at Fosxports continue to hound him as though he just committed some horrible act.  Hmm, I guess it really doesn't matter if you tell the truth or not then. 

Then we have the fact that Mitchell was a Director for the Boston Red Sox and is still listed as one of their officers at the team's home page.  So was it coincidence that he mentioned no key contributors to the Red Sox' World Series titles but mentioned several contributors to the Yankees' titles?  This is a topic that has not been examined by the media.  They are prepared to accept Mitchell's word that his report was unbiased.  Furthermore, there has been no speculation as to whether or not those not mentioned by the Report took steroids.  People like the Giles brothers and Kenny Rogers, whose stats indicate a possible steroid use, are not hounded or pressed by the media in any way.  In fact, many persons on the report itself were basically let off free, such as Jack Cust, Miguel Tejada, Eric Gagne, and Paul Lo Duca.  You could make an argument that Clemens and Bonds are in a category of their own, given their incredible success as players.  But why has the media made such a point of badmouthing Andy Pettitte?  Is what he did worse than what Cust or Tejada did?  Does the fact that he sampled HGH twice to heal from an injury, and initially covered up the second usage to protect his ill father, as any decent son would do, make him an evil man?  According to the media and to George Mitchell, the answer is yes.  But can you really take any of this seriously, when Mitchell has a vested interest in seeing his Red Sox succeed and the rival Yankees fail, and ESPN + Co.'s adoption of the same stance is all but official? 

It is a real shame that the media has taken such a biased stance with regard to this matter.  Before taking this holier than thou attitude with regard to several members of the Yankees organization, perhaps the media should step back and examine one of the other culprits in this whole steroid "debacle": itself.