Seven-time pitcher of the year Roger Clemens was one of the most prominent players identified on Thursday in Major League Baseball's (MLB) long-awaited investigation into doping, linked along with more than 80 players to performance-enhancing drugs that put a question mark next to some of US baseball's biggest moments.
Home run record holder Barry Bonds, already under indictment on charges of lying to a federal grand jury about doping, former player of the year Miguel Tejada and former All-Star Andy Pettitte were also identified on Thursday in MLB's most notorious moment since the "Black Sox" scandal.
The Black Sox were so branded when eight players of the Chicago White Sox were accused of intentionally losing the 1919 World Series championship.
Known as the Mitchell Report after its author -- former US Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell -- the 20-month investigation was commissioned by MLB commissioner Bud Selig to examine doping in US baseball.
Seven player-of-the-year award winners were identified in the report along with a supporting cast good enough to field an All-Star at every position.
Clemens, who had denied the allegations, was singled out in nearly nine pages, 82 references by name. Much of the information on Clemens came from former New York Yankees strength and conditioning coach Brian McNamee.
"The illegal use of performance-enhancing substances poses a serious threat to the integrity of the game," the report said. "Widespread use by players of such substances unfairly disadvantages the honest athletes who refuse to use them and raises questions about the validity of baseball records."
MLB has never adhered to international doping rules. Players and club owners agreed to testing late in the 2002 season. The program has been modified since then to include more substances and penalties have been increased for violations.
While records by the offenders identified are unlikely to be voided, several of those mentioned could see their chance for enshrinement in the US Baseball Hall of Fame diminished.
"Everyone involved in baseball over the past two decades -- commissioners, club officials, the players' association and players -- shares to some extent the responsibility for the Steroids Era," Mitchell said.
SS Lazio on Monday fired the far-right sympathizer who handles their eagle mascot after he posted online a series of videos and pictures of his erect penis. Falconer Juan Bernabe, who has been present at Lazio home matches with Olimpia the eagle since the 2010-2011 season, posted the footage on social media after having surgery on Saturday to implant a penile prosthesis to improve his sexual performance. Lazio said that they had “terminated, with immediate effect” their relationship with Bernabe “due to the seriousness of his conduct,” adding that they were “shocked” by the images. The Serie A club added that Bernabe’s dismissal
Doping fears prevented former US Open champion Emma Raducanu from treating insect bites on the eve of the Australian Open, she said, with players increasingly wary about ingesting contaminated substances. The British player was speaking in the wake of high-profile doping cases involving Iga Swiatak and Jannik Sinner. “I would say all of us are probably quite sensitive to what we take on board, what we use,” the 22-year-old said, recalling an incident on Friday. “I got really badly bitten by, I don’t know what, like ants, mosquitoes, something. I’m allergic, I guess,” she added. The bites “flared up and swelled up really a
The NHL postponed the Los Angeles Kings’ home game against the Calgary Flames on Wednesday with several massive wildfires burning across the greater Los Angeles area. The Kings and Flames were scheduled to play on Wednesday night at the Kings’ downtown arena. The NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers were scheduled to host the Charlotte Hornets in the same arena last night. “Our hearts are with our entire Los Angeles community,” the Kings said in a statement. “We appreciate the hard working first responders who are diligently working to contain the fire and protect our community. We appreciate the league’s support in keeping our
TWO IN A WEEK: Despite an undefeated start to the year playing alongside Jiang Xinyu of China, Wu Fang-hsien is to play the Australian Open with a Russian partner Taiwan’s Wu Fang-hsien yesterday triumphed at the Hobart International, winning the women’s doubles title at the US$275,094 outdoor hard-court tournament, while McCartney Kessler lifted the trophy in the women’s singles. Fourth-ranked Wu and partner Jiang Xinyu of China took 1 hour, 15 minutes to defeat Romania’s Monica Niculescu and Fanny Stollar of Hungary, 6-1, 7-6 (8/6) at the Hobart International Tennis Centre, their second title in a week. Wu and Jiang on Sunday won the women’s doubles title at the ASB Classic in Auckland, beating Serbia’s Aleksandra Krunic and Sabrina Santamaria of the US. Their winning ways continued in Australia as they stretched
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