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.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
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Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
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