After taking some time to sift through the enormous amount of data in the Mitchell Report, I wanted to weigh in on it from a Mets fan’s perspective and also from a baseball fan’s point of view.

From what I could see after sorting through the list of players, I was happy to find that there were no current Mets. (Whew) Learning that Paul Lo Duca was named in the report was a real shock for me, and I wonder if Omar Minaya or the Mets were privy to any information regarding his inclusion?

The thing I find disturbing was that the evidence which implicated Lo Duca was as recent as 2004, long after the steroids scandal first exploded on to the scene in baseball. 

The other former Mets included; Mark Carreon, Matt Franco, Todd Pratt, Mo Vaughn, Lenny Dykstra, Todd Hundley, Mike Stanton and Scott Schoeneweis. That’s a total of nine players, which of course pales in comparison to the 15 Yankees who had the most players. I don’t think any Mets fan would be surprised to see Dykstra among those Mets named. I think his shirt collar size went from 14 to 20 after he left the Mets. I’m thinking Hundley probably got mixed up with ‘roids when he hit the West Coast… at least that’s what I hope.

I am glad that the core players of our team were not touched by this steroids scandal. It looks like we have ourselves a great bunch of guys that are relatively model citizens as far as baseball players go. I would like to see the Mets do some public service announcements for the kids in the tri-state area warning against the dangers of steroids use.

All in all, I have to commend Commissioner Bud Selig and former senator George Mitchell for their diligence in searching out the truth and fingering some of the offenders. I disagree with Senator Mitchell’s suggestion that the commissioner forego any potential suspensions and punishments.

Why go through all the cost and time of creating such an exhaustive list of offenders if in the end you do nothing about it? Besides the fact that they cheated, they broke the law and committed a felony.

Obviously, Selig can’t do anything about the former player because he has no jurisdiction, but what about players like Andy Pettitte who just signed a $16 million dollar contract? Shouldn’t there be some punishment or restitution for the game which they so obviously discredited and damaged?

Also, I hope that Congress and the FBI is watching closely now, because if these players start to deny these allegations which are backed with extensive evidence, I want them on record and under oath when they make these denials. That way we can go after them on perjury charges and obstruction of justice if we catch them lying, just like they did with Barry Bonds.

It’s so disappointing that the best pitcher (Clemens) and the best hitter (Bonds) of our time, will both go into the record books and possibly the Hall of Fame with careers that are now tainted. They cheated their way to the top of baseball’s most cherished records. They tore down the records of heroes like Hank Aaron, Roger Maris, Babe Ruth, Sandy Koufax, Nolan Ryan and Tom Seaver. Why should we turn a blind eye to their cheating and include them in a hall that was created to remember and honor the best players in baseball?

In the last five years, Reggie Jackson, Mike Schmidt, Mickey Mantle and Jimmie Foxx were each displaced from baseball’s all-time Top 10 Homerun list by Rafael Palmeiro, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire and Barry Bonds.  What a disgrace…