If reports are true, Pettitte and Clemens are equal opportunity cheaters

It is now common knowledge that, according to strength and conditioning coach Brian McNamee, two of the most accomplished pitchers in the storied history of the New York Yankees used illegal performance-enhancing substances on multiple occasions.  Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte are two of the most prominent names included in the Mitchell Report.

Through his attorney, Clemens vehemently denied the information in the report while Pettitte said he would have no comment about the allegations until he meets with union officials. Over the upcoming weeks, months and even years, some players featured in the Mitchell Report will deny involvement with performance-enhancing substances, even though they are guilty of using them. Eventually, some players exposed in the report will take responsibility, admit to taking the drugs and apologize. That would be refreshing. In the future, likely more names will be uncovered when additional clubhouse attendants, trainers and players talk.

The bottom line is that, regardless of the reason for using performance-enhancing substances, players who are actually guilty should be looked at with a raised eyebrow. Some people are under the false impression that, if Pettitte did use HGH, his error in judgment is not as severe as Clemens taking steroids. If Pettitte did indeed use HGH while recovering from an injury, he is just as responsible for cheating as Clemens, if the Rocket did use steroids as reported. The Mitchell Report indicates that players started using HGH when steroid testing was implemented. HGH is virtually undetectable, and like steroids, it reportedly helps a player recover faster, so it would make sense to believe that players who have used and currently use HGH are looking to gain an unnatural advantage without getting caught.

As I wrote yesterday, it would be naive to think that there are not more players on every Major League Baseball team who have used illegal performance-enhancing substances. Even with all of the public scrutiny players listed on the Mitchell Report are receiving, it is safe to believe that - even as I write this - there are professional baseball players who continue to pump their bodies with steroids or HGH.

It is also unfair to insinuate that certain players are guilty when they have never been linked. Bitter Yankees fans are quick to surmise that guys like Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz and Curt Schilling among others have used steroids and/or HGH. To date, as far as I know, their names have not arisen in any interview, report or investigation. High-profile players like Clemens, Pettitte, Gary Sheffield and Jason Giambi have. Also, nearly one-third of the Yankees roster from the 2000 World Series championship team are in the Mitchell Report. Understandably, this is why the Yankees are taking so much heat.

Front office personnel should be publicly scrutinized as well. In yesterday's post, I included excerpts from a Boston.com story that featured correspondence between Red Sox scouts and front office personnel, including Theo Epstein. This information proved that the Sox had suspicions that Eric Gagne and Brendan Donnelly had used steroids, yet they pursued and eventually landed the players anyway. Boston is not the only team that did this. Every team is responsible for allowing the steroid era to flourish in Major League Baseball. I truly hope that, from this point forward, Epstein foregoes pursuing a player if there are even viable suspicions of steroid or HGH usage. I hope that every front office takes that approach.

There is nothing funny about the Mitchell Report. Nor is there anything amusing about the players listed in the document. Numbers posted by guys like Bonds and Clemens should be questioned. And it is justifiable to feel less impressed about the Yankees' 2000 World Series title. If it is proven that a player has been erroneously linked to using illegal performance-enhancing drugs, he should have legal recourse, and highly visible apology from Major League Baseball. Those active players who are proven to have used these substances should be suspended, and their stained reputations are deserved.