Mitchell says probe will be 'thorough, fair'
Superstars could be punished, asterisks could be affixed to hallowed records, and the national pastime could suffer one of the worst blows to its integrity since the 1919 Black Sox scandal in the fallout from a sweeping investigation Major League Baseball launched yesterday into a steroid crisis that has plagued the sport for nearly a decade.
Spurred by evidence in a federal criminal investigation that sluggers such as Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi, and Gary Sheffield used banned substances to enhance their performances, commissioner Bud Selig appointed former Senator George Mitchell to lead an inquiry into steroid abuse ''and follow the evidence wherever it may lead."
The probe is the most significant in baseball since all-time hits leader, Pete Rose, was banned for life in 1989 for allegedly betting on the sport. The investigation could last for months as Bonds chases Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron in his bid to become the all-time home run king.
''This is a matter of integrity," Selig said in New York, three days before the 2006 season opens. ''Baseball must confront its problems head-on."
Mitchell said he would not step down as director of the Red Sox to head the investigation, despite assertions by Kentucky Senator Jim Bunning, a Hall of Fame pitcher, and John Dowd, who led the Rose investigation, that Mitchell's close ties to Major League Baseball present the appearance of a possible conflict of interest. Mitchell also serves as chairman of the board of
Two former Sox players, Jose Canseco and Jeremy Giambi, have publicly acknowledged using steroids.
''I don't believe there is any reason for me to do so," Mitchell said of resigning from the Sox. ''If in any way anyone associated with the Red Sox is implicated, they will be treated just like everyone else."
Amid the announcement, Bonds received support from Victor Conte, the central figure in the federal case involving the Bay Area Laboratory Cooperative (BALCO), which allegedly produced steroids for baseball players and other elite athletes. Conte, released from prison after serving four months for distributing steroids and laundering money, said he never supplied illegal substances to Bonds.
Selig cited ''Game of Shadows," a new book on the scandal by two San Francisco Chronicle reporters, as his impetus for launching the investigation, while Conte assailed the book as ''full of outright lies."
''I plan to provide evidence in the near future to prove that much of what is written in the book is untrue," Conte said. He described the exposé as ''the character assassination of Barry Bonds and myself."
Bonds has denied allegations he engaged in a sophisticated doping campaign from 1998 to 2002, when baseball owners and players first agreed to ban steroids. The major leagues began testing for steroids in 2003 and started disciplining players for violations in 2004.
With 708 home runs, Bonds is six shy of Ruth, who ranks second on the all-time list, and 47 behind Aaron, the all-time leader. He holds the season record of 73, which he set in 2001.
Selig indicated any player under investigation will be allowed to continue playing, raising the possibility Bonds could break the all-time record during the probe.
Twelve players, including slugger Rafael Palmeiro, were suspended for 10 days each last year after testing positive for steroids. The penalties rise this year to 50 days for a first offense, 100 days for a second, and a lifetime ban for a third.
''I am confident that baseball's many millions of fans will agree that this great game can move forward with pride and honor as we also investigate those who may be implicated in these matters," Selig said.
Mitchell, 72, a former US attorney in Maine, served 16 years in the Senate, where he rose to majority leader. He later chaired peace negotiations in Northern Ireland, led an investigation into improprieties at the Salt Lake City Olympics, and chaired a fact-finding committee on violence in the Middle East.
Mitchell enlisted three former federal prosecutors -- Thomas Carlucci, Jeffrey Collins, and Charles Scheeler -- to help run the investigation. Carlucci received an undergraduate degree from UMass-Boston in 1985 and Scheeler graduated from Harvard Law School in 1985.
The BALCO investigation has ''caused fans and observers to question the integrity of play at the highest level of our national game," Mitchell said. ''These allegations require close scrutiny."
Mitchell will have no subpoena power, which means his investigators may need to count on players and other personnel cooperating under orders from the commissioner.
Mitchell issued a public appeal for witnesses to come forward, as he vowed to conduct a far-reaching probe.
''It's going to be complete, it's going to be thorough, it's going to be fair, and it's going to be independent," he said.
Bunning seemed less certain, expressing concern that baseball executives chose ''one of their own" to lead the inquiry. Bunning has long accused Selig and other top officials of turning ''a blind eye" to steroid use.
''While George Mitchell is certainly a man of great integrity, I believe that baseball would have been wiser to pick someone who is not as close to the game and may be able to take a more objective look into the facts," Bunning said in a prepared statement.
Dowd, a lawyer in Washington, said the media may need to ''raise holy hell" to ensure Mitchell fulfills his obligation.
''I just don't have a lot of confidence in Senator Mitchell," Dowd said. ''I think he's burdened by having an interest in the game. This matter is so serious that it requires complete independence."
Selig defended Mitchell's integrity and took issue with the notion that baseball executives ignored steroid abuse as home run totals ballooned in the late 1990s. He said he has no intention of resigning over the controversy.
''I'm proud of what we've done over the last even or eight years," Selig said. ''I find the revisionist history that has gone on in some places to be remarkable. The idea that we turned a blind eye is just not supported by fact."
Selig received a measure of support from a congressman who last year helped to pressure baseball players and owners to produce a tougher anti-doping policy.
''This investigation should have started years ago," said Representative Cliff Stearns, chairman of the Energy and Commerce subcommittee on commerce, trade, and consumer protection. ''I am deeply concerned with the appearance that Major League Baseball resists taking action to clean up the sport until it is overwhelmed with demands for action."
Material from the Associated Press was used in this report. 
