George Mitchell Knows If You've Been Bad Or Good

Unofficial leaked lists started hitting the Internet late this morning. Fearful and optimistic at the same time, we started scanning them to see who was allegedly going to be on the MLB Steroid Commission's "Naughty" list.

But then the 400-page PDF report arrived in our browser, and some of the worst rumors turned out to be just rumors. The most popular list circulating this morning named Jason Varitek, Trot Nixon and Julian Tavarez. None of those names appeared on the actual report.

But there were Sox connections. Eric Gagne, who just left town, was cited as having ordered HGH when he was a Dodger. The report even cites an email to Theo Epstein from a Sox scout confirming that they knew he was probably involved before they got him (page 267).

A couple of guys who had cups of coffee with the Sox (Kent Mercker, Mike Lansing, Brendan Donnelly) are fingered as well, but the only guy mentioned who was really a Sox at heart is Mo Vaughn, who is listed as buying HGH from master-HGH-salesman Kirk Radomski, but not steroids (Vaughn was "afraid of the big needles", says the report).

If you're in the mood for some schadenfreude, you should note that Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, Chuck Knoblauch, David Justice, and Kevin Brown are prominent among the Bronx contingent mentioned in the report. (The haters will no doubt note that George Mitchell is on the board of the Red Sox, a preemptive dose of Boston Derangement Syndrome.)

This isn't the end of this. Mitchell said he recommended that Bud Selig let bygones by bygones and not punish anyone who's name is here for past indiscretions. But everyone who hated Bonds and Giambi for this is going to have to decide how much of that hate transfers to guys like Brendan Donnelly and Gregg Zaun(!) for the rest of their careers. And with Mark McGwire already being shut out of Cooperstown on his first try, we're sure Hall of Fame voting is going to be a cluster-youknowwhat for years to come.

Just thank Whoever that Tek and Trot's names aren't on the Naughty list.

Image from Wikipedia.