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During the off season, what is a baseball fan to do? So far, there has been some interesting trades, some interesting news but what really could top...the MITCHELL REPORT!!!!
So I am going to look at this from a Dodger fans point of view but before I do, some highlights from me to you of other things in this report. If you will break out a copy of your report and turn to page 121......the red is directly from the Mitchell report.
Brian Sabean: For those of you who don't know, Sabean is the GM for the San Francisco Giants...now...for all the crap the Dodgers get in this report (they deserve it) the Giants didn't exactly do a good job in promoting a clean environment. Marvin Bernard; Barry Bonds; Bobby Estalella;
Jeremy Giambi; Armando Rios; Benito Santiago; and Randy Velarde. First lets take a look at Bonds personal trainer Greg Anderson:
Jeremy Giambi; Armando Rios; Benito Santiago; and Randy Velarde. First lets take a look at Bonds personal trainer Greg Anderson:
According to Conte, he first met Greg Anderson and Harvey Shields during the Giants’ spring training that year. Anderson advised Conte that he was a
“strength weightlifting guru” whom Bonds had sought out for assistance. Bonds, in turn, told Conte that Anderson’s presence was not a reflection on Conte, but that Bonds needed special attention as he got older. Shields also provided personal training services for Bonds. Conte asked Anderson for a resume during spring training. In response, Anderson supplied a one-page document indicating that Anderson had graduated from high school and that
everything else was “pending.” The resume did not reveal, and Conte was unaware of, any education or expertise that Anderson might have that would qualify him to train a professional athlete. Conte observed Anderson training in the weight room with Bonds on numerous occasions during 2000 spring training. Conte was concerned that the workouts involved heavier weights than Conte would have recommended, which, in Conte’s view, created a heightened risk of injury. When Conte asked Anderson about Bonds’s weight training program, Anderson responded that “I’m doing what Barry tells me to.”
During spring training, Conte met with Giants general manager Brian Sabean to express his concerns about the presence of Anderson and Shields in the clubhouse, weight room, and other restricted areas. Conte felt strongly that personal trainers should not have such access, particularly where, as here, he viewed the trainers to be unqualified. Sabean told Conte that if Conte objected to Anderson and Shields being in the clubhouse, Conte should order them out himself. Conte said he would do this if Sabean would support him when Bonds complained, which Conte believed would be the result of his actions.
Sabean did not respond to this request for support, leading Conte to believe that Sabean would not do so if Bonds protested. Conte therefore decided to take no action to deny Anderson or Shields access to restricted areas.
Sabean did not respond to this request for support, leading Conte to believe that Sabean would not do so if Bonds protested. Conte therefore decided to take no action to deny Anderson or Shields access to restricted areas.
We see that (1) the team trainer Conte (no relation to the BALCO man) had a serious concern about Anderson and what he was doing with Bonds abd he brought it to someone's attention. (2) Sabean did nothing about it.
During winter meetings in 2001, Kevin Hallinan, the director of security for the Commissioner’s Office, lectured team physicians and athletic trainers about the
importance of clubhouse security generally. Conte said that after Hallinan’s prepared remarks, San Francisco’s assistant athletic trainer Barney Nugent stood up and said that there were issues with clubhouse security in San Francisco that seemed beyond the capability of local security to control. After
the lecture, Nugent and Conte told Hallinan about security issues related to Bonds’s entourage. According to Conte, Hallinan seemed to be familiar with the issue and promised that “we’re going to do something about this, it’s an issue and we know what you’re talking about.”In January 2002, Peter Magowan, the Giants’ president and managing general partner, met with Bonds in connection with the renewal of his contract with the Giants. In a
subsequent letter to Bonds, Magowan set forth a series of “discussion points” that they agreed to during that meeting and that Magowan assured Bonds would “remain consistent” during the duration of Bonds’s new contract (covering the 2002-2006 seasons). Along with a number of
other accommodations to Bonds, the Giants agreed that:
the lecture, Nugent and Conte told Hallinan about security issues related to Bonds’s entourage. According to Conte, Hallinan seemed to be familiar with the issue and promised that “we’re going to do something about this, it’s an issue and we know what you’re talking about.”In January 2002, Peter Magowan, the Giants’ president and managing general partner, met with Bonds in connection with the renewal of his contract with the Giants. In a
subsequent letter to Bonds, Magowan set forth a series of “discussion points” that they agreed to during that meeting and that Magowan assured Bonds would “remain consistent” during the duration of Bonds’s new contract (covering the 2002-2006 seasons). Along with a number of
other accommodations to Bonds, the Giants agreed that:
Letter from Peter A. Magowan to Barry Bonds, dated Feb. 11, 2002.Barry will provide the Club with a list of the personnel typically and historically needed. We will also work closely with Barry’s publicists to assure them of the proper access. In return, we agree that any of the approved personnel are not allowed to bring along any friends or associates or family members and the personnel’s access should be limited to their area of responsibility to Barry.
Sabean did not recall such a conversation with Conte in 2000 about either Shields or Anderson. Giants assistant athletic trainer Dave Groeschner confirmed Conte’s recollection of events. Hallinan did not remember Nugent’s statement at the meeting or the conversation with Conte, Groeschner, and Nugent after his lecture.
Again, Sabean knew about the concerns of Bonds and his gang. Of course, Sabean remebers nothing. But it gets better............
In August 2002, the Giants were visiting Atlanta for a series with the Braves. At the time, Anderson was traveling with the Giants. Conte recalls that during this series a Giants player asked Conte about anabolic steroids. Conte refused to identify the player to us, citing athletic trainer privilege. According to Conte, the player told him that he was considering obtaining steroids from Greg Anderson and wanted to know the health issues associated with the
use of steroids. In response, Conte explained at some length the health hazards of steroid use and lectured the player about the unfairness to other players posed by the illicit use of steroids. Conte believed that it was “a good lecture” and that he put considerable doubt in the player’s mind.
Conte stated that he reported the incident to general manager Brian Sabean within an hour of its occurrence. He told Sabean he was concerned that Anderson might be distributing steroids to Giants players. While he refused to identify the
player who had approached him, Conte otherwise described the conversation to Sabean in detail. Sabean suggested Conte confront Anderson and Bonds about the matter, which Conte refused to do. In Conte’s view, it
was not the responsibility of the athletic trainer to address such an issue. Sabean confirmed in his interview that Conte’s recollection of their conversation was accurate. He also acknowledged that he did not raise the issue with Bonds or Anderson. Instead, he asked Conte if he knew anyone who could “check out” Anderson. Conte said that he knew a Drug Enforcement Administration agent, and Sabean suggested Conte call the agent to check into Anderson. The DEA agent later told Conte that he did not find any information about Anderson. Conte relayed this to Sabean.
was not the responsibility of the athletic trainer to address such an issue. Sabean confirmed in his interview that Conte’s recollection of their conversation was accurate. He also acknowledged that he did not raise the issue with Bonds or Anderson. Instead, he asked Conte if he knew anyone who could “check out” Anderson. Conte said that he knew a Drug Enforcement Administration agent, and Sabean suggested Conte call the agent to check into Anderson. The DEA agent later told Conte that he did not find any information about Anderson. Conte relayed this to Sabean.
Sabean told me that he believed that if Anderson was in fact selling drugs illegally the government would have known about it. So when he received the report from Conte, Sabean did not report the issue to anyone in the Giants organization or the Commissioner’s Office, he did not confront Bonds or Anderson, and he did not take any steps to prohibit Anderson from gaining access to Giants facilities. Sabean said that he was not aware at the time of the Major League Baseball policy that required him to report information regarding a player’s drug use to the Commissioner’s Office. Sabean explained that he was in a very difficult situation regarding disclosure of this information because, as a result of the clubhouse culture in baseball, he felt he could not risk
“outing” Conte as the source of the information. He said that if he had insisted on Anderson’s ouster from the clubhouse, Bonds would have vigorously objected, just as he did when the Giants tried to bar Harvey Shields in response to the later (February 2004) mandate from the Commissioner’s Office barring personal trainers from restricted areas.
“outing” Conte as the source of the information. He said that if he had insisted on Anderson’s ouster from the clubhouse, Bonds would have vigorously objected, just as he did when the Giants tried to bar Harvey Shields in response to the later (February 2004) mandate from the Commissioner’s Office barring personal trainers from restricted areas.
This is kind of startling for me. The General Manager of the Giants knwos what is going on but he not only does nothing about it, he expects others to do it for him. When asked by Mitchell, Sabean says he didn't know that he was suppossed to do anything about (drug use).
Peter Magowan, the Giants’
managing partner and chief executive officer, recalled asking Sabean directly whether the Giants “had a problem” after reading the news reports of the BALCO raids. Magowan said that what he meant by his inquiry was to ask whether the Giants had a problem with Anderson dispensing steroids; he wanted to know whether Sabean had any reason to know of such a problem. According to Magowan, Sabean responded that he was not aware of any problem the Giants might have. However, Sabean strongly denied that such a conversation occurred. Magowan said that in September 2003, following the publicity surrounding the execution of the BALCO search warrants, Anderson was barred from the Giants clubhouse.
According to Giants clubhouse records, by that time Anderson had visited the clubhouse on 94 different days since March 2002. On February 12, 2004, Anderson and others were indicted by a federal grand jury in San Francisco on charges that included conspiracy to distribute anabolic steroids.In a February 20, 2004 memorandum to all major league clubs, Commissioner Selig and Sandy Alderson, then his executive vice president for baseball operations, reiterated the importance of clubhouse security in light of “[r]ecent events.” The memorandum imposed regulations that restricted who would be granted access to clubhouses, dugouts, and other areas of ballparks in Major League Baseball. Under the policy, access to restricted areas was limited
to authorized club personnel, immediate family, and authorized representatives of Major League Baseball or the Players Association. In addition, accredited media were granted limited access to portions of the clubhouse during specified periods before and after games. The policy expressly
prohibited access to restricted areas by “friends, associates, agents, attorneys [and] personal trainers.”
According to Giants clubhouse records, by that time Anderson had visited the clubhouse on 94 different days since March 2002. On February 12, 2004, Anderson and others were indicted by a federal grand jury in San Francisco on charges that included conspiracy to distribute anabolic steroids.In a February 20, 2004 memorandum to all major league clubs, Commissioner Selig and Sandy Alderson, then his executive vice president for baseball operations, reiterated the importance of clubhouse security in light of “[r]ecent events.” The memorandum imposed regulations that restricted who would be granted access to clubhouses, dugouts, and other areas of ballparks in Major League Baseball. Under the policy, access to restricted areas was limited
to authorized club personnel, immediate family, and authorized representatives of Major League Baseball or the Players Association. In addition, accredited media were granted limited access to portions of the clubhouse during specified periods before and after games. The policy expressly
prohibited access to restricted areas by “friends, associates, agents, attorneys [and] personal trainers.”
In April 2005, published news reports indicated that Bonds was still training with Anderson outside of Giants facilities. Magowan said that after learning this the Giants contacted the Commissioner’s Office, which advised that the Giants could not control Bonds’s choice of persons he trained with while away from the club’s facilities. Nevertheless, according to Magowan, the Giants asked Bonds to stop working with Anderson. The Giants also instructed Harvey Shields and Greg Oliver, who were then both members of the Giants training staff and worked with Bonds extensively, to have no contact with Anderson. On July 16, 2005, Anderson pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute
anabolic steroids and one count of money laundering.
Peter Magowan told me in an interview that he was in San Diego in February 2004 when he received a telephone call from Bonds to discuss ways to improve the team for the coming season. Magowan said that at the conclusion of the phone call he said to Bonds “I’ve really got to know, did you take steroids?” According to Magowan, Bonds responded that when he took the substances he did not know they were steroids but he later learned they were. Bonds said that he took these substances for a period of time to help with his arthritis, as well as sleeping problems he attributed to concern about his father’s failing health. To emphasize that he was not hiding anything Bonds added that he used
these substances in the clubhouse in the plain view of others. Bonds told Magowan he used these substances for only a short period of time and that they “didn’t work.” Magowan recalled asking Bonds whether this was what he had told the grand jury. Bonds replied yes. Magowan also asked Bonds if he was telling the truth, and Bonds said he was.
Two days after Magowan’s interview, lawyers for Magowan and the Giants called a member of my investigative staff. Magowan’s lawyer explained that his client misspoke when he said that Bonds had said, during their February 2004 telephone call, that he later learned the substances he had taken were steroids. According to his lawyer, Magowan could only recall with certainty that (1) Bonds had said he did not knowingly take steroids, and (2) what Bonds said to Magowan during the call was
consistent with what Magowan later read in the San Francisco Chronicle about Bonds’s reported grand jury testimony.
Marvin Benard :Dusty Baker was the manager of the San Francisco Giants in 2003 when the news of the BALCO raids broke. Baker advised my investigators in an interview that he was close to Marvin Benard and was “completely shocked” when he became aware of the allegations that
Benard used steroids. After Baker learned of the allegations, he asked Benard if they were true. According to Baker, Benard admitted he had used steroids previously but said that he had stopped. Baker did not report Benard’s admission to anyone in Giants management or the
Commissioner’s Office.
Benard used steroids. After Baker learned of the allegations, he asked Benard if they were true. According to Baker, Benard admitted he had used steroids previously but said that he had stopped. Baker did not report Benard’s admission to anyone in Giants management or the
Commissioner’s Office.
Bobby Estalella: In Game of Shadows, the authors wrote that in 2002 Bobby Estalella, a former player with the San Francisco Giants who was then with the Colorado Rockies, called Greg Anderson seeking help to recover from shoulder surgery. Estalella had met Anderson when he was playing with the Giants and had agreed to blood and urine tests for mineral deficiencies. Anderson reportedly sent Estalella a “workout program and drug schedule” under which Estalella would use human growth hormone, the “clear,” the “cream,” and the female fertility drug Clomid, in rotation.343 Estalella’s apparent use of performance enhancing substances was noticed by club officials. After the 2003 season, the Los Angeles Dodgers considered signing Estalella as a free agent. During a three-day meeting of Dodgers officials in late October 2003, assessments were made of many players, including the possible use of steroids by some players. Ellen Harrigan, an administrator in the Dodgers’ scouting department, kept detailed notes of the discussion. Among the comments she recorded was an observation by one of the participants that Estalella was a “poster boy for the chemicals.”
Benito Santiago: In Game of Shadows, the authors wrote that when drug testers approached San Francisco Giants catcher Benito Santiago to collect a urine sample in 2003, Santiago panicked and fled the
clubhouse. According to the authors, Santiago “returned 20 minutes later, relaxed and ready to cooperate. He had discussed the test with Bonds, he explained. Everything was fine, he was taking the same stuff as Barry.” The authors also alleged that Santiago told the BALCO grand jury that he injected himself with human growth hormone. At the end of the 2003 season, Mike Murphy, a Giants clubhouse attendant, was cleaning out Santiago’s locker when he found a sealed package of syringes. Murphy brought the syringes to the training room, handed them to Conte, and told Conte that he had found them in Santiago’s locker. Conte responded that he “would take care of it.” Murphy recalled that the Giants’ assistant athletic trainer Dave Groeschner also was present in the training room during this conversation. At the time, Santiago was the Giants’ starting catcher and had been named as a BALCO client in a memorandum
recounting the interview of Jim Valente during the federal raid of BALCO’s offices on September 3, 2003.351 Greg Anderson also told federal agents that Santiago was a client, and in his interview during the federal raid on his condominium he reportedly said he had supplied Santiago with human growth hormone.Conte told us that Murphy did not identify Santiago as the source of the syringes but instead claimed that Murphy had told him they were found in “the catcher’s locker,” suggesting the syringes had been found in the locker belonging to Santiago, who was then the Giants’ starting catcher. Murphy failed to disclose this incident at all during his first interview. When asked about it again during a follow-up interview, Murphy acknowledged that the incident had occurred and said that he had told Conte specifically that he had found the syringes in Santiago’s locker.
The Giants’ assistant athletic trainer Dave Groeschner remembered the incident as well. He recalled that after Murphy left the trainers’ room, he and the trainers talked among themselves and decided simply to dispose of the syringes. They did not follow up with Santiago because they knew he was leaving the team at the end of that season. Santiago became a free agent after the 2003 season and signed with the Kansas City Royals in December 2003. Conte did not view the incident as a “big deal,” and he did not investigate the matter further or report the incident to Giants management or to the Commissioner’s Office. Likewise, Conte did not confront “the catcher” about the incident.
Ray Espinoza
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