Mitchell's Eleven. . . Who? Why? What Next?

Is the "Steroid Era" over? Have we heard the last of Barry Bonds, the asterisk, and the Hall of Fame ball? What about the Mitchell Report, due to come out in a month or less? Well, this weekend will bring some interesting revelations.

So, we hear this weekend eleven free agents have been asked to join George Mitchell for "questioning". Why? What does he want from them? And what does it matter to the future of Major League Baseball?

First of all, we have no idea who the eleven are. So let's start there:

BCom's picks for some of the free agents who may or may not be visiting Mr. Mitchell this weekend, and a quick thought on why I think he might want to talk to them:

1. Jerry Hairston Jr. - Tested positive for "performance-enhancing drugs" and has served his suspension.
2. Mike Cameron - Tested positive for amphetamines, so why not shake him down and see what he's got to say? Guilty by association.
3. Julio Franco - Old as dirt and ripped like a Greek God? Gimme a break! Seriously, in Mexico, you can walk into a convenience store and pick up steroids as easily as I can pick up a Snickers bar. Now that's suspicious.
4. Mike Piazza - Went from a last-round draft pick as a favor to Tommy LaSorda to a Hall-of-Fame catcher. . . How? Bring him in.
5. Darin Erstad - Background in college football, injured all the time, his body's breaking down. My guess? User.
6. Luis Gonzalez - One huge year, then several lesser years, but nothing to match the big one. The owner of the Diamondbacks said he suspected something. Where there's smoke there's fire.
7. Aaron Boone - His brother is under suspicion, mentioned in Jose Canseco's book. Plus Aaron had a potentially career-changing knee injury. In the NFL, Rodney Harrison used HGH to rehab a knee. Could Boone have done the same?
8. Eric Gagne - Floundering minor league pitcher elevated to two years as a devastating closer for the Dodgers to the second-half turd we all saw with the Red Sox. I smell something.
9. Andruw Jones - I know he won the Gold Glove this year, but let's be serious. He's got the range of a Daisy Air Rifle. He's so bulked up, he can't get out of his own way. User.
10. Kris Benson - The wildcard. He's rehabbing his second major arm injury. Probably not user, but if I were George Mitchell, I'd invite Kris in hopes that he would bring his smokin' hot wife Ana along!

You're probably noticing that some really big names failed to make it on to my list. For instance, Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, and yes, Mr. I Love Myself Look At Me, Alex Rodriguez. Well, frankly, George Mitchell knows all he needs to know about Sammy Sosa. Everyone knows all they need to know about Barry Bonds. And wouldn't it be awesome if ARod's name came up this weekend? But I don't think it's going to happen.

At least not this weekend.

But maybe George will invite him down too. You know, his wife's pretty hot too. . .

BCom's Baseball Blog is Underway! Let's Play Ball!!!!!!

So you're thinking,

"So what? Another blog hits the web. What's the big deal?"

And maybe you're right. It's not a big deal. There's a lot of things this blog is not.

• It is NOT gossip! If you need to know every detail of ARod's wife's shopping trip, or what Bud Selig puts on his Wheaties in the morning, you're at the wrong blog.
• It is NOT news! If you're looking for scores, pre-determined highlights, or mass-produced comments on who's going to sign who, you're looking for one of the big guys: try www.espn.com or www.sportsline.com. They've got you covered.
• It is NOT accurate! I'm not claiming to be, or even TRYING to be a quotable source. I don't need the legal hassles because I can't beat Scott Boras' lawyers.
• Finally, it is NOT boring, wimpy, politically-correct or nice! As the saying goes, I'm not here to make friends! I'm here to say my piece and move on.

But, there are a lot of things this blog will be:

• It will be fun! I promise, if you keep up with me, you'll have as much of a blast reading it as I have writing it!
• It will be opinionated! I'm making no bones about this. This blog contains my opinions and my opinions only. (Or the selected opinions of those I agree with. . . ;-))
• It will be real! Since I take Baseball seriously, and like to treat it with the respect it deserves. At the same time, because I'm a fan, Baseball will piss me off just as often as it makes me smile. Whether I'm loving it or hating it, you're going to hear it, uncensored and uncut.

So, if you're interested in an honest forum about the good, the bad, the ugly and the trivial in America's other pastime, let's get together more often!

Let's play ball!