Last Thursday, an emotional Gagne was carried by his Capitale teammates and fellow Quebecers off the field after Quebec Capitales’ triumph against the Worcester Tornadoes.

Gagne was so touched that more than 5,000 fans came to cheer him and to see his game.

Born in Montreal, Quebec, Eric Serge Sagne is a former Major League Baseball player and is best known as the Los Angeles Dodgers’ closer.

He received numerous awards in his baseball career such as the 2003 NL TSN Pitcher of the Year, NL Rolaids Relief Man of the Year for 2003 and 2004, the 2003 NL Cy Young Award, and a three-time selection for the All Star and the 2007 World Series Champion.

However, in 2007, his name came out in the controversial baseball list of players in the Mitchell Report. Since then, the multi-awarded player suffered public scrutiny, not to mention, several elbow and shoulder injuries which led to his release from the Major League in 2008.

He decided to return home to Quebec, where he signed a contract with the Quebec Capitales as a starter pitcher / coach under the independent Can-Am league.

It proved to be a correct decision, as it was like chicken soup for his soul with all those fans accepting him and screaming out his name.

His wife, Valerie, was very grateful of the support showed by her husband’s fellow Quebecers. She even wrote a thank you letter addressed to a local reporter.

From Canada:

QUEBEC - Eric Gagne, Cy Young winner, fallen idol, stood on the mound at rickety old Quebec Municipal Stadium on Thursday night with tears rolling down his cheeks.

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US District Judge Keith P. Ellison dismissed the rest of Clemens’ case last August 28, 2009. This means that the case has been dismissed in Texas and Clemens could not refile in the said state. This leaves the case to be continued in New York.

Last January 2008, Roger Clemens sued his former personal trainer Brian McNamee after the trainer made a statement in the Mitchell report that he injected Clemens with steroids and human growth hormone for not less than 16 times in 1998, 2000 and 2001.

Not only did McNamee made the statement once but he also repeated it to Sports Illustrated’s website.  According to Clemens, the statements were untrue and defamatory.

McNamee responded by filing a case against Clemens for defamation on July 31, 2009. The case was filed in a federal court in Brooklyn, New York.

According to McNamee, Clemens issued an intense public relations offensive by refusing McNamee’s allegations in a nationally televised news conference in “60 minutes”.

In their legal battle in Brooklyn, Clemens is on defense side. Richard Emery, McNamee’s lawyer thinks that they have an advantage now that the case was moved to New York.

From Google Hosted News:

NEW YORK — The remainder of Roger Clemens‘ defamation suit against Brian McNamee in Texas has been dismissed, leaving the pair to fight their legal battle in New York.

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Steroids are commonly associated with bodybuilding. However, most people are not aware that common drug treatments used in various medical conditions are also a form of steroids.

Take for example in bone marrow stimulation. Anabolic steroids are used to increase red blood cell count. They are particularly useful in treating hypoplastic anemia, a type of anemia commonly seen among leukemia or kidney patients.

Another use of anabolic steroids is appetite stimulation. This effect may be attributed to the increase in metabolism rate of a person. Anabolic steroids are also useful in improving muscle mass. Patients with chronic diseases like cancer or AIDS usually experience loss of appetite and subsequent weight loss. They may also experience muscle wasting due to immobilization. There are numerous studies showing that these patients were given anabolic steroids and they showed positive results. Anabolic steroids work in these conditions by increasing the energy consumption through increase food intake.

In cases where there is stunned growth due to some pituitary disorders, testosterone works best by promoting signs of puberty.

Testosterone is also beneficial as a male contraceptive. Testosterone enanthate is given to decrease normal production of testosterone in a male’s body. It is slowly gaining popularity in the field of family planning. It is also proven reliable and is a reversible type of contraceptive method.

From Knol:

Steroids are meant for different purposes and are prescribed by doctors with several intentions. In the aspect of body building, they are used for muscle development. On the other hand, there are those steroids which are used in pain relieving when exercising. Medical use of steroids is very relative and there are different approaches in which it is adopted.

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After being urged by his uncle Dwight Gordon to sign in with the Mets, Gary Sheffield has a home team at last. Now there are questions if the Mets did the right thing of taking him in despite the knowledge that he has been linked to steroids. Though he claims he didn’t know that the cream he was using contained steroids.

With a new ballpark and a younger team the Mets are giving the impression that they are moving towards a fresh start. It is quite odd that they take in Sheffield when he is almost retirable, with a career going towards a decline, and a tarnished reputation.

From The Daily News:

But of course, those memories can always turn out to be really, really bad. That’s where we get to Sheffield, who is bound to make noise of one variety or another.

This is supposed to be a no-lose move, because the Mets are only paying Sheffield $400,000 and can cut him more easily than they mow the infield grass. Except that it isn’t. The Mets can lose a great deal. They can mess with the chemistry of this still-young team, and revisit dark places where only the Mitchell Report has gone before.

Jerry Manuel spoke frankly before the game Saturday about how he isn’t worried about nursing along Daniel Murphy or Fernando Tatis. “I’m not trying to develop or evolve,” Manuel said. “I’m trying to win a championship.”

The number of runs Sheffield makes or his good conduct will improve the Mets standing in the games. Trying to win the championships is a poor excuse. Mets sound desperate. Even if they can easily let him go at $400,000 once the Mitchell report is released to the public they will definitely lose the wholesome, family oriented image they are known for.

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From the news of Alex Rodriguez taking performance enhancing drugs, the spotlight now moves on to Miguel Tejada of the Houston Astros. Tejada is not a stranger to steroid-related headlines. Back in 2005, he was named by Rafael Palmeiro as the guy who supplied him with supplements that could probably explain why he had failed the drug test that season. Tejada has also been named by several other athletes and eventually became the subject of investigations and allegations. In 2005, Tejada testified in front of the Congress. Just a few days ago, right after A-Rod had admitted to taking performance enhancing drugs, Tejada was charged of lying under oath, and just yesterday, he finally admitted to these charges.

From Reuters:

Tejada, 34, admitted that during a 2005 congressional hearing he made the misrepresentations to congressional staff members when he said he never knew of any other player using steroids.

The plea by the Houston Astros shortstop is the latest public relations problem for Major League Baseball, which was hit earlier this week when New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez, the game’s highest-paid player, admitted he used performance-enhancing drugs from 2001 to 2003.

Tejada, the American League’s Most Valuable Player in 2002 while with the Oakland Athletics, pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor offense before U.S. Magistrate Judge Alan Kay as part of a plea deal with federal prosecutors.

The teary-eyed Tejada apologized to the United States, to his family and friends, and all those who had supported him. He says that he owns the country so much for taking him in and giving him the chance to play. As you can recall, Tejada is not a U.S. citizen just yet. He is still in the process of filing citizenship and a judge admitted that this incident might affect the outcome of that process. Other than that, Tejada is aware that he will be facing penalties such as serving a year in jail and paying a fine of $1000.

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Just recently, the man that led the FBI to anabolic steroids dealer Kirk Radomski has been revealed. He is actually one of the targets of  other FBI investigations involving real estate fraud. Andrew Michael Bogdan was the FBI lead who, according to Jeff Novitzky, has been acquainted with several athletes within the Major Leagues. For some time, the FBI depended on Bogdan to lead them to Radomski and this eventually led to the conviction of the steroid dealer. Radomski’s arrest was important especially to the Mitchell Report which served as a basis of charges against baseball athletes who had allegedly used performance enhancing drugs.

From The New York Times:

The identity of the man, Andrew Michael Bogdan, was first reported on The Smoking Gun Web site and independently confirmed by two people with direct knowledge of the case who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Reached by telephone Wednesday, Bogdan said many aspects of the Web site’s story were either incorrect or taken out of context. He would not say whether he helped federal agents in their investigation into the use of performance-enhancing drugs by baseball players but later said: “I know nothing about that, that’s the funny thing. I know nothing about the steroids stuff.”

He added, “I’ve had friends who were ballplayers, and that’s the extent of it.”

Bogdan’s lawyer, Richard Karceski, did not return calls or an e-mail message Wednesday. Barbara Sale, the assistant United States attorney who prosecuted Bogdan’s criminal case, declined to comment in an e-mail message.

Bogdan was charged with fraud in a real estate flipping scheme to which he pleaded guilty in 2001. He was then under probation for 5 years and was asked to pay a sum more than $277,000 for restitution.

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Jay Gibbons was a former outfielder for the Baltimore Orioles. As a baseball player, he had his days such as when he hit a three-run home run during a game against the Cleveland Indians in 2005. Of course, he had his down moments. After two unproductive seasons, Gibbons was one of the athletes named to have used anabolic steroids in the infamous Mitchell Report. Gibbons admitted to have used human growth hormone for his wrist injury. While some athletes still face trial and others try to clear their names, Gibbons was effectively ostracized by the association.

From The Miami Herald:

But Gibbons was caught in the worst of scenarios. Coming off two injury-riddled seasons, his production had fallen off. Once the steroid allegations arose and he was levied a 15-game suspension, it became that much easier for the Orioles to waive him near the end of spring training, despite owing him almost $12 million.

And it became so much harder for another team to justify signing him.

‘The first week I got released, you talk to your agents and it’s, `You’re going to get a big-league job, just hold on and wait,’ ” Gibbons said. ‘Then it went to, `We’ll get you a Triple A job,’ to ‘We’re calling Japan,’ to ‘We can’t find anything.’ ”

After that, he had trouble finding a decent job. He was offered a role in the Minor Leagues but it didn’t last long. Gibbons knew his mistake and was sincerely apologetic. He even wrote to all the managers of the Major Leagues teams. Even if his intentions were heartfelt, he was just denied any chance to get back to Major League Baseball. While the public still debates on whether Kirk Radomski or Senator Mitchell’s office can be trusted, Gibbons is the example of what the Mitchell Report has led to. Let’s not forget, the reliability of that report is still in question.

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In an interview done by Terence Moore, David Justice reiterates that he has never used anabolic steroids or any performance enhancing drugs in his career. Justice is a former player for several Major League Baseball teams but his best games were those with the Atlanta Braves. He was also one of the athletes names by Kirk Radomski in the Mitchell Report and the steroid dealer said that he had sold Justice human growth hormone when the athlete played for the Yankees. In Moore’s column, the writer looks at possible intentions behind Radomski’s actions.

From The Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Radomski doesn’t like Justice. Either that, or the former clubhouse attendant has a vivid imagination. He told George Mitchell that he sold human growth hormone to Justice. That was significant, because Mitchell was in charge of baseball’s investigation into the use of performance-enhancing drugs. Then Radomski told ESPN that he gave Justice a box of HGH and steroids during a ride to the airport after Justice finished playing for the New York Yankees in the 2000 World Series.

Now consider this: Radomski has a recently published book on steroids and baseball. It’s a book with large passages disputed by Mitchell. Which means it’s wise to question anything leaving Radomski’s lips.

“When he said he took me to the airport after we won the World Series, hey, I got my cousins, I got friends who were up there with me, and they all said, ‘That dude didn’t take you to no airport,’ ” said Justice, who did recall Brian McNamee, the former trainer, now famous for saying Roger Clemens was juiced.

As for using HGH, Justice admits that Brian McNamee did offer him the substance and said that it is not steroids. The trainer did this because Justice was suffering from pains due to his hernia and groin. And he did admit that he would have taken it if he wasn’t afraid of injecting himself using a needle since that was the only form the strength coach offered him. So no, he didn’t use the HGH either.

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In order to nail Roger Clemens’ use of performance enhancing drugs, the prosecution submitted the syringes which Brian McNamee, Clemens’ former trainer, claimed that he had used to administer anabolic steroids to the athlete with. The results of the verification test could be very useful to the prosecution and could actually prove that Clemens is lying. Fortunately for them, the blood found in the syringes actually matches Clemens’ DNA. Unfortunately, even if they could present this as evidence, the defense has sturdy facts to counter it with.

According to McNamee, he injected Clemens with steroids and human growth hormone between 1998 and 2001, and kept the materials he used in a box in his basement. These were the materials, such as syringes and gauze pads that he had submitted for verification. According to defense lawyer Rusty Hardin, the DNA tests won’t really have a heavy impact on the case and won’t prove anything.

From SBR Forum:

“It will still be evidence fabricated by McNamee,” Hardin told the newspaper. “I would be dumbfounded if any responsible person ever found this to be reliable or credible evidence in any way.”

Federal authorities are conducting genetic tests of Clemens’ DNA after the former pitcher voluntary provided them with samples, but even those tests won’t prove McNamee’s claims.

According to the report, the Anti-Doping Research Institute in Los Angeles, who were brought onto the case by authorities, are still attempting to find out if the syringes ever contained steroids or HGH.

Clemens has previously stated that he has been injected with vitamin B-12 and painkillers during his career and the report states that without evidence of steroids or HGH in the syringes, it will be difficult for prosecutors to convince jurors that he was injected with those substances.

While Clemens continues to deny his steroid use, McNamee continues to claim otherwise. These opposing statements led federal agents to further investigations with interviews with Clemens’ close friends which could also be called in to court.

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While former US Senator George Mitchell moves on to a new project in the Middle East, issues about his disagreement with certain passages in Kirk Radomski’s book, “Bases Loaded”, are still being examined. Radomski wrote that the senator himself asked him if he knew anything about the illegal steroid use of certain athletes such as Randy Johnson and Alex Rodriguez. Not all that were asked were identified in the Mitchell Report though and according to the anabolic steroids dealer, this was because Mitchell couldn’t get any second hand information about them. The senator’s deputy, John Clarke, denied any allegations. The problem is, however, it isn’t only Radomski who pointed out this tactic. Past interviews with other baseball personalities revealed the Mitchell’s office tried to fish for names and information.

From Newsday.com

Former Yankees outfielder Chad Curtis, in an interview with Newsday that ran May 13, 2007, said his session with Mitchell’s investigators featured a fishing expedition involving Curtis’ former teammates.

“They tried to dig and prod,” Curtis said. “They at least tried to head down that road.”

In a report for ESPN.com on Dec. 11, 2007, Howard Bryant wrote that team strength coaches and trainers believed that the Mitchell team “explicitly pressured them to ‘guess’ about steroid use by specific players.”

Radomski is an important witness to the Clemens case and the Mitchell Report. It would look back if people start having the notion that the senator only wants positive news about his office and would rather hide the dirt on how the report was created. Although the Mitchell report had done a lot of good in naming athletes who had used steroids, the methods by which this information was taken would be scrutinized by the public.

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